What are the Types of Kitchen Units?
There are many types and styles of kitchen units but we would typically group them into three different types; wall units, base units and larder units.
Within each of these styles there are many variations. We will guide you through the main and most popular variations in the hope it helps guide you through choosing and designing your next kitchen.
When we talk about the kitchen unit types we are not talking about the different kitchen doors available, as this is a subject in its own right.
Kitchen Base Units
These are kitchen units that are placed on legs on the floor. They are normally 720mm high, 890mm including legs. The legs are adjustable to ensure you can compensate for any uneven surfaces.
Once again there are very many variations of these base units, but we would sub-categorise them into three different types of units.
Highline Kitchen Base Units
These units have full height doors, typically 715mm high. Within each cabinet you have one shelf, or in some instances internal drawers hidden behind the doors. The doors are normally hinged on the left and/or right but in some instances can be fixed to a drawer that pulls out, usually revealing additional internal drawers.
Drawerline Kitchens Base Units
These have a drawer at the top of the unit, normally with a 140mm high drawer front. Below the drawer a smaller cabinet is fronted with a 570mm high door. These units were very popular in the past, but in recent years have largely given way to kitchens being designed with a combination of highline units are drawer pack units.
Drawer Pack Units
These units have a number of drawers, and no doors. These units are very useful, as drawers often make storage easier than cupboards, that can be prone to dead space at the back of the cupboard. Due to the additional components, such as the drawer packs and rails, drawer units are more expensive than the other types of units. We would always suggest putting as many drawer packs in as your budget will allow, particularly the three drawer pack with two pan drawers which are some of the most practical space available.
Kitchen Wall Units
Kitchen wall units are fixed to the wall using specially designed wall brackets. These brackets allow the units to be adjusted vertically, to ensure all the wall cabinets align, and then can be tightened to ensure they fit tightly to the wall.
There are three heights on kitchen wall units. Small, medium and large, although as the smaller units have now largely fallen out of favour we no longer sell this specific size. The wall units are typically 300mm deep, plus the door.
Medium Wall Units
Medium units are 720mm high with a 715mm high doors. These are normally aligned with the top of medium larder units, if they are fitted next to the units.
Tall Wall Units
Tall wall units are 900mm high, with 895mm high doors. These are normally aligned with the top of the tall larder housing, so that all the top of the units align.
Larder Units
Larder units or tall units include a number of different types of units. Standard larder units are 570mm deep and come in two different height. Medium and tall. It is usual to pair these up with their respective wall units.
Standard larder housing has four shelves - two fixed, two adjustable, however there are also a number of other upgrades available with these larder housing, including internal drawers housing. Once again we would suggest using as may drawers as your budget allows. Where internal drawers are used, different hinges are required, so that the door can open wide enough to allow the internal drawer to open without catching on the inside of the door.
Appliance Housing
Within this category there are also a number of different types of appliance housing. This include fridge and freezer housing, where an integrated fridge or freezer can be fitted within the units. It also includes oven housing. There are many different combinations of doors and drawers available above and below the oven housing area. Once again it is down to preference as to which you install in your kitchen.
Kitchen Unit Accessories
Once you have completed installing your kitchen units there are a few additional accessories you will need to install to finish they kitchen.
As a minimum you will need kitchen plinths and end panels, and in certain circumstances you may choose to also add light pelmets and/or cornice. These are aesthetic add-ons and aren't strictly needed.
Worktops
You will also need worktops, that sit on the base units. There are a huge range of worktops available, for this reason we don't sell worktops and would recommend using a worktop specialist when choosing which material would work best for you.
