Modular Kitchens

[chisha]

I read all the material available on this forum about Mod Kitchens. I am acquiring a flat soon and the kitchen is an L shaped one. I have so many doubts about the workability of a mod kitchen. Those who have installed it, Can u please tell me "Is it really convenient to use the upper cabinets? Can somebody post a photo of their kitchen with doors open

[Vivek Sivaram]

Chitra

Upper cabinets are meant for least frequently used items. While getting your kitchen setup make sure that it is tailored to your height.

I will see if I can post some image for you on the blog. The forum is not yet image friendly.

[sunita]

chisha
hi, upper cabinets are basically designed for items referring to crockery, glasses etc. (of course depending again on the optical view point - glass fronts, lighting etc.) Although in upper cabinets on both sides of the cooking area the space is ideal for all kinds of spices etc - even for grocery items, higher set up cabinets can be used for items not on regularly use - for eg. vases etc.
I am in the kitchen business - plan and sell German kitchens, so tag me any time you need a few ideas or help.
Sunita

[Vivek Sivaram]

Sunita

its great to have you here. If possible, please drop in an article to us which we can put it up on aavaas.com

[chisha]

Thanks folks. Again is mild steel better or wood (Ply) ? I mean I would really like somebody who has installed a mod kitchen in their house to comment  about the pros and cons

[Vivek Sivaram]

now, i cant comment on this

[Deep Trance]

I just realized that we have an L shaped modular kitchen.
Upper cabinets are used to store plates bowls, glasses that are used frequently.
The top most shelves are not put into much use besides storing crockeries that we plan to use when the Queen or someone equally important pays us a visit. I don't think we can add images here but that's pretty much what we put in the top shelves - china ware, empty cans that are not in use etc. Most of them at 6' - 6.5' are accessible by one of the taller members in the household. However, the shelves are adjustable so that we have a few ones at a decent height. So, go for adjustable shelves. There is one slot that is a mere showpiece - it just hides the exhaust pipe and is directly above the stove.
The upper cabinet that we have always found a problem with is the one installed over the fridge. That cabinet is pretty much empty in our place save for some instruction booklets. Owing to the depth of the fridge this one is inaccessible without a pet stool.
Hope this helps. Enjoy your kitchen - cabinets help keep stuff out of view and give your kitchen a good professional look. Put them into use.

[Vivek Sivaram]

@ deeptrance

we could put the pics on the blog and post the url here. if possible please send us the pics.

PS: we will try to get the image option here as well soon.

[sunita]

hi vivek,
would love to help! am new on the forum and havent a clue to how I can "drop an article to you"! I design, plan, and execute the installation of mod kitchens -direct imports from germany - I am german! - purely german quality - it's schocking to see what problems home builders are having in India. It boils down to quality and pricing I guess.
If I can help - any time
Sunita

[Vivek Sivaram]

Picture from deeptrance is posted on the blog :

http://aavaas.com/2008/04/11/another-l-shaped-modular-kitchen-picture/

[chisha]

Thank you for all that enthusiastic help. I went to a n expo exhibiton Y'day. Some cool kids room furniture. Man hats off to Chennai coz most of them were from the great metro. Two exhibits in the mod kitchen - one says Rs 1100 per sq.ft and another 850. Acxtually the cheaper one looked better. How would you decide on the quality coz if good ply is not used it might just peel after exposure to water and heat.

[Vivek Sivaram]

Hello Chitra

Make sure you get some details on the materials, the wood used (MDF, plywood), the fixtures, guarantee information, laminate details etc. Do not rush into buying a modular kitchen. The expensive one is so, for a reason.

[chisha]

Yep I agree. Y'day I visited godrej lifespace and they offer a neat one including kutchina hood for nearing two lakhs. The insides are metal and the doors are wood. They say that it would cause less cockroach incidence. But I doubt it. They use marine ply

[Vivek Sivaram]

people have mixed opinion abou a steel modular kitchen. although it would help reduce costs, one should also see how noisy they are in day to day use. I dont see how a metal modular kitchen will reduce cockroaches. These creatures are not termites to bore into your wood. they just creep into the smallest of openings and thrive on the food available inside.

[Vivek Sivaram]

and i forgot to mention, make sure that the ply used , especially near the sink is water treated. last thing you want is the ply to expand or chip because it is constantly splashed with water.