Browse Forums Kitchen Corner 1 Jan 28, 2011 12:07 pm I need advice on overhead cupboard door widths! How wide are the widest overhead cupboard doors in your kitchen? Do you have anything around 60cm wide and, if so, do you bump your head? Our kitchen has a bench that's 1.7m long, with 3 overhead cupboards. In the middle will be the 60cm rangehood (pull out or concealed), either side will be a 55cm cupboard. The joiner has designed it so there are 2 doors per cupboard: 2 x 27.5cm doors, 2 x 30cm doors, 2 x 27.5cm doors. This seems really cluttered to me - all these long rectangles. I'd rather have one door per cupboard (55, 60, 55). But before I go back to him and he says 'Oh but you have to go with long narrow cupboards or you'll bump your head' I'd just like to know what other people live with. Thank you! Re: How wide are your overhead cupboard doors? 2Jan 28, 2011 12:21 pm The widest one in my kitchen is 54cm, there are two of them this size over the fridge so no chance of me hitting my head on them! I have a similar layout for the rangehood too. I only just realised that the two doors on the left side are smaller than the two doors on the right side! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: How wide are your overhead cupboard doors? 4Jan 28, 2011 1:22 pm It is ultimately your personal preference that should decide this matter. Cabinetry doors shouldn't ever really be wider than 600mm as that is about the limit of leverage the hinges can handle, so all of your cupboards are within that tolerance. Given that wall units are 300mm deep without the doors and the bench is approximately 600mm deep, any door wider than 300mm will present a headbanging hazard - the best advice here is to close the cabinet doors when you aren't actually standing in front of and looking into them. The most dangerous time for this occurring is when unloading a dishwasher and packing something like glasses away into a wall unit, as you are repeatedly bending over and straightening up while the doors are open, but even narrower doors can still present an obstacle when turning and straightening at the same time. More of a hassle is if you only have one door which happens to be hinged opposite to the direction you want to use it from and have to walk around the open door to access the cupboard. I too would halve the widths and double the number of doors - my reasoning is that there is much less door mass to move every time you open the doors and also you may get to the point where you only have to open one door if you know where everything is. Narrow doors don't have to look busy and are quite conventional especially in wall units, but as already said, if you don't want them you don't have to have them. Cheers, Earl Re: How wide are your overhead cupboard doors? 6Jan 28, 2011 2:56 pm Thanks for your advice, everyone. If I tried to discuss this with my husband his eyes would glaze immediately, so it's great to get some feedback from people who won't think I'm mental for bringing it up. I suppose I've been getting carried away with the aesthetics, trying to ignore the practical. Too much time online looking at high-end Italian and German kitchens... I'll take your advice and go with the tall, narrow doors. Hopefully, being white with no handles and square edges they won't look too squishy... Re: How wide are your overhead cupboard doors? 7Jan 28, 2011 9:13 pm Strumer It is ultimately your personal preference that should decide this matter. Given that wall units are 30 cm deep without the doors and the bench is approximately 60 cm deep, any door wider than 30 cm will present a headbanging hazard - the best advice here is to close the cabinet doors when you aren't actually standing in front of and looking into them. The most dangerous time for this occurring is when unloading a dishwasher and packing something like glasses away into a wall unit, as you are repeatedly bending over and straightening up while the doors are open, but even narrower doors can still present an obstacle when turning and straightening at the same time. More of a hassle is if you only have one door which happens to be hinged opposite to the direction you want to use it from and have to walk around the open door to access the cupboard. Cheers, Earl Forgive me but wouldn't this hazard be overcome by having hinges that open 160 degrees rather than 110? Thanks Re: How wide are your overhead cupboard doors? 9Jan 29, 2011 6:47 am Hmmmm ... I much prefer something in the middle, like around 450. That size gives you a nice comfortable usable width doors, not too narrow, not too wide. Ours are about 430 (top), but I guess it's just luck as our wall is of such length that permits this. I find 300s very impractical (we have one floor cabinet with 2 x 300 doors) - they are quite narrow and you almost always have to open both sides (use both hands) to get to something. I think 300s would be better for top cabs rather than floor becase you usually store lighter and smaller pieces in top cabs (like cups and glasses etc.), so opening one small (300) door is usually enough - unlike keepings pans and pots which are wider. I do think that 600 looks a bit too much and we do have one of those at the floor level. Not too sure how will it cope long term due to its heaviness My signature is distracting people from my wise posts ... Bigger the better for storage for me IMO. But I guess it's harder to tell the cost/benefit in your example - mainly the 'cost'? If you go 700mm, what are you doing extra… 2 1380 Hi, Can anyone give me approx. price for overhead cupboards. TIA 0 16615 Hi, Seeking volume or semi-custom builder in victoria(east), which have existing double story wide floor plans. Seeking 18-20m wide homes with depth of 12-15m long. Or… 0 25171 |