Choosing a kitchen set is not an easy task. The more buyers dive into the depths of the widest range of modern furniture, the more difficult it is for them to choose exactly what is needed and what will decorate the interior. The variety of models of kitchen cabinets that can now be seen immerses you in a whirlpool of one-of-a-kind designs, beautiful facades and high-quality fittings. Sometimes you want to buy everything at once, but how not to make a mistake and give yourself real joy?
For people who love to cook and spend the lion's share of their time in the kitchen, it is important that this place is equipped correctly, comfortable and with comfortable furniture.
Requirements for facades
The facades of furniture modules are the face of any kitchen set, therefore the impression of the kitchen directly depends on their choice.
If you decorate kitchen modules with different facades from time to time, you will notice how the aesthetic perception of the room will change. The fact is that it is the facades that set the tone and influence the perception of the kitchen by guests and residents of the house.
In addition to being decorative, kitchen cabinet doors must meet many performance requirements. If we compare kitchen furniture with other interior items, it is in much worse operating conditions. It is exposed to constant humidity, suffers from temperature fluctuations, and drops of water and hot fat often fly onto the facades. It is the countertop and kitchen doors that are in the foreground, which means they take the brunt of the blow, protecting the rest of the kitchen furniture.
The operational requirements for kitchen facades boil down to the following criteria:
- Moisture resistance and resistance to sudden temperature changes;
- strength: doors should not deform even after several years of use;
- resistance to mechanical damage;
- ease of care.
Door in the kitchen: is it necessary or not?
First, decide whether a door at the entrance to this room is necessary.
Advantages:
- The main reason why people do not give up the door in the kitchen is the smell of the food being prepared. However, this problem can be quickly solved by installing a powerful hood. You can learn everything about hoods from the article “How to choose a hood for the kitchen?”
- For owners of one-room apartments, the kitchen is often used as an office. Here you can close yourself and work in silence while the rest of the family watches TV or is busy in the living room.
- The last reason follows from the previous one. In order not to disturb the rest of the household, the housewife closes the door to the kitchen and prepares food.
Flaws:
- The main reason for the lack of a door leaf is free space, which is so lacking, especially in houses with an old layout.
- The kitchen is one of the most frequently visited places in the house. Opening and closing doors every time is inconvenient. In addition, frequent opening and closing, aggressive kitchen environments (steam, excess humidity) require wear-resistant fabric.
- The cost of finishing a doorway is less than purchasing a door. And purchasing a quality product, in addition to direct costs, also means mandatory regular maintenance.
Analyze the features of the layout and interior of your home. As a result, you will decide whether to install a door to the kitchen or leave the passage open, lining it with modern decorative materials. One way or another, we will help you effectively decorate the entrance to the kitchen.
Types of structures
In most cases, there are kitchen sets with hinged doors, these are the ones most often purchased, meanwhile, no less successful options are: folding, sliding, folding, vestibule doors. Sometimes two types are combined in one headset.
Hinged doors are easy to use, they are beautiful, functional, although many consider them to be a relic of the Soviet Union. When opened, such doors take up a lot of space, they do not have an opening limiter, and they make it difficult to quickly move around the kitchen. Although, it should be noted that this is the cheapest option for decorating facades, it is simple and easy to maintain if the need for repairs arises, and assembly is very quick.
Hinged doors are ideal for arranging cabinets in the top row. They do not steal space when opening and do not interfere with the owner. They are equipped with a hydraulic mechanism that allows you to lift and keep the door open indefinitely.
Folding doors, after opening, fold on their own, no effort is required by a person, and thanks to the low handle, the doors are also easy to close. More often, these facades are installed on cabinets with a drying rack for kitchen utensils; it will not be possible to hang a trash can on the door of this design.
Tambour designs are less popular than their predecessors. They are used only if there is a need to hide a niche or cover the cabinet shelves with something. They open according to the principle of blinds - upwards.
Sliding doors are the best solution for small kitchens. Sometimes it is necessary to keep kitchen cabinets open at all times, but there is no extra space, so the above options are not acceptable. In this case, installing doors on guides will save the situation. The fastening of such facades allows the doors to open from the center to the sides, so they will not in any way prevent household members from walking around the kitchen without hindrance.
Radius doors are a trend of modernity. Nowadays, curved and smooth lines are in fashion, as a result, in corner kitchens you can often see radius facades, concave or convex. Such designs look stylish and original, and kitchens decorated with them are very attractive. The doors are convenient to use, but they also have a disadvantage - a high price.
Functionality of door systems
Let's give characteristics of the main types of doors, how best to place them and what functions they perform.
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Among the entire range of designs, it is worth highlighting sliding doors for the kitchen. Due to the fact that fashion trends change every day, today when arranging your own home, the entire space is divided into separate functional zones.
You need to think in advance about how one zone will transition into another. A sliding system will help you create a modern design in the kitchen.
The opening of such doors occurs thanks to a mechanism. Depending on the dimensions of the opening, you can choose a design with one or two panels.
Array
Fans of classic kitchens will find solid wood facades the best option for decorating a room. Kitchens with such facades will always be atmospheric, beautiful and cozy, but for small rooms such designs are not suitable, since their thickness is greater than other base options, they look bulky, which means they will visually make the kitchen even smaller.
The advantages of facades made of natural wood include:
- environmental friendliness of the material;
- kitchens with solid wood construction look rich;
- long service life.
Flaws:
- high price;
- high care requirements;
- susceptibility to environmental influences;
- a small selection of designs, as a rule, have a standard size.
MDF
Currently, MDF has become the most common and popular material among consumers. This circumstance is explained by the characteristics of this material: high strength and resistance to negative environmental factors (moisture, elevated temperature), the ability to give MDF any shape. In addition, MDF facades can be covered with different materials: paints, PVC films, plastic, natural veneer, thanks to which such facades can be installed in kitchens of different styles.
The only drawback of MDF is its high price; such products, like wooden and even plastic doors, will not be cheap.
Chipboard
Chipboard is the most budget option for kitchen module frames. It is not advisable to use this material for facades, since kitchens will look very cheap and not fashionable. Moreover, chipboard does not satisfy the main requirements for kitchen furniture. A set with a facade made of chipboard can be used in rented apartments, or in the country, as a temporary furniture option.
How to choose
In order to choose the kitchen façade you need, you need to consider many factors:
- the area of your kitchen;
- features of its location;
- correlate the requirements for the operational characteristics of the kitchen set and the characteristics of your artistic taste;
- take into account the specifics of caring for certain types of facades.
- What matters is the environmental friendliness and safety of furniture and its elements associated with the material and manufacturing technology of the doors and the mechanisms for their fastening;
- The price of kitchen furniture will also play an important role in your choice.
Accessories
Fittings are often used for convenience, but they can also become a decoration for the facade.
Kitchen door fittings are of great importance for the functional properties of furniture and its design. Among the design innovations of the latest generation, push handles and the use of built-in magnets or electrical wires stand out .
Operational fittings for kitchen doors and cabinets include:
- damping system , softening pops and impacts;
- loops;
- guides (roller and ball);
- lifting mechanisms (mechanical and pneumatic);
- metaboxes, or metalboxes;
- roof rails;
- systems for very small corner kitchens such as “magic corner”;
- baskets (pull-out, roller.
The main design elements of cabinet furniture are handles, but along with aesthetic appeal and originality, they must have functional properties: withstand a variety of mechanical loads, be resistant to the particular microclimate of the kitchen, etc.
Since kitchen furniture today is both cabinet furniture and a complex technological design, it is better to entrust the measurements of the dimensions of kitchen facades and their installation, including doors, to professionals . Or follow the instructions included with the kitchen set.
How to choose a headset, watch expert advice in the thematic video:
DIY repair
Both the manufacturing material and the fittings on the doors of kitchen cabinets are constantly subject to heavy loads and negative environmental influences, so it is not surprising that they fail. If the door begins to work poorly, does not close, or has difficulty opening, this does not mean that it needs to be thrown away; it is enough to replace the fasteners or lubricate the hinges.
Repairing or repairing a module is quite simple; as a rule, it does not require calling a furniture specialist.
If the microlift is broken, alignment will not save it; a complete replacement is needed. It is also impossible to repair the closer. It has a solid body, so the structure cannot be disassembled. If the device is broken, you will have to replace it.
Adjusting the hinges couldn't be easier. You will need adjustment screws and skilled hands. It is enough to tighten or, conversely, loosen the screw to the required level, and the door will return to its original state.
The ways to strengthen the door are also simple; you need to arm yourself with a screwdriver and tighten all the screws of the fittings. It is quite easy to secure and tighten loose nuts if you have the necessary tools at hand.
But, if the breakdown is more complex, and replacing the door is inevitable, you need to clearly measure its dimensions and bring it to the master for new doors.
Decorating the facade
From time to time, every homeowner has a desire to update the furniture in the kitchen, but not everyone can afford to buy a new set. How to deal with such a situation, refresh your kitchen set without spending a lot of money on this idea. In such cases, designers advise to completely replace the old facades with new ones, but as an option, they also recommend repainting the annoying facades or decorating them with patterns from self-adhesive film.
The most important thing is that all these activities can be done with your own hands. Thanks to imagination and with the help of simple improvised means, you can radically change the appearance of your usual kitchen.
The first transformation option is painting. Kitchen facades can be painted in any color, the main thing is that there are no differences in style.
You can also use stickers for decoration or decorate all kitchen facades with aluminum tape.
Thus, the kitchen will sparkle in a new way in the eyes of its owners and guests invited to the house.
