How to Plan / Design a Kitchen

This is a basic how-to page. You should consult with a professional to review your ideas before ordering cabinets. We offer professional award winning design services long distance via the internet, but here are some tips that may help if you wish to begin planning on your own.

If you are remodeling an existing kitchen, you will have to measure your space. Click here to see how to measure:

Measure

If you are adding-on to your home or building a new home, you should have plans drawn to scale by a professional. These plans should include measurements detailing the room dimensions and the placement and dimensions of all the doors and windows in the room.

With a cabinet specifications sheet you can select the types of cabinets you wish to have in your room. The specifications will show drawings and list sizes of different versions of cabinets. For instance, standard size base cabinets may come in 19 widths ranging from 9" wide to 48" wide (increasing in size by three inch increments). We can build almost any size cabinet. To receive our CD ROM cabinet catalog, click here: Order Fashionable Enclosures' cabinet catalog on CD ROM

(This is an example of a specification drawing taken from a
cabinet catalog. This cabinet version has two roll
out shelves and comes in widths from 12" - 36" wide.
Custom sizes are available.)

You will also want to select appliances for your kitchen. Remember to ask the appliance sales person for a copy of the appliance specifications before you leave the store. This will give important size information for planning your space. Do the same when you shop for a sink.

Once you have all your specifications handy, you can start laying out a floor plan. Most people find drawing on graph paper that has 1/4" squares printed on it allows them to draw to scale easier. Keep in mind that every 1/4" square is equal to 6". Drawing with this in mind will create a 1/2" scale plan which is an industry standard. You should be able to create a scaled drawing of your space. If you have trouble creating this, please seek professional assistance. For more about our national award winning design service, click here:

Design Service

We do most of our planning on a computer, but your plan should look similar to the image below:

Computer aided design software created this very basic plan.

There are no 1/4" squares shown in the picture above, but it does show wall measurements and cabinet codes. It is important that you include wall measurements and that they are accurate. Drawing items to scale allows people to read measurements with a ruler and catch errors before ordering. Always draw every wall in your room even if there are no cabinets going on all the walls. Showing the entire room's measurements helps a professional catch possible problems that you may have overlooked.Some commonly overlooked problems are those concerned with traffic flow, door swings on cabinets and appliances, adequate seating, wall measurements that don't add up to the actual room size, etc.

A note on cabinet codes - wall cabinet codes usually have four digits associated with the cabinet. The first two are the cabinet width and the last two are the cabinet height. (Example: W3630 = wall cabinet 36" wide x 30" high) Base cabinet codes often start with the letter B and usually show only the width (sometimes the depth and height are listed also). (Example: B36 = base cabinet 36" wide) The standard height of a base cabinet is 34 1/2" and the standard depth is 24". These dimensions are usually assumed and should be noted if different.

Here is a translation of some of the cabinet codes in the drawing above:

(You can find cabinet codes listed on a cabinet specification sheet provided by the cabinet manufacturer, or on our Fashionable Enclosures CD ROM cabinet catalog)

If you receive a floor plan from us and you don't understand a cabinet code, please ask us about that cabinet or read the description on the material list before you order the pieces. Our items are custom built for you and cannot be returned or exchanged. If you have requested a special size cabinet, accessory, or other item, it should be noted as such on the floor plan or material list. Your final review of the sales package insures that everything you requested is included, and will be ordered. If an item is not listed in the material list or on the floor plan, please point that out to us before you order so that you can be certain to receive everything you want.

If you design your own kitchen, do some serious thinking/planning, then have a pro look it over. Usually the more you review your plan the better the final outcome will be. There are some great books/magazines on kitchen design (Better Homes and Gardens publishes many). You might also want to visit our links for more information on appliances, tile, etc.

Some kitchen dealers will plan your kitchen for free if you purchase the cabinets from them. We create 3-D images to help you visualize your space before ordering. We post those 3-D images to a web page for you to review. We credit design fees toward your purchase price if you order your cabinets from us (ten cabinet minimum order).

A few words of caution. Some kitchen designers may have little or no training (especially at lumber yards and home centers). Always ask to see references or photographs of their work before putting your trust in any professional. Anyone can place cabinet boxes into a floor plan, but it takes knowledge, experience, and skill to avoid the pitfalls of a poor design.

If you have revised your plans, make a list of the important revisions and any special request you have made and then check these against your final order to make sure something wasn't forgotten during the process. Make sure that only the approved final plan is used on the job site. Costly mistakes can be made by workers if the plans being used are not those finalized and approved by you. Once you approve a plan, only items declared on that plan are ordered and built. If you have any questions about your final plan, please review those questions with us before placing your order.

After you have designed your kitchen, you can estimate the cost of the project. If you work with a professional designer at the start, they can design to meet your budget and make recommendations regarding pricing. To get a free estimate from us, click here:

Free estimate

3-D version of the simple floor plan shown above.

To read more about our design service, click here:

Design service

Computer generated design of a bake center

3-D Design Example Archive

A traditional beaded inset kitchen with baked on paint.

Purchasing Cabinets On-line

We have serviced the New England area for over 25 years. We began shipping nationwide from our on-line store in 1996. If you buy cabinets from us, you will be working with an award winning design expert. This expert will guide you through the process and help you create a marvelous space. For more information, please give us a call at 207-667-4439 Monday - Friday 10 AM - 5 PM EST.

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