I’m nearing the cabinet installation point in a new home which I’m building (my first) in Southern Chile. (Anyone who might be interested in seeing a few photos will find them on the web at: http://www.geocities.com/jackfeka/index.html
My concern at the moment is the space which is usually left above cabinets and the ceiling when wall cabinets are installed in the kitchen.
To me it seems that this is wasted space and a dust and grease collecting area, but since I lack much experience I’d like to hear thoughts from others on the idea of closing in this space (possibly using sliding doors).
Specifically I’d be interested in knowing if these spaces serve any purpose of which I am ingnorant … or are they simply a customary practice that has no logical explanation.
Other thoughts or suggestions will be welcomed.
Jack
Replies
I agree that these spaces are dust collectors.
If there is enough space, I prefer installing another set of cabinets above. These can be used for 'deep storage' of things that are used seasonally or occasionally.
Some folks like to put glass doors up there, and use it for display. I saw a setup like this recently with glass doors and a glass shelf that had lights inside. They had some nice colored glass pieces on display. Made a pleasant nightime glow when the main lights were off.
The more common solution is to build soffits, which is cheaper and easier, but wastes the space.
So, it would seem that I'm not the only one who considers that that space is wasted.
Being the curious person that I am, I'm still wondering why or ow this custom came into common use. Was this just a decorative effect that caught on, or did there actually exist some reason for this practice. (I can see that full-length doors might cause a problem in uneven ceilings, or perhaps in colliding with light fixtures, but this doesn't account for a space that is often 12" or more)
Jack
The simple answer is cost. Taller cabinetry would cost more money. Building a soffit down to the cabinets would also cost more money. Every nickle counts when you are building down in 'Levittown'.
If you tour older homes, you will notice that cabinetry or shelving right up to the top of even very high victorian ceilings was the more common practice. Every victorian home probably had a folding stepstool in the pantry. Some even had rolling 'library' ladders (very cool!). Pre-war kitchens did not typically have any built in cabinetry in the kitchen itself. A pantry with built-ins would be more common. I live within these constraints in my own victorian kitchen everyday...
Bet the 'standard' mass-produced cabinet sizes were a post-war creation. These are naturally going to cost much less. They became so commonplace, that folks grew used to them.
Most homes I see built today do have soffits built down to the cabinets.
Actual Levittown Kitchen:
View Image
http://www.fandm.edu/levittown/three/kitchen.html
Edited 11/20/2003 2:11:44 PM ET by csnow
What's with the tennis balls???
Who ever invented work didn't know how to fish....
"What's with the tennis balls???"
Yeah, I know....
If you goto the page you can click on the tennis balls for a closeup...
Edited 11/20/2003 2:14:14 PM ET by csnow
Jax,
this summer while re-muddling my own kitchen I noticed the the stock cabinets available seemed to indicate a soffit ( wasted space)above the usual intallation. A few minutes with a measuring tape indicated that I could fit another row of cabinets up there---so that's what I did.
We loved the results---nothing fancy---but it worked out well for us. the extra cabinets in combination with the style of cabinetry chosen gave the room kind of a pantry feel---which my wife and I commented on several times.
A couple of month or so later I bought a copy of a book by Brent Hull " Historic Millwork"----in that book I found a couple of pictures from a 1917 kitchen design contest showing pretty much what I had stumbled upon on my own. It seems a 1917 designed kitchen worked well in a 1920's built house---even if the kitchen was installed in 2003.
If the space is only 12" tall or so, you can just order taller wall cabinets (this is a little easier than another row of cabinets (and gets "back" the space taken up by a top rail and a bottom rail in height).
Around 18" tall, the sapce is better for displaying things. If the space is much above 96" from the floor, it's a little impractical to put cabinets in. (Unless you really need a library ladder i nthe room.) Finish the cabinet tops with 1/4 melamine faced ply behind the top moulding. This makes for a easy-to-clean surface.
Not a bad location for indirect lighting, either. A dimmer is a very good idea, but not mandatory. If you are displaying glassware, or the like, some hockey-puck LV feature lamps can be a good idea to go with the indirect lighting.