Double stacked cabinets are all the rage in home kitchen design, but they aren’t necessarily the right choice for everybody. They offer a series of positive and negative features which make them ideal for some kitchens but deeply impractical for others. After all, there’s little use in having a row of cabinets you can’t easily reach! Read on for a list of some of the major pros and cons of double stacked cabinets before making a decision as to the direction of your personal home kitchen.
The Pros of Double Stacked Cabinets
-Extra Storage Space: Most upper cabinet rows leave anywhere from a few inches to several feet of space between the tops of the cabinets and the kitchen ceiling. Double stacked cabinets allow you to put this space to work as extra storage area.
-Tasteful Display Space: If you have display-worthy kitchen pieces which you don’t functionally use, having a top row of glass door cabinets in a double stacked cabinet row makes for an unconventional but interesting means of displaying your prized pieces.
-Enhanced Kitchen Lighting: Clear glass cabinet doors allow for the option of interior cabinet lighting. This adds an extra dimension to your kitchen lighting, turning it into a virtual culinary showroom and brightening up your cooking area. Who doesn’t love a little more light?
-Enjoy a Finished Appearance: Going with a single row of cabinets and a gap between your cabinet tops and your ceiling is less expensive than a row of double stacked cabinets, but it also looks unfinished. Depending upon the amount of space left between your cabinets and your ceiling this can be extremely discomforting. Many homeowners prefer to feel a sense of continuity within the room where they do their cooking, and a double stacked cabinet row might feel more complete and efficient.
The Cons of Double Stacked Cabinets
-Tough to Access: The top row of cabinets in a double stacked row is invariably harder for homeowners to access. Depending upon your height and the layout of your kitchen, your double stacked cabinets may be all but unusable.
-More Costly: Double stacked cabinets require additional time, planning, and materials to create and install. Naturally they cost more than ordinary cabinets.
-More Upkeep is Needed: If you have more cabinets, you will have more surface area to maintain and keep clean. A double stacked cabinet row presents twice as many interior surfaces to keep dust free. If you have glass cabinet doors you’ll need to put regular effort into keeping them spotless.
-A Crowded Kitchen: There is such a thing as too much. A row of double stacked cabinets in a kitchen of small to modest size can leave the room feeling cramped and crowded. Some people enjoy having a sense of openness in place of an additional row of cabinets. You might not even have enough kitchenware to use a row of double stacked cabinets.
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