DIY Kitchen Design – Part 3: From Design to Reality

Last time, we helped guide you along the path from vague and emotional inspiration, to a specific design philosophy that you can build on. We even offered you free help from our design consultants to help you on your journey to making your new DIY-designed kitchen a reality. Now it’s time to get down to brass tacks.

Practical Concerns

So far, we’ve spent a lot of time talking about inspiration, visions, dreams, and colors— the visual impact and emotional connection between you and your soon-to-come brand-new kitchen. There are some practical concerns to keep in mind, though, as you dive into finalizing the design.

First is the “work triangle,” though in some kitchens it can have more than three points. The idea is that the main appliances you use to prepare your family’s meals should all be in close proximity and accessible with just a few steps from one to the next. The fridge shouldn’t be around the other side of an island or corner from the stove, the sink should be near both the stove and the largest and most comfortably lit work surface, things like that.

You probably need to consider the locations of most of your major appliances to be relatively fixed. Stoves and fridges may have anywhere from a few inches to a foot or two of movement available; sinks and dishwashers no more than a foot. You also need to make sure you can still walk through the kitchen safely with cabinet or appliance doors open, and that nothing runs into each other, especially if you’re considering adding an island.

We Have an App for That

Fortunately, we can make going from design philosophy to a detailed list of materials easier than you might think. Our DIY Kitchen Design Tool is free to use, and comes pre-loaded with every single cabinet, hinge, screw, and door handle we offer. It’s an intuitive web app that you can run in any browser.

The tool’s drag-and-drop interface works just like using graph paper and cut-outs of cabinets and appliances, only without having to draw it yourself, and it’s not vulnerable to being ruined by a stray breath or a passing breeze from someone walking by.

The app will guide you through picking out things like accessories and upgrades, to help you make sure you don’t leave anything out. You can always save your work and come back later, so you don’t have to do it all in one sitting. When you’re done, it will build your shopping cart for you, and tell you how much everything will cost. We’re sure you’ll be amazed by the low cost, and once your order arrives, the high quality of our premium RTA kitchen cabinets.

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