Single door both top and bottom- I avoid doubles in under a 27" opening especially inset- don't like 24" single doors so simply try to avoid that too.

Single door, as I said on August 10th. But the cabinet maker already has the hinges in for 2 doors, has he already made the double doors?

Fishies, if you make them one door, will there still be glass for the top compartment? Won't the single door still need separation around the glass part, i.e., it will still look small?

athomeinva- You did??? I totally missed that! Maybe I misunderstood.

Yes, probably made but I'd pay to change them.

linelle- Yes, it's all one door. The glass top compartment would then be only one piece of glass instead of 2 pieces.

One Door! For Sure!

That's a tough call functionally for me. An 18" door is about my width limit for an upper. OTOH, splitting it into two results in the user having to open two doors to retrieve anything from inside, and it busys-up the look. Not having much inside the glass uppers show negates the benefit of them.

I'd go 18.

I emailed him about doing one door.

Breezy- those are all of my thoughts as well. He put nice plate grooves on the shelves in all the glass cabs and open cabinetry. However you what is the use of putting a plate or bowl on display if you can't see it?

If you can switch to a single - I think it would look better and work better.
Loving that beautiful kitchen coming to life!

One more decision out of the way on the path to a jaw-dropping finished kitchen!

Thanks breezy- cant wait to be done. Very nerve-wracking!!

You made the right decision on the single doors, no matter what it ends up costing for the new doors. You will thank yourself every single time you use those cabinets over many years to come.

PS... your kitchen is looking so beautiful already!

CAN I STILL VOTE? One door, one door!

I just hate to be left out of this kitchen :>P

Thanks taggie!

deedles- Too funny! : ) It's always great to have my thoughts confirmed here (or not!) I don't know why I didn't see this sooner. It's amazing how many hours you can stare at these plans and yet something always slips by!

Looking at the cabs IRL this morning made me realize it! I didn't hear back from cab guy but like taggie said I think it will be worth whatever cost there may be...

********OK- One more thing--- If you look at the drawing above the base cabs also had two doors, although actually the one on the right is a pull out attached to cabinetry so it's one piece that only looks like 2 doors. The one on the right is actually 2 doors.

Should those both sides have the look of one door also since I'm changing the wall cabs??

I would use a single door for both uppers and lowers, for both aesthetic and functional reasons. For any opening under 24" I would choose a single door.

The doors are made. I definitely want to change the 3 top ones I mentioned. The two base ones I'm iffy on- thinking I could save some $ by not redoing them but I should probably just make them match the top singles.

Like I said, the one on the left is under prep sink and won't be used as much and the other is a tray pullout attached to door... If I change it it would be more for aesthetics.

For the uppers you can have a single door but have the glass divided into two sections (or four - two top and bottom) separated by muntins, which will stiffen the door making it less likely to crack if close too abruptly. This will look lighter and airier than two doors because there wouldn't need to be a meeting rail at the center where the two leaves met. The total glazed area will be larger as well without that center rail.

For lowers, I would definitely have just a single 18" door.

Probably too late to help you, but I thought I'd chime in, just in case you haven't settled this yet.

L.

It pains me to say it because of the $$ but I really think you should change to singles on the bases as well. I know it's just mainly for aesthetics, but it will make a difference and you won't want to do it later even if it really really really really (did I mention really?) bugs you. :)

liriodendron- not too late : )

taggie- I know! ughhh

Can the cabinet maker bring the base doors over so you can see them in your space? It may help make the decision easier for you.

corgimum- I'll check it out. They are in PA (we're NJ) so we'll see!

Cab maker said everything is made and why don't I just put in what he made and can change later if I don't like, but I feel like in this case I know I won't like them and would rather fix it sooner rather than later...

GC (who is totally with whatever I want to do) said he wondered if 18" is too large for a single door. Usually better when they are a bit smaller than that. He does definitely agree though that the glass would be better if we do one door.

Do any of you have 18" (approx) upper cabinet doors that can give feedback regarding size and/or show some photos??? Are there issues with use?

I still think one door is the answer- especially b/c of the glass at top for display.

thanks!!

I do not think you need to change the bases to one door to be in sync with one door on the top. The uppers are glass so they are different. On a non-aesthtic note, since you cabinets are inset there is a stile in between the doors and depending on what you intend to store in those lowers it may be too small of an opening to get things in and out easily. Could you change the cabinet on the left to two pull outs attached to a double door look, like the cabinet on the right?
18" is completely acceptable for a door size. I think they start looking funny over 20" but lots of people have 24" wide doors. If you think about it a standard refrigerator of 36" would have 2 18" doors above it, and some refrigerators are 48" wide.

I have a built in hutch that has two 18.25 inch doors. The doors do not look too big and operate fine, no good pics.

localeater- The base cab to the left is below the prep sink. I believe now they are two doors that open and there is a trash pullout. If they were both pullouts attached to double door look don't you lose access to sink plumbing etc.?

There is not a stile there under the prep sink. Doors meet without that.. Same with main sink.

The base cab on the right I BELIEVE is one larger pullout attached to door that has the double door look. (The hardware there is incorrect)

**Any other thoughts on if the base cabinets should be changed to one door if I am doing the uppers as one door?

Fishies: I just melted when I saw your cabinet reveal. So pretty and the perfect shade of yellow. Definitely change your uppers to one door. I have several 18"x42" doors with full glass. Love them and find the width super functional. Plus it's a great size for display.

Bottom cabs are a tougher call. They definitely do not need to match uppers inch for inch. The decision should be function - how wide is the single door alternative and how wide is too wide for your use? and form - will two doors look too busy in your uber elegant kitchen? I just measured my lower doors - all have pullouts. They are 18" and 15" and have been great for function for 23 years. (I am going with drawers in my next kitchen thanks to GW). Since your doors are already made, could you do a temorary install to get a feel for form *and* function? You have put so much thought and heart into your kitchen, don't succumb to decision burnout.

I just noticed your 6" side upper cabinet. Love it! Is this a message center? You may have solved my pantry problem. I might copy this and install a 6" open-from-the-side rather than a 12" pullout. Thanks for showing this little hidden gem.

Your kitchen is beautiful.

I think you should leave the bases as 2 doors. 1) the doors or already made 2) the detail provided by 2 doors is in keeping with the style of your kitchen. The uppers should definitely be one because otherwise the ratio of wood to glass is inappropriate.
If I am following, the cabinet on the right is one large pullout attached to double door "look"- I think that is great.
The cabinet on the left is the prep sink with double doors and a trash pull out? Not so great. Last thing I want to do when prepping is open 2 doors and then pull out trash. Can the cabinet maker convert that to double door look and mount onto the trash pullout so you have one easy motion?
If I haven't said so before your kitchen is beautiful, the cabinets are lovely and the colors are perfect. These are just the little blips that happen. Seemingly stressful, but easily remedied.
(PS I think this will make you laugh, the cabinet maker is bringing my cabinets to my house tomorrow(Wednesday). Thursday at 4AM my entire family leaves for the other coast to visit family is SanDiego and Phoenix. We won't be home until the installation is finished. Of course I trust my cabinet maker implicitly but......I guess I will deal with all my little blips when I get back. )

I only have a second ....

If the trash under prep sink is a pullout does that leave room to get under there for plumbing issues or to put a water filter, etc?

Hi Fishies.

Just to answer your questions:

Do any of you have 18" (approx) upper cabinet doors that can give feedback regarding size and/or show some photos??? Are there issues with use?

The cabs in the breakfast bar are 21" doors, and the pantry is 24" door. No issues, in fact it would drive me crazy if I had to open twice as many doors to get into all those cabinets:

If the trash under prep sink is a pullout does that leave room to get under there for plumbing issues or to put a water filter, etc?

Yes it leaves room but you need to have planned for it up front, which I'm sure your cab maker and plumber would have done as they each knew what the other was doing per the plans you shared. Plumbing stack just needs to be back far enough in the cab to not impede with the trash space.

A pic of ours might help. This is trash pullout under our bar sink and there is a chiller + filter behind it. The pullout can be pulled right out from the base in case we need access to the chiller for maintenance at any point, but we can change the filter just by opening the pullout to the widest it goes. Easy as pie.

Good luck whatever you decide (but I really think two 9" drawers will bug you over time, and you won't want to deal with them later -- and even if you did, could you really get an *exact* color match again, I would be concerned about that. Get the top ones redone at minimum, and decide if you can live with the bottom ones as doubles forever (I couldn't, perhaps you can, admittedly I'm more anal about stuff like that than most people are though :-)).

Thanks, taggie! Very helpful : )

An issue if I do the base cabs as singles is that (if I do it as originally planned) one is a pullout and the other is a door. hardware gets confusing and they won't match b/c the door on the left would require 1 knob, whereas the pullout on the right will require a handle (or 2 knobs) to pull it out.

honu- Thanks so much- glad you like the cabs! I'm very pleased with the color!
The 6" side cabinet has a cork backing and will be for messages, keys, whatever it ends up being I guess : ) There is one on the opposite side of the kitchen that extends to the floor and is a broom closet.

localeater-- Thanks for your input! I hope you don't have too many blips to deal with when you return home!! Good luck! : )

You're welcome Fishies. I wouldn't worry about the hardware ... whatever you decide, one or two knobs on the cabinets and one handle on the pullout is standard in almost all kitchens and it's a good thing to match that to function. It will blend in fine when you see it all finished, whichever way you go.

Thank you for the bonus photo. I see I missed that one the first time around.

Looking forward to seeing your doors on and your final reveal. Athough by that time I fear I will have such kitchen envy I might go into hiding. ;) Joking! GW addict here.

Ditto what Taggie said on the hardware.