Designing Custom Cabinets & Built-In Furniture

Custom cabinetry and built-in furniture add warmth, depth, and character to most any room. They help to organize and store a variety of household items from family heirlooms to knickknacks and often make use of awkward spaces.

When designing custom built-in cabinetry, consider all of the following principles and basic tips before planning the construction phase of your project.

UNITY AND STYLE

From traditional to modern or rustic to contemporary, well designed cabinetry and built-in furniture should give the appearance that it was constructed together cohesively with the room. Moldings should match and architectural details and period styling should be consistent with adjacent rooms. Pay attention to symmetry, proportions, textures, colors, materials, hardware, fixtures, and finishes.

When creating a particular style, it may help to first choose a door and drawer profile. Also decide whether you would like a painted finish or the look of real wood. When determining colors and finishes, keep them consistent or contrast with other features in the room, making sure they do not compete.

Common materials include wood (solid, plywood and veneers), stone (generally marble and granite), stainless steel, glass, and man made materials (plastic laminate and solid surfaces).

FUNCTION AND PURPOSE

Often overlooked, but extremely important is the accessibility of your items and the functional purpose that the cabinet is to serve. Consider everything that you want to store within the unit and identify why your current system does and does not work. Sort items into categories, determine how often they are used, and how they should be positioned and in what environment (stored flat, hung up, stored in a cool, dry place, etc). Visualize yourself using it for the easiest retrieval and make sure the system fits within your particular routine.

Also, consider such aspects as lighting, adjustability, concealed versus open storage, pullout sections that fully extend, appliances, future expansion, and dual purpose functionality.

You may also want to construct a life size mock up to observe traffic flow and make sure drawers and doors do not obstruct pathways and neighboring objects.

ECONOMY AND EFFICIENCY

Making use of limited space requires creative thinking and building in areas that may seem unusual. If you want to claim lost space and display pieces in unexpected nooks, look for dead areas under stairways, in attics, and angled or odd corners. Also be creative with transitional places between rooms, under windows, beds, and sofas.

Note: Consider safety first, check building codes, and think before putting such items as flammable materials under staircases and other areas.

Whether it’s a wall of colored books on shelves, a seat under a bright window, or a seemingly useless space displaying objects from around the world, well designed built-in cabinetry can serve multiple purposes and be the centerpiece of most any room. Ultimately, this is a subjective process and one that will accommodate your particular lifestyle, individual needs and personal preferences. Take the time to analyze the patterns of your daily routines, identify the style and architectural details of your home, and discover interesting places to make the most of your living spaces.