This guide defines 18 terms that come up during a kitchen remodel, including passage doors, Le Mans units, pocket doors, waterfall countertops, beveled edges, channels, appliance garages and floating vanities. Each entry explains what the feature is, what problem it solves and where it works best.
- Eighteen terms explained, covering doors, corners, countertops, lighting, appliance concealment and seating.
- Several features exist to solve one problem: keeping a run of cabinetry unbroken without visible handles.
- Others exist to recover space, such as Le Mans units for dead corners and appliance garages for countertops.
- Every example comes from a Divine Design Center project in the Boston area or wider New England.
Are you considering a remodel without a design background? This guide explains the terms you will hear, with examples from our own projects, so you can tell your designer exactly what you want.
What is a passage door?
Often concealing a hidden pantry, a passage door blends into a wall or the surrounding cabinetry. These can be made of any material. They can disappear completely, or stand out if that is what you want.
What does slim shaker mean?
Shaker-style cabinet doors are a trademark feature of traditional kitchen design. With slim shaker you get a much more modern look while keeping the bit of detail some people cannot live without. The shaker frame can vary in width depending on your taste, and although it is a more recent trend, the style is here to stay.
What is a Le Mans unit?
Le Mans shelves solve the dead corner, the pocket of storage you lose because you cannot reach into it. The shape of the shelf and its hardware let it swing out smoothly for easy access. They are especially useful in a tight kitchen. A larger room can afford a dead corner; a small one needs every inch it can get.
What are pocket doors?
Sliding doors that disappear into compartments in the adjacent wall or cabinetry. They are useful for keeping a paneled modern kitchen looking unbroken, and for putting appliances out of view when you are not using them. One set of homeowners in Cambridge, MA liked the paneled look so much they used double pocket doors, flanking their built-in appliances and hiding the countertop ones.
What is a planter trough?
A planting well set into the island. Not common, but practical if your island is large, and it brings greenery into the middle of the kitchen. They take up counter space, so you need the room to spare. In one Cambridge, MA project the planter appears to run through the island all the way down to the floor.
What is a waterfall countertop?
A countertop that carries on past the edge of the island and down to the floor. A mitered edge lets the vertical and horizontal pieces of stone meet cleanly at the corner. In one Marblehead, MA kitchen the blue stone matched both the custom cabinetry color and the ocean view. It also genuinely looks like a waterfall.
What is a beveled edge?
The top edge of the panel is cut at an angle. That removes the need for handles and keeps the run of cabinetry unbroken for a modern look. Beveled edges are easy to use, working as a panel-wide handle while giving a clean channel line across the whole cabinetry face.
What are channels in a kitchen?
A channel is the cleanest way to open every pull-out drawer in a row. It removes the need for handles and lets a contrasting color show through as a detail. Channels work well as accents, and can carry integrated lighting to make the space feel warmer and more considered.
What is a multi-level island?
A raised section on the island creates distinct zones for prepping, cooking and eating. You do not need a separate dining table, and you do not need to clear your prep space before sitting down. Two levels also let you mix materials and colors for more visual interest or added function.
What is integrated kitchen lighting?
Lighting built into the cabinetry itself, so there are no visible fixtures in your kitchen or bar. It is very good at setting the mood, particularly against dark cabinetry or stone. A dry bar in a living room with integrated lighting becomes the focal point of the room after dark.
What are paneled appliances?
A fridge, freezer or wine cooler with a front panel that matches the surrounding cabinetry. In one Weston, MA kitchen the panels have a white gloss finish that keeps the room bright, and the fridge and freezer combination disappears into the run. Better than a stainless steel fridge slotted between custom cabinets.
What is a banquette?
Built-in bench seating, good for light entertaining and for the extra storage underneath. Like a hutch, it can act as a midpoint between the cooking and dining areas. One Cambridge, MA banquette has plenty of natural light and large pillows, which makes it the place to sit with a coffee and the paper.
What is a butcher block counter?
A bold statement, but if you like to cook you will not find a bigger cutting board. Butcher block is sturdy enough to take most scratches, though it needs some care to stay in good condition. You can run it as a waterfall edge, or leave half your island in a more traditional counter material.
What is an appliance garage?
A closable niche in your cabinetry that hides appliances from view. You can specify a garage-style sliding door, a midway unit or a traditional door. It can be a single level, for one or two appliances, or multi-level. Coffee makers will never match your kitchen the way an appliance garage can.
What is a midway cabinet?
A sliding door that folds in on itself along a track, making it easy to conceal and reach your glassware or kitchenware. Specify it deep enough to hide appliances, or shallow to save counter space and store the things you reach for daily, like glasses.
What is a hutch?
Ideally a built-in unit that gives your kitchen or dining area extra storage through a mix of drawers and cabinets, plus counter space and open shelving. One Cambridge, MA home uses a hutch as a midway point between the cooking and eating spaces, which saves the owners walking back and forth. You can mix and match doors, cabinets and open shelving to suit.
What are inner drawers?
Separate zones of storage behind a single panel. One deep drawer can hold several smaller inner drawers, so you get multiple levels of storage without adding more channels to the design. It does add a step when you open them, in return for a cleaner front. Glass-sided inner drawers light up the interior and add a little sophistication.
What is a floating vanity?
A vanity, usually in a bathroom, fixed to the wall so it needs no legs or additional support. It gives a more modern look, makes cleaning easier, leaves room for storage underneath and more room at your feet. Store things below, or leave it open.
Did we miss anything, or do you have a question about any of these features? Get in touch and we will come back to you shortly.
- A dead corner is storage lost to a corner cabinet you cannot reach into. A Le Mans unit recovers it.
- Handleless cabinetry is achieved with beveled edges or channels rather than hardware.
- Paneled appliances, appliance garages and pocket doors are three different ways to hide appliances.
- A mitered edge is what lets a waterfall countertop meet cleanly at the corner.
- A multi-level island creates separate prep and eating zones in one piece of furniture.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a pocket door and a passage door?
A passage door blends into a wall or a run of cabinetry and opens like a normal door, usually to hide a pantry. A pocket door slides sideways into a compartment in the adjacent wall or cabinetry and disappears completely. Pocket doors are more often used to conceal appliances sitting on a countertop.
How do I stop losing storage in a kitchen corner?
A dead corner is the space you cannot reach behind a standard corner cabinet. A Le Mans unit solves it with shaped shelves that swing out on hardware, bringing the contents to you. It matters most in small kitchens, since a larger room can usually afford to lose the corner.
How can I hide appliances in a kitchen?
There are three common approaches. Paneled appliances take a front panel matching the cabinetry, so the fridge or wine cooler disappears into the run. An appliance garage is a closable niche for countertop items. Pocket doors slide back into the cabinetry to conceal a whole section when it is not in use.
What is a beveled edge used for?
A beveled edge is an angled cut along the top edge of a cabinet panel. It works as a panel-wide handle, so no visible hardware is needed, and it leaves a clean line running across the cabinetry face. It is a common choice in modern kitchens where handles would break the look.
Can a kitchen island replace a dining table?
A multi-level island can. A raised section creates separate zones for prepping and eating, so you can sit down without clearing your prep space first. It also lets you use two different materials or colors on one island. Whether it fully replaces a table depends on how many people you need to seat.
What is the difference between a hutch and a banquette?
Both sit between the cooking and dining areas. A hutch is a built-in storage unit combining drawers, cabinets, counter space and open shelving. A banquette is built-in bench seating, usually with storage underneath. Some kitchens use both, with the hutch handling storage and the banquette handling seating.
