For a homeowner, choosing appliances for your Chicago kitchen remodel is all about looks and function. For those of us who design and build kitchen remodels, the make/model of your appliance selections are about much more than looks and performance. The size and shape of your appliances, as well as their utility requirements, affect your overall kitchen design in multiple ways.
Here are some of the reasons why we say, "Yes, indeed, size matters when it comes to selecting the appliances for your Chicago kitchen remodel."
Appliance size affects your cabinet layout. Different appliances are shaped differently and their size and shape can affect your cabinet layout. We base the cabinet lay out and dimensions on the appliances you select. While there are some standard sizes, the growing popularity in high-end kitchen remodels and appliances worthy of a professional kitchen have thrown many of those "standard" dimensions right out the window.
It's not just the size that matters, either. For example, cooktops that have controls along the front, rather than on the horizontal surface, require a shortened cabinet base. Any last minute changes will lead to additional modifications. If you have already ordered custom cabinetry, this can mean undesirable delays or potentially modification charges.
They can also affect your countertop selection. This is especially important if you are interested in using a slab, whether it be natural stone, Quartz, etc. Your countertops are designed in accordance with your cabinets. You see, wherever there are appliances, there are cabinet cut-outs. If these cut-outs occur on the lower level, they are used by the countertop fabricators to design the countertop shape and layout. A drop-in cooktop or range will have different cabinetry and countertop requirements than one that slides in. As with the cabinet changes noted above, any change in your appliance shape or layout can potentially affect your counter top selections as well.
Your kitchen layout may need to be configured based on appliance size. Three-inches may not seem like a lot to you, but it might as well be as much as three-yards when it comes to certain appliances and their placement. For example, you may have presented your designers with a particular refrigerator model number. Then, they created a kitchen design that ingeniously placed your fridge at just the right point to allow your cabinet drawers/doors/entrance door/whatever to open with exactly enough room to breathe. Fantastic! Talk about efficiency. Then you switch the fridge, and the drawers/doors/etc. no longer open freely. Now, there's a problem.
And, speaking of kitchen efficiency. How about that energy efficiency issue? Bigger appliances means more energy required to run them. We love appliances with bells and whistles too, but take note of what you really need before opting for the next bigger size. An energy efficient kitchen pays off - literally.
Contact Kitchens & Baths Unlimited so you choose the right appliances for your Chicago kitchen remodel the first time around.
