RECIPE № 5

 1. Kitchen Cabinets

Because cabinet doors are the face of the kitchen, it will be very important that you choose a finish you want to look at for quite a number of years. Keep in mind that, whichever material you choose to use for your cabinets, durability and low maintenance have to be the key to your choice.

As most of the cabinet carcasses nowadays are made of chipboard, the only thing you have to worry about is the finish of the cabinet doors. First of all it is important to choose which material you want to use for the cabinet doors. In this section, the different finishes and their possibilities will be explained.

 1.1. Wood

If you choose for wood, will you go for solid wood or wood veneer? The latter is cheaper and is less under the influence of weather conditions. The humidity and temperature outside have an effect on your solid wooden kitchen doors, but the biggest influence comes from the changes in temperature and humidity due to your kitchen activities. Besides that, veneer will also give more uniformity, as a piece of wood is cut in thin strips to cover all the doors.

Wood itself is available in all kinds of colours, but it can also be glossed, painted, colour washed or waxed to give it the finish you prefer. Have a little look through our gallery to give yourself a few ideas.

 1.2. Laminate

Even more than wood, laminate cupboard doors have endless possibilities in colour, texture and shine. You can go for a soft look with creamy colours and a matt finish or, if you want to make a real statement, choose for the Italian style with shining fronts and bold colours. Especially in this style the choice of handles and other finishes will really set the kitchen off.

A great advantage of laminate cupboards is that they are virtually maintenance-free. Wood needs a lot of love and attention as it is a natural product and prone to changes in temperature and humidity, but laminate only needs the occasional wipe or two and it is clean again. Whereas laminate worktops might not be the best choice in the long run, laminate cupboard doors suffer from a lot less wear and tear and will stay fresh for a good number of years.

 1.3. Other Materials

Wood and laminate will most likely be the basic materials to use for your kitchen cabinet doors. But as already said in the "Kitchen planning section", one type of storage and one type of material can look a bit monotonous in a large kitchen. Use for part of your cabinets for example glass doors for protected display of your crockery, or use frosted glass for a concealed, but still open look. Glass will look beautiful in both traditional and contemporary kitchens, whereas frosted glass works best in contemporary kitchens.

Stainless steel is another material used for kitchens, but mostly for worktop and appliances. It gives its own character to your kitchen. It looks clean, shiny and professional. It is easy to keep clean as well and is very durable, but can be very costly. If you choose to use stainless steel for your cupboards, make sure your kitchen doesn’t get a clinical feel about it. Try to combine it with wood or a warm colour on the wall. A worktop will receive the most wear and tear of all the surfaces in the kitchen. It has to endure hot pots and pans, knives, water and dirt. Therefore your worktop has to be made of the most durable material you can afford. But you can do a lot yourself to protect your worktop from too much abuse by using chopping boards and trivets. Here is an overview of the different materials you can use for your worktops and a short description of their usability.

 2. Worktops

 2.1. Laminated worktop

This material has been and still is very popular for kitchens and worktops, as it is cheap and it comes in a variety of colours. Do not expect too much durability though as it scratches, burns and gets dirty very easily. It does come in a lot of different colours and textures though, so you will always find your taste in laminate. If you do chooses for laminate, make sure you protect your surface with trivets and chopping boards.

 2.2. Wooden worktop

Once again, wood will give great character to your kitchen. If used for the worktop it is however highly sustainable to scratching and cutting. Hot pans will make their marks on it and it can be unhygienic if used as a chopping block for meat. But it is the only surface that will not damage your knives.

 2.3. Stainless steel worktop

This highly durable material can be shaped in any way your kitchen goes. The backsplash and the sink can be made into the same piece of steel, which makes that there are no awkward corners that will jeopardise hygiene. It is not the cheapest solution though and you have to make sure that you stay away from the clinical image stainless steel has.

 2.4. Granite worktop

Granite is the most common type of stone used for a worktop. It is also the most expensive material to cover your worktop with. It is highly durable, it doesn’t scratch or burn and it keeps its colour. It’s a natural material that will give great character to your kitchen.

A last idea for your worktops is to combine different materials for your worktop as different worktop areas have different functions. Choose for example stainless steel for around your sink and granite for the pastry preparation area. This way you make the most of the qualities of the different materials and it also breaks the monotony of your worktop area.

 2.5. Solid surfaced worktop

Solid surfaces in worktop language means that a worktop is not built up in layers, such as laminate, but that it consists of a solid plastic all the way through. One of the best well-known brand names is Corian. It has been on the market for more than 30 years.

Solid surfaces are hardwearing. They resist scratches, scorches and heat from hot pans. If you do damage your surface, there are repair kits available to fix it.

Solid surfaces are about three times as expensive as laminate and twice as expensive as wood, but it is still cheaper than stainless steel and stone. It comes in a lot of colours and styles and suppliers give a good guarantee.