Not-nearly-done-kitchen PART 2 from Breezy
The thread I posted about a year ago on my unfinished kitchen just reached its 150 post maximum as Huango asked a question. Since I can't answer you there, Amanda, I'll post this thread as part 2 and answer here.
posted by Huango on Sun, Jan 27, 13 at 10:50
I really LOVE your kitchen.
I really like your handles placed horizontally.
Sorry I didn't read through, but did you get any pushback when you said to install the handle os the doors (not drawers) horizontally?
My DH and guy friends think I'm nuts and SO WRONG to do it like that. They said that people will break the handle and/or door since the user will pull out the door instead of swinging it open.
Yes, I showed them your beautiful kitchen and they still don't get it.
Of all my cabinets, only 5 of them are doors; rest are drawers. So I think the door handles should be place horizontally just like my drawers.
How did you handle any pushbacks?
What besides "It-is-my-kitchen-and-I-will-put-the-handles-however-I-want" can I use to gain DH and friends' understanding?
Thank you very much,
Amanda
p.s. Thank you very much for your supportive posts on my threads. It has been a very long road and it is incredibly helpful to read such wonderful thoughts.
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First, you're welcome, Amanda, and thanks for the compliments. I received so much help to even remember from all the kind folks here when I was actively reno'ing. I'm happy to pay it forward. I hope your DH is doing better. I have you, him, and your family in my thoughts and prayers.
To answer your question, I don't think I asked anybody's permission about my pull placement. DH has some input on the pulls, as in he didn't like them at first, but I eventually ordered what I wanted. I learned at the beginning of this reno not to ask his opinion on certain aesthetic questions unless I knew he had a strong preference or if I couldn't decide myself. We have an almost 20 year history of being unable to come to mutual agreement about many aesthetic items in our home so we compromise with something completely boring that neither one of us really likes. I saw this whole house reno as a chance to find my style. I don't mean this all to sound cold. For the most part I did what I wanted. Besides, DH is too busy working and traveling for work to care much about anything besides spending his small amount of free time with his family. :)
My cab maker, bless his patient heart, had never seen anyone with so few uppers, so many drawers, pulls of different sizes, and pulls on all cabs and drawers that when we got to pull placement, he simply did what I asked. He did triple and quadruple check to make sure that he understood what I wanted though. In the end, he said he liked the pulls and the placement and would offer it as an option to future customers if they were unsure of their hardware placement.
I'm not sure what advice I can give you, really, other than to say its MY kitchen and I'll do as I please! I think we've established in another thread that I'm a b*t$h mom, and that must rub off in other areas of my life. I didn't ask permission about where to place my pulls. I'm the one that uses the kitchen hours and hours a day and does 98.5467% of the work in there anyway. Really, it's no one's business but yours, and maybe your DH's. Certainly not your friends. I guess I would say to be strong and stand up for yourself. I don't mean for that to sound condescending!
A far as function goes, I have had zero issues with the horizontal placement nor has anyone else who has worked in my kitchen. In fact, not one person has even mentioned the unusal placement, not even my SIL who installed hers in the same manner. I think that says something that no one even notices!
No one has tried to pull out a door. Unless you've never functioned in a house before, I think a person's subconscious is smart enough to see a door and realize a door swings open. And I find the ergonomics to be better this way anyway. With uppers, I don't have to reach as far up to open a door as I would if the pulls were in a more traditonal vertical placement up farther on the stiles. With the lowers, I don't have to reach as far down to open the doors as I would if the pulls were in a more traditional vertical placement down lower on the stiles. Try that argument on the boys.
Plus, the garbage pullout would drive me completely and utterly nutso if the pull was down lower vertically. Bonkers!
I also like the visual simplicity of the pulls all running in one direction. Some kitchens look busy to me with so many horizontal and vertical lines running everywhere. There are others who have done this, also. Have you seen other kitchens like this?
I hope I helped some! I'm looking forward to seeing your finished kitchen!
Here's my current kitchen frustration.
Here is a link that might be useful: Part 1
This post was edited by breezygirl on Mon, Jan 28, 13 at 5:38
Comments (28)
Jfay
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoHuhngo- I can tell you that we bought a home with cabinet pulls installed horizontally and I never even noticed it was slightly different until we'd lived here three years. It has never bothered me once and no one has ever commented on it. As much as I'd like to start demolition of this old kitchen, I haven't pulled a door off its hinge yet and I agree that keeping them all horizontal is easier on the eye.
springroz
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
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Comments (25)hmmm, let's see - so far I would change: - the hybrid radiant/induction cooktop to full induction. There really is a difference. I'm afraid I'm going to weare out the induction part since I try so hard to use them over the radiant ones. - the kitchen layout. It wasn't until AFTER the granite was in, did I realize that it would not have been that difficult. - kept the sink order with Galaxy to get the sink I wanted. I was done to the midnight hour and would have had to pay an extra $90 for overnight shipping. I used the sink that my fabricator found - builder grade. It's OK, but it scratches a lot. It replaced a then top-of-the-line Elkay that didn't scratch nearly uas much. I like what I have, but think the extra $$ would have been worth it. - planned!! I didn't plan on doing this - just replace one appliance. That turned into having to add this, that or the other as I moved along the way. - different faucet. I have Kohler (don't remember model), and don't like it at all. It's too expensive to just switch out, but if I can find a taker, I'll make the change. All-in-all, I'm very happy/satisfied. I ended up with some very good new toys, but I just know if I had planned, I would have done some things very differently....See MoreIts nearly done!! Pics
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11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoCEFreeman
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autumn.4
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11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaliris19
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oldbat2be
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaliris19
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11 years agolast modified: 9 years agobreezygirl
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoAutumn--actually my giant Coconut kitten is very shy and skittery. Her look is nervous, more like "ruh roh....she caught me. If she takes even one tiny move towards me, I'll run off in a flash because I KNOW I'm not supposed to be on these counters."
Rhome--Yes, she's huge! Much bigger than her sister and momma. Remember how tiny she was? Momma Sophie wasn't even fully grown herself here.
Now they barely fit together on that chair.
She's starting to become a late night lap cat, which I love! DH still makes her quite nervous though.
Aliris--LOL! She hasn't jumped up there in front of me since then.
Amanda--we "spoke" on another thread about your pull install so I know your current predicament. :)
Miruca--the only special consideration I can think of is to be careful of the flue positioning when you pick an insert. A couple I looked at required it to go out the side, which wouldn't work with the freestanding, middle-of-the-room look I was trying to achieve. The day I was planning to order my insert, I looked at the specs one last time in the showroom only to discover that the unit was too shallow front to back! I wouldn't have gotten very wide shelves on the ends by the time I accounted for framing so I shopped some other showrooms and found this deeper one. The wall and fireplace is 21.75" deep with the interior useable shelf space measuring 15.75" wide. I hope that answered your questions. Let me know if you need more info.
Oldbat--((sheepishly)) I think you're right about it being time to start exploring. I hated to start a bs thread without having some tile samples in consideration, but I really don't have a clue at this point. I know I don't want white subs and am up for something elegant, sophisticated or creative. I do not want to go crazy, but I do not want something that is commonly seen. (I love your tiles so much!) Does that make sense? I did finally finish with some long-term cooking projects like bread crumbs, meyer lemon and other flavored vodka, vanilla extract, canning jar organization, and some flavored triple secs that were taking up space on my counters so I could get some pics with the ipad and grid lines. You hit the nail on the head when you said that I'm not ready to run out and buy tile tomorrow, but if you're willing to take me on as a photoshop project I'm ready to start the process. :)
oldbat2be
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enduring
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agotmy_jax
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoautumn.4
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoJulie Drew
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agooldbat2be
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoenduring
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agobreezygirl
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoJulie Drew
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoJulie Drew
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoenduring
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Bunny