Читать книгу 1001 Ideas for Kitchen Organization, New Edition - Joseph R. Provey - Страница 16

Differences in cabinet construction and hinges affect storage convenience as well. Framed cabinets have rails and stiles that reduce the cabinet opening by about 1 inch (2.5cm) in width and height. This slightly reduces access and can limit the size of storage baskets and bins that you may want to use to organize small items. Frames also obstruct your vision, especially of items at the back of a shelf. Besides being more accessible, frameless cabinets have a sleeker look with doors that completely cover the cabinet front. Sliding doors are another sleek option.

Today, cabinets of all types most often have cup hinges, which are sometimes called European-style hinges. The cup of these hinges fits into a shallow round recess drilled into the door and the inside of the cabinet. These are easier to install than traditional mortised leaf hinges and have adjustment screws so doors can be aligned after installation or realigned if they sag. The best cup hinges allow the door to open 180 degrees, but some stop at 120 degrees or even 90 degrees.

The best cup hinges allow doors to swing open 180 degrees. This provides full access to contents without interference from doors.

Framed Cabinet

Frameless Cabinet

Sliding-Door Cabinet

Framed cabinets have rails and stiles that stiffen construction but slightly reduce the cabinet opening. Frameless cabinets rely on simple box construction, sometimes with knockdown (KD) joint fasteners. With stiles eliminated, access to contents is easier. Sliding-door cabinets eliminate the nuisance of swinging doors, but only one side of the cabinet can be open at a time.

Framed versus Frameless

Framed cabinets typically reveal rails and stiles, even with doors and drawers closed, as shown here.

Frameless cabinets present far fewer lines to the viewer because doors and drawers reveal little, if anything, when closed.

Framed cabinets are typically used for country kitchen decor. Their construction harkens back to the days before plywood.

Frameless cabinets most often have flat doors and drawer fronts, but they are also available with more traditional raised panels.

Most framed cabinets have a stile behind where the doors meet, avoiding an unsightly gap.

Frameless cabinets tend to complement today’s popular stainless-steel appliances better than framed cabinets do.