Cabinet makers are not Kitchen and Bath Designers. If you want the best results, you still need someone to design the spaces.

A cabinet maker simply makes the cabinets, they don't design the overall plan. I think a kitchen designer might be in order because there looks to be a few design challenges in that space.

I appreciate the thoughts about a designer but I am not asking for the cabinet maker to design the space for me. I am just looking for some extra ideas in addition to things I already have planned or have been interested in. Any ideas of unique or practical cabinet options/features would be appreciated.

Sina Sadeddin Architectural Design -What design challenges are you referring to?

The big thing I noticed was the fridge against the wall. It can create issues with the door opening. It might be better suited on the wall that backs up to the powder room.

We had a similar layout in our previous build and never had any issues....

Design challenges like your fridge will not be able to open fully against the wall where it is.

Design challenges like not having any natural light in your kitchen. Your kitchen will be dark.

Design challenges like not having enough prep space next to your sink.

Design challenges like your master vanity being ridiculously long.

Design challenges like not having any natural light in your master bedroom.

Lower drawers is huge, soft close in both drawers and doors too.

What Sina is referring to is that there are a lot of posts in here about people who can’t open their fridge doors because there is no spacer between the fridge and the wall.

The other thing is that your kitchen is a large space that isn’t necessarily being used to the best of its potential with this layout. If you were hire a pro independent designer, you could have a more efficient space. If that’s not an option, the people on the Gardenweb Kitchen forum are awesome and could help you make better use of your space.

1) I guess you didn't see we do have windows in the breakfast nook adjacent to the kitchen and they are 6 foot windows as are the master windows so I don't believe the kitchen will be dark. I was there yesterday evening and there was plenty of light flowing in. This is pretty common with our builder and this area so I guess no one has natural light....

2) As far as prep area around the sink goes, I had a no island and a small amount of counter space in our previous home and still managed to make great meals and throw great parties. Instead of trying to tear apart the layout that is already set in stone can we go back to my original question? Unique features for the kitchen and bathroom cabinetry...

3) I am not a designer and neither is my cabinet maker. Read my original post please. I didn't ask for a designer. I am seeking ideas since ultimately what I tell the cabinet maker today will end up on a rendering which I will approve or not.

I am having custom cabinets done and these are some of the custom features I've added:

I am having laminate installed on all shelves as well as the entire interior of the sink cabinet. Interior of everything but glass door cabinets will be painted to match

I am making sure that electricity is installed everywhere I might need it - inside the broom closet (for charging); the sink cabinet; I am installing hidden compartment at the end of the run of my cabinet wall which will house the KA and Cuisinart and will have plugs

I am having toe kick step stools installed everywhere I have upper cabinets installed because I am short

I am installing electrical with a pull out for hair dryers and other electrical stuff in the bathroom

I am installing a pull out lit mirror on one side of the panel of my linen closet - it's at the end of my vanity counter. I am also installing an electrical plug in the interior just because I might want it at some point and it was relatively cheap to just do as many electrical plugs as I could conceive of wanting.

I am building in the knife rack and also having.a drawer lined for the real silver. After thinking it over I am having the rest of the accessories installed in the after market depending on what I need. However, I did contemplate built in spice storage - the kind where the bottles lie flat but a bit stacked but I didn't want to commit at that point to such micro-designation.

1) I guess you didn't see we do have windows in the breakfast nook adjacent to the kitchen and they are 6 foot windows as are the master windows so I don't believe the kitchen will be dark. I was there yesterday evening and there was plenty of light flowing in. This is pretty common with our builder and this area so I guess no one has natural light....

And which direction do those windows face? But no, having them in the breakfast area almost a full room away will not bring natural light into the kitchen. How do I know? I had that same problem in my condo and my floor length windows were only 11' from my kitchen. Trust me, my kitchen was dark.

2) As far as prep area around the sink goes, I had a no island and a small amount of counter space in our previous home and still managed to make great meals and throw great parties. Instead of trying to tear apart the layout that is already set in stone can we go back to my original question? Unique features for the kitchen and bathroom cabinetry...

So what you're saying is just because it was less than ideal before, the fact you're spending 6 figures of your hard earned money for a new build, means you can't fix the problems you had before? So instead of the house adapting to you, you're willing to once again adapt to the house? Why build then?

3) I am not a designer and neither is my cabinet maker. Read my original post please. I didn't ask for a designer. I am seeking ideas since ultimately what I tell the cabinet maker today will end up on a rendering which I will approve or not.

And what we are saying is by hiring a designer, you may wind up saving yourself from making mistakes. And then you'll be back on here asking how to fix those same mistakes.

Without looking at your design, since I'm not qualified, I'd say, soft close everything. Upgraded hinges. microwave drawers, dishwasher drawers, refrigerated drawers, pre-designed trash pullouts, special considerations for corner cabinets like Super-Susans, or even better, corner drawers, upgraded molding and trim work, frameless cabinets (or not), full overlay or inset doors/drawers, custom dividers for drawers for dishes, cooking/baking supplies, dog food dispensers, spice cabinet pullouts, storage in-between wall studs, hidden hinges for sleekly modern kitchens, hidden access to backside of refrigerator (I thought that up myself, but I bet others have designed this). What material and design will your sink have? How will that integrate into the cabinetry? Will they put in your flooring first, or the cabinets first?---and if flooring is second, will they leave enough space under the counter to slide the dishwasher out later for repairs? I find it strange that after you have been advised by pros and experienced folks who have already been through the kitchen design phase, that you want to ignore their good advice and "wing it".

I assure you, you don't know what you don't know. And that's what these folks are trying to tell you. You don't want to choose cabinets like this. If I were blessed enough to get to design a kitchen from scratch, I'd have read through the old posts on this forum with a pencil and paper, and made notes about tons and tons of things.

Have you looked at Rev-a-Shelf? Lots of cool add ons and inserts that are usually cheaper than cabinet company. (And some cabinet makers will install them for you.)

You don’t know what you don’t know, and a cabinet maker doesn’t know it either.

Getting “tips” from a forum without someone knowledgeable to put this together properly isn’t going to be helpful. Especially since you seem to think that gadgets is what is needed to make a good design. It isn’t. That’s the finishing touch after a much better design than that is created.

You need real world design help. Not tricks to help you adapt to bad design.

Alyssa, many of us have profited by having an outside professional eye even when we've designed our own kitchen. I designed mine, and then worked with a kitchen designer for my final plan. He helped me not only catch a few mistakes that would have been incredibly disappointing, but also made some suggestions that vastly improved my overall aesthetic and functional final product.

No one here intends to offend or thinks you are unable to come up with a kitchen based on your preferences and needs. However, before you drop a huge portion of your home budget on the kitchen, it's so so helpful to work with an experienced professional, even if only to go over your design to catch anything you missed. Us saying things like, "I like my ceiling to counter hutch cabinet," won't do much to help your final product (although I do love mine:) ).

Sara Sitardites- I use to have right and loved it. Currently have left in our temporary apartment and I hate it.

Mrs. S - Floor will go in first

I did work with a designer but it was very much a collaborative effort. She had great input and help in terms of how designs should work - making sure the technical stuff was correct etc as well as having some overall better idea of aesthetics as to why I should go with some specific stuff.

Even in terms of customizing stuff like number of drawers and height she was helpful in terms of letting me know what standard was - what options there were and how each of those might work when finished.

I provided information on how I wanted some specific stuff based on how I actually used the kitchen - wanted toe kick steps; wanted a way to slide my heavy Cuisinart/KA Mixer without it taking up my limited counter space. I wanted a side opening oven at optimum height for me etc.

And YES - I am also going for a dishwasher on the left based on her suggestion - didn't even think of it. But I was the one who found the kitchen sink with left offset drain :-) which also had a ledge to effectively expand my working prep space.

Toe kick drawers....

Offset drain sink

Alyssa, many of us have profited by having an outside professional eye even when we've designed our own kitchen.

Or at a minimum to have the Kitchen Forum eye the design. I had the kitchen forum look over my design before vetting it with the cabinet builder. I do have a design background yet the Kitchen Forum was fabulous for helping me see a few issues and helping me finalize what worked for me.

As for a dishwasher being left or right? What matters more than which side of the sink it's on is whether or not it's in your work zone. You don't want it in a work zone.

@cpartist - Some of us have kitchens where EVERTHING is a work zone LOL

I'm not going to comment on the kitchen - enough good advice there already.

The master bedroom has the potential for windows on 3 walls, and instead has windows on one wall. Depending on which direction that window faces, you may or may not have adequate natural light in the bedroom. My 12' x 14' bedroom has a window on the 14' wall, facing NE, with a large tree outside, and it is mostly dark in there.

There's also no natural light at all in the master bath, in spite of it being on an outside wall.

One other thing about your kitchen. Your freezer is in the laundry room, which is quite a walk from the kitchen. If the fridge in the kitchen is a fridge/freezer ignore my comment.

If the fridge in the kitchen is basically only a fridge, then you have quite a hike to take things in and out of the freezer. Think of it. The kids want ice cream. Shlep into the laundry room, take out the ice cream, bring it to the kitchen, scoop it, then carry it back. Same with anything else stored in the freezer.

The fridge in the laundry will be a fridge/freezer (our old fridge) and the one in the kitchen will also be a fridge/freezer. That is just an extra one. It’s not as far as it seems. Like the windows in the breakfast areas things are a lot closer together than I believe your thinking they are.

Math doesn’t lie. There are lots of issues here that you don’t want permanently set in wood and stone.

Master bath sits on an outside wall ... but not a single window.

No window in the jack-and-jill bath. Could do a much better hall bath.

I hope you aren't paying a premium, because your builder isn't giving you much for your money beyond the basics.

Because something is pretty common and a builder does it all the time does not mean that it is good design or a good way to do things.

Avoid this.

Fridge against an adjacent wall will need to be pulled several inches away from wall to be open fully for drawers & to avoid handle hitting wall. A wide tall filler can hide the gap.

Give a copy of fridge manual with installation instructions to contractor, cabinet maker, installer. Here's an example what to check.

It is also possible to get a different style of fridge.

Functional storage ideas in addition to drawers.

Pullouts

Have 1 close by area for taller items that will not fit in drawers.

I know it's past your deadline now, but in addition to the good ideas above you would find more good ideas for cabinetry if you read through, and post at, the Kitchen forum and the Bath forum. Things like including outlets in the bathroom drawers for hairdryers, curling irons, electric toothbrushes, and on the kitchen island etc.

I assure you, you don't know what you don't know. And that's what these folks are trying to tell you. You don't want to choose cabinets like this. If I were blessed enough to get to design a kitchen from scratch, I'd have read through the old posts on this forum with a pencil and paper, and made notes about tons and tons of things.

Amen.

And not just the Building a Home forum, but the Kitchen and Bath forums as well, as I've already suggested.

A custom build with custom cabinetry is an amazing opportunity that shouldn't be squandered. Make the most of it for the house you and your family truly deserve.

We did a custom height liquor drawer here, for those tall bottles. And placed it next to the refrigerator drawers, with the hutch above for the glassware.

Island Style · More Info

The custom island has pot and pan drawers facing the range, and the trash facing the sink. And a custom powder coated iron counter support system.

Island Style · More Info

The oven stack was custom, and placed the french door oven above a microwave drawer. The corner drawers are next to a custom sized tray base.

Island Style · More Info

There were some compromises for homeowner preferences, but for the whole, the project turned out well because the homeowner was open to listening to ideas to improve the layout.

Your layout has room for improvement that will make it easier to work in your kitchen. I would hope that you are open to all ideas, and not just about cabinet customizations.

Alyssia:

If the people here online can save you from that horrific fridge mistake, imagine what an in-person pro could do.

Our cabinet maker is making the our refrigerator end panels to fit our fridge. We also had a similar set up and never had the fridge hit the wall. I do understand everyone’s point but the layout is not changing so as much as I asked for advice, I did not ask for advice on my layout. I appreciate the professionals and the ones who just want to help but windows will not move, walls will not be moving. I was asking for ideas on the cabinetry and nothing more.

artistsharonva-Thank you so much for the ideas. This is all I originally asked for. I will not be changing my plan and I wish people would have actually read my post. I’m sure improvements could be made in others opinions but I am so happy with it and am so excited for this for my family. People forget this experience is also suppose to be enjoyable instead of stressing and being critical of every detail. I can’t wait to enjoy things like my obnoxiously big vanity with no natural light.

Chiapas-I’m glad you know what my builder is giving me. My builder is family, my husband works for him as the estimator, and this is our 2nd build with him. I’m sure we are getting took lol.

Thanks for the thank you.

I understand some comments' tones or responses don't fit the question &; it can be frustrating to the poster. I think most responders intentions are just trying to help if they see something that may be of concern. Some are blunt, rude, funny, smart, nice, etc. The constructive criticism with solutions delivered in a nice tones are my favorite. I hit the like button & thank you then.

If it's a good idea it will stand out.

Keep what is useful &

Keep the excitement.

Glad you're in good hands.

Best success to you.

Best of luck to you. You are being quite snotty to experienced people who are trying to help you. Not good form.

Alison-Thank you for understanding why I was so frustrated. I have people commenting on what my builder is and is not giving me. Commenting on natural light in the bathroom and not cabinetry ideas which is all I wanted. I do appreciate the ones who were kind with their suggestions or ideas even if they were off topic. Sometimes people don’t understand just because your a professional does not mean everyone wants your suggestions or they are right for what I might want. The rude comments are what pushed me to respond the way I did.

The magic of the Building a Home forum is that one gets out of it what one puts in.

Or to quote the New Radicals, You get what you give.