All About Our Kitchen Cabinets

Today I’m giving you a bit of a behind the scenes tour of our kitchen and opening up a few of our cabinets to give you a peek inside. Am I the only one that scrolls through Pinterest and Houzz wondering where and how people store all their stuff in their beautiful kitchens? I mean, I love and appreciate a gorgeous kitchen design as much as the next person, but I’m also big on making sure functional spaces actually function. And I think it’s helpful to see how a kitchen cabinet layout works for everyday life.

I also feel like it helps so much to learn why people make certain design decisions, so you can better figure out what would potentially work for you. Or maybe even rule out something you always thought you wanted.

So here’s a closer look at our new kitchen cabinets.

Drawers Only on the Bottom

I’ve always disliked cabinet doors on base cabinets in kitchens. The insides always end up looking like a cluster of a mess even when there are shelves (at least that’s what my past experiences have looked like). So I opted for drawers only. And what a game changer! I’m so happy with this decision! Drawers are a little more expensive, but totally worth it in my book! In three months time of living in this space, they still look as organized as they did when I first unpacked everything.

The only lower cabinet doors I have are on the cabinet under the sink.

Which brings me to the…..

Trash Pullout & Paneled Dishwasher

The paneled dishwasher was definitely a splurge, but I felt like this blue island deserved to be a stunner.

And a stainless dishwasher would have totally interrupted the visual flow.

The trash pull out ended up being a fun surprise, because I didn’t realize when we selected it that it had a little side shelf inside for storage. And this little unexpected feature has been so handy for storing extra trash bags, paper grocery bags & we even keep our dog treats on this shelf here. I really like having a trash pull out right next to the sink. It’s super functional for so many things.

Toe Kick Instead of a Furniture Base

Truth be told I prefer the look of a furniture base on kitchen cabinets, but this is one of those instances where I chose what will work best for my family over what will look best to me.

And I think this was the right call. I just know that, especially on the white base cabinets, my family would have a furniture base scuffed up in no time. A toe kick, albeit not my personal preference looks wise, will ultimately save my sanity. And that’s good for everyone. 😉

I might have considered doing a furniture base if I’d gone with a darker color on my base cabinets, like say if I had carried the blue color of the island over to the lower bottom cabinets on the back wall. But because I opted for white, I chose a toe kick so scuff marks won’t be an issue.

I love a beautiful kitchen, but I didn’t want to create a space that was super high maintenance. I want our kitchen to look pretty and serve us well and not be an area I have to constantly fuss over.

I think maintenance and how you live your every day life are important things to consider when you’re designing/renovating a space like a kitchen that sees a lot of use from everyone in a family.

Only Two Upper Cabinets

I actually almost opted to skip upper cabinets altogether which some may think is crazy, but it’s a look I’ve always loved. And it’s one I think would work really well for me personally, but I changed my mind because I felt like my tall husband might appreciate having some things at eye level. My short 5’3″ self has always felt like upper cabinets in a kitchen are somewhat of a pain. I can only comfortably reach the two bottom shelves without having to grab a step stool. And I’ve spent most of my life (in every other home we’ve lived in) having to get a step stool out every time I unload the dishwasher.

So I opted for lots of base cabinets and only two uppers, because that’s what makes the most functional sense for me but still also works for my husband. And also because I’ve always wanted a bright light-filled kitchen with a hood flanked by windows! So this decision was as much about form as it was about function. And while it might not work for everyone, it definitely works for us.

Not Lacking For Storage At All

Despite having just two upper cabinets, we have tons of storage! The island boasts hidden storage. There are touch latches on all these doors that look like panels, and they pop open! This is where we store small appliances we don’t use regularly, like the waffle iron and food processor. It’s also where we keep school and art supplies.

And our walk-in pantry also has lower cabinets and a big shelf for cans and dry goods behind the door. So foregoing lots of upper cabinets was not a design decision I made lightly. I made sure we’d have plenty of storage space before pulling the trigger on that one.

My Two Favorite Pull Outs

This spice rack is everything! And I love that when I pull it out I have a little extra counter space which comes in handy when I’m cooking.

And this baking pan/cutting board storage is a dream!

Quality Craftsmanship

Cabinetry is one of the most expensive things to replace in a house. And because we plan to be here for a very, very long time, it made sense to spend the money now on really good quality materials that wouldn’t need to be replaced.

We used Smithport Cabinetry. All of the the drawers are dovetailed, and all cabinets have soft close drawers and doors. These cabinets should last a lifetime.

If we had plans to move in the next 5 to 10 years, I wouldn’t have invested in such high quality. I share that with you because I think it’s helpful to learn not only where and why people splurge in certain areas of either a build or a renovation, but also if under different circumstances they’d make the same decisions.

Much of the driving force behind the decisions we made in our kitchen had to do with the fact that this is IT for us.

I also want to note that because we were working with a custom builder and outfitting an entire house with cabinets at the same time, we were given a better deal on these cabinets than we would have received had we just bought an existing home and decided to do a kitchen renovation.

I think a lot of times people assume that renovating an older/existing home will be less expensive than building new, but that’s not always the case. Most custom builders have relationships with suppliers because of the amount of business they bring them, so you as the homeowner get to take advantage of those “builder discounts” which can afford you the option of choosing higher quality materials.

We’re so happy with our new kitchen! It feels like a dream cooking in here!

I hope you enjoyed this little peek inside our cabinets! Please let me know in the comments section if you have any questions! *All kitchen sources can be found here.