The Designer's Eye: Why Some Kitchens Inspire Awe While Others Leave You Uninspired
It's all in the details. And once you see them, you cannot unsee them.
Photo by DeWils Fine Cabinetry
Have you ever walked into a kitchen and thought, "Oooo, this is a great kitchen" … or, on the other end of the spectrum, "Something feels off"?
One of the occupational hazards of being a kitchen designer is that, within seconds of walking into a kitchen, all the details that once existed quietly in the background of your awareness suddenly come front and center.
Let me walk you through some of the layers of thoughtful design — because once you see them, you cannot unsee them.
Within seconds, a designer notices cabinet lines, proportions, reveals, fillers, door swings, trim details, symmetry, and dozens of other small decisions layered into the design. When they are executed well, everything simply feels right. When they are not, the problem can become glaringly obvious to the designer's eye.
The Lines
When we design at Blue Mountain, there is always intention behind the lines we create. Do the tops and bottoms of the cabinets form clean, uninterrupted horizontal lines? Or do they appear to step up and down? If they do step, is it an intentional part of the design or the result of an installation mishap?
Your eye is naturally drawn to strong horizontal lines, even when you are not consciously aware of them. These lines continue throughout the cabinetry, including the gaps between the doors and drawers — known as cabinet reveals.
One detail almost nobody consciously notices but everyone feels is the consistency of those reveals. In frameless cabinetry, reveals are typically very tight, often approximately 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch. Full-overlay framed cabinets generally have more generous reveals, often closer to 1/4 inch. A skilled installer can adjust doors and drawers so the spacing looks even and consistent throughout the kitchen.
Related article: Framed vs. Frameless Cabinetry
The Proportions
If the cabinets do not intentionally extend all the way to the ceiling, does the space between the upper cabinetry and the ceiling feel balanced? When the room or budget doesn't allow us to take cabinets all the way up, one proportion we often use at Blue Mountain is approximately 12 to 15 inches between the cabinetry and the ceiling. This provides enough room for top moldings and creates a result that feels intentional and thoughtfully designed.
On the other end of the spectrum, I have seen finished cabinetry where only a small gap — perhaps 3 to 6 inches between the top trim and the ceiling — was left. That narrow space can make it appear as though someone miscalculated the ceiling height. Rather than feeling intentional, it often looks like the cabinets almost fit, but not quite.
The Symmetry
Another principle we frequently use is the rule of thirds. You do not have to understand the rule of thirds to appreciate it — your eye naturally responds to balanced proportions, even when you cannot explain why.
At Blue Mountain, we apply this design principle wherever possible. It can help create balance and symmetry across a wall of cabinets, an island, or a peninsula by dividing the design into visually pleasing proportions. For example, with stacked cabinetry, we may design a stack with approximately two-thirds of the height on the bottom and one-third on the top — such as a 36-inch wall cabinet with an 18-inch cabinet stacked above it.
We also take great care when selecting the cabinets that flank a range or surround a window. The goal is to create visual balance through thoughtful sizing and placement. As a designer, few things make me cringe more than a sink that is not centered beneath a window or cabinets that are spaced asymmetrically around a window frame. These may seem like small details, but they become glaringly obvious when they are overlooked.
The Placement
In many standard kitchens, the bottoms of the wall cabinets typically sit approximately 54 inches above the finished floor. When cabinets are installed significantly higher without a clear design reason, the kitchen can begin to feel disconnected and less comfortable to use. Higher placement may also expose the unfinished bottoms of the cabinets, which can degrade the finished result.
There are times when we intentionally place upper cabinetry higher — such as above a sink or in a laundry room. In those situations, we finish the exposed cabinet bottoms with matching skins or panels so the cabinets look finished and the design elevated.
The Finish Details
Take a look at the refrigerator area. In a well-planned design, the panels surrounding the refrigerator are usually slightly deeper than the base cabinets — often by approximately one to three inches — so the countertop can transition cleanly into the sides of those panels. When panels are too shallow or too deep, the entire design can be thrown off.
I once saw a kitchen where the installer did not cut the refrigerator panels to the height shown in the design. Instead, the panels were left significantly taller than the surrounding wall cabinets. To compensate, the cabinet above the refrigerator had to be installed approximately eight inches above the appliance. The result was a large, awkward gap between the refrigerator and the cabinet. It was disappointing because the finished installation never reflected the original design.
Fillers are another necessary part of cabinet installation. These are the vertical or horizontal pieces placed between cabinets, walls, panels, or other cabinetry components. The best fillers are the ones you barely notice. When fillers are oversized, uneven, or placed in highly visible locations without careful planning, they immediately draw the eye — and not in a good way.
A real example: I once visited one of my designs during installation and discovered that the installer had placed one wide filler on one side of a vanity and no filler at all on the other. The vanity was just crammed up against the wall on that side — something that does not allow for a full overlay door to open easily. My original design called for two smaller fillers, balanced on both ends of the vanity. The installer's decision created an off-center appearance that did not reflect the intended design and did not allow for the cabinet door to have adequate space to open against a wall. At Blue Mountain, we provide detailed drawings so installers understand exactly how the design is intended to be executed. In this case, the installer skipped the plans and took a shortcut that made the entire vanity look lopsided.
The Layout
Part of a beautiful layout is paying attention to the direction in which each cabinet door swings. Even when I'm watching a television show, if I see a cabinet in the background with a door swinging the wrong way, I cannot unsee it.
Whenever possible, cabinet doors should swing away from appliances and should not conflict with neighboring doors or appear mismatched with the surrounding cabinetry. Other layout principles we follow include avoiding appliances in corners whenever possible, centering ranges within their spaces, and creating visual symmetry throughout the design.
Seeing Through the Designer's Eye
The next time you see a kitchen — whether in a friend's home, a model home, or your favorite renovation show — pause for just a moment. Look at the lines. Notice the proportions. Study the symmetry. Pay attention to the finish details.
You may discover that what once felt like "a beautiful space" is actually the result of hundreds of thoughtful design decisions working together. Whether it's an amazing kitchen or one that feels just a little off, maybe you'll start to notice the little details embedded in that design with your own designer's eye.
Whether it's an amazing kitchen or even one that feels just a little off, maybe you'll start to notice the little details embedded in that design with your own designer's eye.
