Kitchen without hanging cabinets: advantages, disadvantages, tricks (27 photos)
Content
In modern reality, the design of the kitchen (and indeed of any other room in the apartment) has certain standards that it is customary to adhere to. In the living room there should be a large sofa and a TV, in the bedroom it should be gloomy and comfortable, in the kitchen there should be hanging cupboards in which you can put all sorts of things.
However, these “shoulds” are just as arbitrary as any idea of the best design. A kitchen without hanging cupboards can be a great solution, despite the novelty and originality of this idea.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages of the solution include:
- The abundance of light. This factor is usually the determining factor - without kitchen cabinets, any kitchen seems more spacious and lighter. This is especially important if the room itself is small and not too bright.
- Space. The less furniture in the kitchen, the easier it is to turn around and the more spacious it seems. If you remove the wall cabinets, you will immediately have the feeling of a large open space, even if the kitchen itself is small.
- Purity. Wall cabinets with doors, of course, protect the objects inside from dust and dirt, but they themselves are easily contaminated. Dust accumulates on the upper part, and fat and burning oil on the lower part, which are extremely difficult to wipe.
- Saving. Hinged cabinets cost money, and the master who will hang them will have to pay. If you do not include them in the interior, this will help reduce costs.
- Security. This rarely happens, but sometimes the wall cabinets fall, and it’s good if there is no person or glassware under them at this moment.
- Large space for decor. The absence of hinged cabinets means that the walls remain free - you can hang posters on them, stick beautiful wallpapers or decorate them with any accessories that suit the style.
In addition, hanging cabinets can be simply inconvenient for the owner if he is not tall: in order to get to things, he will have to stand on a stool every time, which can be avoided by choosing other options instead.
However, a kitchen without overhead cupboards has its drawbacks:
- Fewer storage spaces. In hanging cabinets, dishes, spices, cereals or the necessary equipment are usually stored. If you remove them from the interior, you have to come up with other places where you can put their contents.
- The abundance of light. Oddly enough, this can be a minus - in the bright kitchen you can immediately see any imperfection: from the stain of spilled juice to fingerprints on the shiny surface of the stove. In addition, you will have to carefully plaster and tidy up the walls - any flaws that could hide the cabinets would be in sight.
If you do not compensate for the shortcomings, the design of the kitchen without hanging cabinets will be beautiful, but completely not functional.
Moreover, you need to clearly understand why to use it in a particular kitchen - otherwise it will not work to use strengths.
Dependence on the general interior
Because of what the room is, the expediency of the absence of wall cabinets depends.
Small kitchen
On the one hand, the solution has an obvious plus - the less bulky furniture, the more visually spacious and lighter the room looks.On the other hand, in a small kitchen it will not be possible to place many shelves for storing things, a cupboard will not fit into it, and, moreover, there is no way to equip a pantry in it. Therefore, before abandoning wall cabinets, you need to carefully consider what, where and how it will stand.
Big kitchen
In this case, there are many surfaces and storages; wall cabinets can be easily discarded without damage. And if the small kitchen, their absence will make just a little more, the large will look really spacious.
Moreover, the feasibility of using wall cabinets depends on the shape of the furniture set itself.
- If it is located with the letter “P”, the absence of wall cabinets will help create a feeling of professionalism and minimalism - especially if you focus on the stove or surface of the desktop.
- If it is located at an angle, the absence of wall cabinets will help to remove the feeling of heaviness and bulkyness that always accompanies an attempt to make a corner cabinet.
- If it is located rectangular, the absence of wall cabinets will not be too critical, and how well it fits, it will depend only on the owners.
- If it is located on an island type, the absence of wall cabinets will allow you to focus on the main table, which will definitely benefit the kitchen.
In addition, the design of the kitchen without hanging cabinets does not imply the absence of any replacement. Indeed, in addition to bulky lockers, there are many other interesting solutions.
How can they be replaced?
Wall cabinets in the house are needed to conveniently store things that should always be at hand. But refusing them does not mean that things need to be rearranged or thrown away altogether. You just need to choose another interior solution that fits better into the design and is less cumbersome.
Buffet
Despite its size, if it is not placed in the path of light in a convenient corner, it will not create a feeling of pressure and gravity, like wall-mounted cabinets. Moreover, it can be designed so that it will look like an interesting element of the interior. If there is a glass door, you can nicely set the dishes behind it. If the door is opaque, you can choose a cover with an interesting pattern.
Wood carving, different national styles - a buffet can become a real decoration of the kitchen. Its only minus is the difficulty of installation and assembly.
Shelves
They look less bulky than cabinets, and you can place them with much more imagination. They can be placed on steps, a wall can be painted fantastically behind them, they can be noticeably smaller than cabinets. The only negative is dust, which will accumulate on the surface and which will have to be wiped at least once every few days.
Island table
Under its wide surface, it is easy to fit a replacement for any cabinet - neat shelves, closed or not closed with doors, the ability to place everything in random order. The only minus is the need to bend over every little thing, which can be difficult for older people or those who have problems with the spine. Similar pros and cons has a bar.
Wall railing
Despite the original name, this option is very simple - just a combination of a variety of tubes and hanging baskets that can be arranged on the wall. In them and on them you can place everything you need. The only negative is that such a solution will not fit into any interior.
Cases-columns or cases-cases
They differ from buffets in strict rectangular shape and definitely vertical orientation. They can be placed in any suitable corner of the kitchen. The minus is the same as for buffets - it can be hard to bring into the room or hard to assemble.
In addition to the solutions that are built into the kitchen itself and become part of it, there are others.
Pantry
In order to use this option, it is necessary that the people who make out the kitchen remember that someone will have to cook on it.You can use the pantry instead of the closet only if the chef is ready to run into it every time to take a pot, cereal or cookware. However, this drawback is compensated by the abundance of space - everything that hardly fit into the wall cabinets will fit into the pantry.
Loggia or balcony
Of course, if the balcony is blown away by all the winds and every rain floods it with puddles, you cannot use it as a storehouse. But if it is insulated and glazed, if it has convenient cabinets and shelves, and the owners are ready to go out and pick up everything necessary before cooking - this can be a great solution. A properly designed balcony fits into the interior no worse than wardrobes, and sometimes better.
In many kitchens, each one has its own solution, and before finally deciding, it’s worth making a simple plan on paper: “what will hang and where and what color will it be painted?” To make sure that everything looks good together.
What can take the vacant place on the walls?
Walls are an important part of the interior, and if they are free, they also need to pay attention. Can:
- Leave them blank. In the design in the style of minimalism, this will be the most organic solution: free bright space as the main idea. The only thing that can remain hinged is an extractor hood, without which cooking becomes difficult.
- Hang up posters and posters. They can have motivating statements, favorite characters, beautiful landscapes that will give the kitchen a more comfortable and familiar look.
- Hang kitchen tools. It is both practical and aesthetically pleasing.
- Hang watch with washable dial.
Any solution is good. The main thing is that it be appropriate, combined with the rest of the interior and not discount the initial rejection of wall cabinets.