They look fine to me. If you're really unhappy with them you could always have the lower doors rebuilt to accommodate the upper cabinets or have them rebuilt and move the rail to match the size of the upper doors.

I thought it looked fine at first, but staring at it, I noticed that the two smaller "squares" are not the same size (then reread your note and saw that you pointed that out -- duh! I need coffee. LOL). The lines above are also stronger in the drawing, accentuating the fact that the top one is larger, but that's not going to be true when built. Chances are that most folks would never see it but you are staring at it knowing it is different.

How big is the difference? My tall wall has a 24" tall door at the top of the pantry and the stacked cabinet above it is 27" tall. I don't think anyone has ever noticed, and I had to sit here an look at it myself, with your question in mind, to think about it. I think your eye will fool you a bit, especially with something above your head and further from your eye.

It does look odd to me, but only after you pointed it out. Were I not aware of it, I would not notice it. It would look like another cabinet. I'd change it if it bothers you a lot. Otherwise, it's probably not worth the trouble in the long run. The drawing does make it look as though it's top-heavy, but that may not be at all noticeable once it's built.

I see what you're saying, mtn, but if I stop to think of it, the uppers are a smaller separate cab set, and the lower unit is part of a larger fridge unit, so it seems fine to me. Two separate units, two slightly different scales.

And I don't know that any solution would look better. Or make you less crazy and tired : ).

Becky

How about dividing the face of the top door into 2 parts with a wood strip? Then your doors would graduate smaller as they reach upwards? I take it that the doors are not built yet?

Mary no, the doors aren't built yet. I was thinking of that too. I will ask them to draw it.

Thanks, everyone. Good point that what is very clear in a line drawing can be less so in real life given angles, vantage points, etc

Is everything else in the room precise...all cabinets with door panels exactly proportional? If so, then I think this might end up bothering you. But if there's some variation in height and width proportions, I doubt you'll notice it after a while and no one else ever will.

Melissa,
Good point. This is an octagonal sunroom/craft room. On five sides there are built in benches w drawers, and casement windows above. One side is a plain wall, prob for a cork board, one side is a doorway, and this is the 8th side of the octagon.
I'm going to try to alter it.
Thanks
K

Can you adjust the cabinet frame of that set of doors to make it proportional? Without the exact dimensions it is hard to tell how off it may or may not be. Are these cabinets full overlay, partials, insets--all of that plays into the perception I think and what the remedy might be.

Is it perhaps possible to add a crown to the top of the cabinet, building it down rather than up, so that the upper door opening becomes shorter, and so matches the height of the lower panel?

Mnerg, a good suggestion! I will see

Missstella and Melissa,

Embarrassingly, I can never remember cabinet door terminology.

Here are some photos:

The bottom of the unit:
{{!gwi}}

The unit in the foreground, with its base and upper in the background. HVAC unit is being removed, hence the need for something on the upper cab.
{{!gwi}}

The room:
{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

It does look out of balance.

I would have the cab builder make the upper cab doors match the size of the small door panel. You can have a bigger face frame to make up for the smaller door size.

This might sound odd, but what if you raised the already-built unit up to the very top of the recess, then placed the slightly-off new unit underneath, with a nosing in between to further separate them. Then there is no direct comparison to the slightly-different sets of doors.
Casey

Are those all drawers under the window seat? If you do as sombreuil mongrel suggests by lifting the whole unit up and building underneath, you could put similar drawers in or just drawers matching the rest of your kitchen on the bottom.

It's hard to tell, but the size of the new doors might be too close to the size of the panel it doesn't quite match. You can fix that by changing the design, as others have said. I might cross hatch the top portion, making it eight panels instead of two, and maybe make a single flip up door.

Whatever you do, remember, you can always just change it up.

Thanks everyone, good to know I'm not being too picky. I will try to solve this by playing with the door design, as that will be easiest given what's already done ...

I don't have much new to contribute to the door question - I do agree it looks a little odd with the top doors being a different size. However, I do want that room! It's gorgeous - I love the wrap around, window seat/ storage bench and all those windows!

Can't wait to see your entire finished house!

Can you create a different kind of cab door, perhaps a doublewide single door with an over and under pair of narrow horizontal panels and an awning aspect for lifting? Or maybe even a single big doublewide panel?

Slightly off topic, but is that a mini-split? I didn't know they could be installed under the floor.

Thanks, Michigan!
Florantha, I have thrown this back to the cabinetmaker and told him to give me other options.
Dekoe,
This particular room is new construction, cantilevered out to save tree roots, but it does have a crawl space to house an hvac unit under the floor. It is significantly more costly and about 20% less btu's. I can ask what brand/make if you'd like.

My mom had a "rule" she went by. When I get too obsessed with something, I think of her saying, "a man on a galloping horse wouldn't notice it, so it stays!" I have no idea where that comes from. But at my house, I use the "man on a galloping horse" test instead of the Sweeby Test!

I think that either subdividing the top doors with more molding or doing as Casey suggests could work fine if it is going to bother you much. I think that adding one vertical piece of molding in the center of each upper door could solve the problem, as well.

The "man on the galloping horse" rule is sage advice. For normal people.

Unfortunately, I am a bit obesessive. Attribute it to being a Virgo, if you cotton to such things. Every little detail delights, satisfies, or grates on me. It is a curse.

I run things by here, which is by no means a representative sample. GW'ers are certainly more discerning than most, on horses or off. But I figure if 51% of the GW census agrees with me, then the issue is material enough to raise!

Mtn - we know this about you! And I, for one, am very impressed with the results - your stuff is so beautiful. Only the truly obsessive can get this result.

Plllog suggested a flip-up door, and making the space substantially different-looking. Not sure why, but for some reason I see sliding doors there -- maybe even glassed in like the pretty windows in the room? If they were in 4-panes then that could recapitulate the image of the window sill seats underneath the windows; different of course, but kinda the same.

how about no doors at all? leave it open for handy palanquin storage! (where's marcolo anyway??)

;)

cheers

I think I'm agreement with Sombreuil_Mongrel. Not only because she's a master carpenter, but also, because I think it makes a whole lot of sense. To take it a bit further, how about combining Sombreuil_Mongrel's "lift up" suggestion with Plllog's suggestion of using a cab with a flip up door . . . at the bottom. Also, I have to agree with aliris19 re your "beautiful stuff." I have yet to see a single thing you have shared with us that didn't leave me sighing in delight. That house you're rebuilding was fantastic to begin with; the remodel, to your own vision, is a true work of art!

leave it open for handy palanquin storage! (where's marcolo anyway??)

Heavens, no. That goes in your front hall, where your porters await.

Okay, you have had your fun now. I don't know if it's something in the air or water, but lately I feel as if ...

tee hee

Aww, Martha, Martha, Martha! You are so sweet. I would like you much better though if you didn't have that yummy Aga, which, face it, you only bought to inspire terrific jealousy!