A comprehensive list of the various phrases kitchen designers use when describing key components and features within the kitchen.

Cad stands for computer aided design and your kitchen designer should give you a cad drawing in 3d or virtual reality of your new kitchen.

Fully Integrated is the term used for kitchen appliances that a hidden behind kitchen doors in order to give the cabinetry a more streamline look.

Splashbacks is a material that is placed behind the cooking and and sink area of a kitchen. It can be part of the kitchen worktops or in stainless steel or tiled effect.

Upstands are quiet similar to splash backs and are the strip about 100 mm in height and of the same material to the kitchen countertops which run along the back edge in order to protect the walls.

Plinth, kickboard, kickplate is the wood, usually similar to the kitchen colour that run along the bottom of the kitchens base units to hide the leg supports.

Carcass is the actual structure of the kitchen and the cabinets where items are stored. These come in a wide range of finishes, colours and wood varieties.

Built-in appliances the are built into the kitchen units and usually consist of ovens, microwaves, coffee machines and warming drawers.

Built-under is the term used for appliances that go below worktop height such as dishwashers and certain style ovens.

Flatpack is not a word that we like to use but it refers to the furniture having to be assembled by the person and will come in component form for the customer to assemble. Mass produced kitchens are supplied this way.

Cut outs are the areas of the kitchen where the hob and sink will be cut into the worktop surfaces. The kitchen supplier will carry out this unless specialist countertops are being fitted.

Bespoke refers to the kitchen being handmade specifically for the clients home and has no association with mass production. Lots of kitchen companies use this term while only a handful practice it in Ireland.

Inframe kitchen doors are where the door sits flush with a wood surround that is fitted to the kitchen carcass. While some companies use a butt hinge to hang the kitchen door from this frame it is also possible to mount a soft close spring loaded which will give the same inframe look without the appearance of the butt hinge.

We have seen quiet a few articles on this topic recently. While the various articles blast either painted or hand painted kitchens  we feel that both have their pros and cons. There’s no doubt that painted kitchens are here to stay and are by far a favourite among home owners. Lets narrow it down to each way a kitchen is painted and why kitchen suppliers choose one over the other.

Hand Painted Kitchens – Benefits to the Supplier.

Easy to prepare the kitchen. The kitchen only need to be primed in a colour similar to the finish colour.

Easy to install. Cornice joints can be easily filled and painted. ( This can be easily done with spray painted also)

The client gets to decide on a colour at a later stage if needs be.

Some suppliers buy there doors from manufactures which are prone to cracking on the tenon rail. Hand painting is flexible and can hide this.

Easier to fit inframe doors.

A lot of companies find it difficult to get a perfect spray finish so opt for hand painting.

The responsibility of a flawless finish is that of the hand painter and not the kitchen company.

Easier to transport, less chance of damage with the kitchen being finished in place.

Spray painted Kitchen – Benefit to the client.

Steam resistant from kettles and cooking area when a high quality paint is used.

Easy to clean with just the wipe of a cloth.

Flawless finish when painted correctly – No brush marks from hand painting.

No mess in your home. One the kitchen is fitted and finished that it with no waiting around for painters to finish.

Like hand painted kitchens, spray painted is easy to touch up regardless of what others say the paint does mould and bond to the previous finish.

A spray painted kitchen keeps it colours and tones far longer that a hand painted finish.

Less prone to finger prints and stains.

More affordable to the client.

There are issues with both paint finishes and whether or not a kitchen is spray painted or hand painted they will chip but both can be repaired quiet easily. All kitchen finishes chip and can be damages it just so happens that you can notice it more easily on account of the paint colour. With an oak kitchen is it less noticeable because the tones between the wood and the varnished finish are so similar which basically means it’s invisible to the eye.

It is easy to give a spray painted kitchen more character by using oak or ash as you wood rather than poplar – Poplar has little or no grain. Using either wood you get a more traditional look adding character to the kitchen. Good luck deciding on which finish you want for your new kitchen.

I was reading an American kitchen designer’s blog recent and came upon a new FREE kitchen design software package. AutoDesk allows you design your own kitchen without the initial need for a designer. The CAD allows you to drag the units into the room settings whereby you choose the unit you need and drag it to the room plan. This is a great tool for those of you looking to get quotes from kitchen suppliers without paying for a design. While you won’t get the design of a professional designer it will give you a good idea and allow you to get quotes from the various suppliers.

Here are a few projects we have designed recently with our own CAD. While you won’t get the features we have in these plans it will give you the basic jist.

I think it’s an excellent idea and something that I have tried adding to our Website in the past.

I pay close attention to plans/designs from other kitchen companies when they are brought into the showroom for pricing. One thing that has struck me recently is the layouts that other kitchen companies are designing for prospective clients. No effort what so ever is being put into the plans, just get as many large units onto the wall as possible. It means cheaper prices and your average customer not paying much attention to the overall layout of their new kitchen. I have two simple examples below.

If you take a look at both designs closely you will see the differences. The flat pack design option has basically all doors of the largest size possible to fill the wall length.

Just a short post for those of you who are tired of the boring chrome extractor fan. Elica have some really nice extractors if your willing to pay the price!! An extensive range can be viewed here on the KAL site. Falmec have also launched a beautiful range of extractor fans with images of major city skylines embedded into the glass features of their hoods. Further images of these can be found here at the Drumm site.