Cabinet Conundrum: Always Function over Form?
Dijon482
9 years ago
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_sophiewheeler
9 years agoDijon482
9 years agoRelated Discussions
Form Over Function
Comments (2)Don't fret over the cleaning filters on a Bosch DW. I've only had to do that once for sure -- a small biot of somethign , and rinsed them out a couple of times when I was trying to find a smell that turned out to be something stuck in my disposal. It really is a non-issue, and the only odor issue has been that bit of guck in my disposal. Bosch is a good DW. I have 2 adn would buy 2 more if I neeeded them. I liked the KA fridge also and was planning on getting that one until we saw the Thermador Freedom (the Bosch wasn't out yet). I've always disliked the grills above the buil-ins, and I have always hated the drawers at the very bottom of the fridge. The Freedom takes care of both of thise with its lifted design. You can also pull the drawers out all the way without hyper-extending the door. The door open at 90 degrees is about all you will ever need. And I do love those full extension drawers, but others are picking up on those too. For me, the choice of the Thermador -- or Bosch in your case, was both form and function. I think function is most important, but you do have to weigh in the matters of form that either encroach on function or will really bug you. If you see them in everyone else's kitchen, even movies, TV and magazine ads and they catch you attention -- maybe that's something significant enough to you to matter. If you never thought about this stuff until you were standing in the appliance store or reading on this forum and heard the siren song begin -- well, it's probaly not something worth breaking the budget or having to leave something else out over....See MoreForm vs function. Which layout would you choose
Comments (29)Excellent on taping out the layout!! I hope you also taped up, or will do, a "hood" and uppers. One of our members did that years ago when she was trying to decide where to put it and it made a huge difference. There's an old bias from the middle of the 20th century, and before, not to put the oven near the fridge because the heat from the oven would make the fridge work hard, or previously, melt the ice in the icebox. Additionally, it's not nice to have the stove (cooktop) right by the fridge or any wall because it cramps your handles, elbows, etc. It has definitely become an embedded cultural trope. Today's ovens are well insulated. Between that and the cabinetry, there shouldn't be any side heat warming your fridge, which, itself, is very well insulated. Warm air will be blown into the room to cool the electronics of the ovens, but it shouldn't be an issue. There are no warnings from manufacturers to separate them, and there would be weasel words (lawsuit preventers) if this were a problem. The big issue with putting them next to each other is if the fridge door swings to cover the oven. I don't think we talked about swing. I would put the fridge opening toward the eating area, because it's more convenient for taking out armloads of the stuff that gets put on the table (condiments, pickles, drinks, salads, etc.), where as stuff for prep gets put on the island, which is the same either way. The biggest problem I foresee would be a gigantabird that you want to clean in the big sink, if that sink is going in the corner, because you wouldn't be able to just shovel it over. If you'd prefer to have the door swing away from the kitchen, then you have to be sure that there's enough swing room. My Advantium is right next to my fridge. The fridge opens really wide, but the oven handle is angled. I assume it's just for this reason. If your handles aren't angled, you can either put a stop to prevent the fridge door from opening too far, or put a spacer between the two so they don't bang. The issue is not putting dings in your fridge door. Having the door swing across the ovens also means that you have to be careful to fully close the oven before opening the fridge, which isn't usually a problem, but could be with competing kids. Train them while they're young to be aware of can't open the fridge when the oven's open, and when they're older it shouldn't be an issue. If any of this makes you uncomfortable, that would be a reason for moving the ovens, but you really will be upsetting the visual impact you're trying so hard to achieve. There's no one better than Buehl for a well working layout. If there were a functional issue with the one you and she developed, I promise you, it would have been fixed. What we've been working on here is taking what to my (experienced) eye, and Buehl's excellence, looks like an optimal layout and adapting it to your desire to make the kitchen fit a different aesthetic. Putting aesthetics first is not a bad choice. None of your options will be awful. The worst is that big sink in the corner, and, as you have already experienced in other kitchens, it can be lived with and worked around. There's nothing in G that makes me say, "That kitchen makes me want to rip it out," which I really have said many times in the last five years. I'm seriously blunt when people are going seriously wrong (though recently I did it because I didn't absorb a prep sink that was in the words but not the plan, and I thought she was specifically trying to make it work with a barrier island and no prep sink--my bad.) You're not in that situation here. Whatever you do will be good enough. I just think, equally bluntly, that if you're going to sacrifice optimal function for looks, you'd better optimize looks, or you're just getting middlin' everything. Nothing really great. Nothing really horrible. But who wants to go through all this for meh?...See MoreFunction over form for puppy - now what??
Comments (31)OMGooness! These babies are adorable but my heart is breaking :( It's a good thing I don't know where Raffi lives or I might be tempted to ask her if she'd like to move to Texas! <g> We just lost our 11 year old choc. Lab a week ago Sunday from complications due to kidney failure :( She as diagnosed just over a month ago. She was on a prescription kidney disease dog food and appeared to be looking and feeling better. At 3:45am I woke up to her wheezing. She took her last couple of breaths in our arms but we don't know if she was aware of us or not. I'm choosing to beleive she was :( I miss her SO much! It's heart wrenching. I just want her back!...See MorePatio sliders on same wall: mismatched OK? Function over form?
Comments (6)Thanks. They are not the ones who have to live with it, right? I think that visually there is enough going on that the difference might not be problematic. You would not have the same (equivalent) view since the porch side slider is muted any way by screens and porch railings and furniture....See Morefunkycamper
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