Going the Extra Mile

There are lots of ways to make a kitchen or bath more user-friendly and appealing. Unique add-ons come in a variety of options including electronics, shelving, decorative items, and a whole host of storage and organizing accessories.

It’s not that hard to discover what’s popular because aftermarket manufacturers and distributors need to be keyed into trends. That means woodshop designers can pick up on what’s hot by paying attention to these suppliers’ top sellers, highest ratings, and the prevalence of certain items, colors, shapes and functions. If every website is pushing floating shelves or USB-C chargers, it’s a good bet the shop’s customers will be interested.

Another flag to watch for is when sites create new search categories. For example, there’s a ‘mixed metal products’ category on the Lighting Direct website (lightingdirect.com), and many of the latest products are featured there. The mixed metal refers to aesthetics, and these lights combine traditional brass with contemporary black coatings and crisp, sleek designs. This type of treatment can add drama to a monochromatic white kitchen and turn a run-of-the-mill project into something edgy and unique.

For woodworkers who want to get a more global feel for what’s happening in cabinetry, Hettich has launched a page on its site (hettich.com) that tracks trends. It’s basically a quick rundown of what the company has spotted at various trade shows, and it includes both short videos and pictorial essays.

The two biggest turn-ons in cabinet design are visual impact and convenience, and many specialty items deliver both. That’s especially true when it comes to electronics. Given the ubiquity of tablets, phones and laptops, convenient power is an obvious way to customize cabinetry.

Doug Mockett & Co. (mockett.com) has just introduced three new ways to deliver juice to devices – a slim outlet, a pop-up, and an undermount. Mockett’s new PCS126 is a grommet that can be popped into a drilled hole inside a cabinet, or perhaps be placed in an innocuous corner of a countertop. The ultra-thin outlet measures 3-15/16” in diameter, and it comes in black, satin aluminum or white finishes. It includes two tamper-resistant power outlets, one USB-A traditional 18-watt charging port, and a 20-watt USB-C port.

Next up from Mockett is the PCS36A/USBAC pop-up, which is a flush receptacle when not in use and it pops up in response to a gentle touch when required. This little device has one standard 20-amp AC outlet, plus a USB duplex that accepts both A and C cords. It’s easy to install, requiring a 4” x 5” cutout, and comes with a 6’ cord. The third new offering (PCS124C/UNMT) simply screws to the underside of a countertop or shelf and offers two 120-volt outlets and two USB-A ports. The easy installation makes it ideal for desks and worktables that might be moved, or for areas where the top of the counter needs to remain clear.

Some manufacturers are adding electronics to traditional hardware, such as the Sensomatic drawer system from Grass America (grassusa.com). This is an electro-mechanical opening system that can be activated by a light touch anywhere on the surface of the drawer front. It needs only one drive unit for cabinet widths up to 47-1/4”, regardless of the weight, and it’s relatively simple to install.

Beyond function, LEDs deliver ambiance and style, so Häfele America (hafele.com) brought lots of LEDs to the KBIS show in late January. The company’s versatile Loox5 light system is designed for cabinets in kitchens, pantries, closets and offices. The wireless system can be used in framed or frameless cabinets, and it includes LED light bars that are powered by narrow aluminum bus bars which are integrated into each side of the casework. The result is horizontal shelf illumination, discretely located and easy to reposition by designers, installers and homeowners.

Georgia-based Hera Lighting (heralighting.com) offers a budget-friendly product called TapeEven-LED that provides continuous and even light output without a lens. It’s self-adhering, comes in 196” long rolls, and has two stock colors (3000 K and 4000 K). TapeEven is powered by a 24-volt DC driver.

Richelieu Hardware (richelieu.com) has incorporated strips into the underside of a closet rod (item 30147850), so clients can instantly see what’s hanging on a clothes rack. Designed and manufactured in Canada, the system starts with a heavy-duty 96” long rod that can be cut to length. An opal-shaped lens completes the round shape of the bottom of the rod.

And Tresco Lighting (trescolighting.com) has expanded its range of NeoLoop side-emitting, highly flexible, LED strips to include more color options. Shatterproof and watertight, this product illuminates from the side and bends on a horizontal axis, so it’s a perfect solution for adding light to dark millwork, and also for working with curves.

There’s a trend among kitchen designers to leave out the upper cabinets, to create a more open and less boxy space. Some homeowners are happy with those large expanses of empty walls, but most seem to want to add a little storage and visual relief. So, shelves are becoming more popular.

One solution is open shelves in the shape of a cabinet, but without the bulk. Dura Supreme Cabinetry (durasupreme.com) has developed open metal units in a variety of finishes including natural aluminum, brushed steel, gold, matte black, and oil-rubbed bronze. They deliver the utility of storage without the visual interruption brought by boxes and doors, so the wall behind the shelves can still be a feature in the kitchen. Homeowners can choose from wood or glass shelving to create a customized accent that’s tailored to the kitchen design.

A new series of floating shelf kits from Outwater Industries (outwater.com) offers designers unfinished cherry, red oak, maple, and paintable species. The shelf lengths range from 24” to 54” long, and they come in either 10” or 12” depths. The brackets are completely hidden and come with a cleat that can be secured to studs or with drywall anchors.

As an affordable alternative to fixed shelving or a built-in workstation, North Carolina-based Wood Technology (woodtechnology.com) has come up with a clever height-adjustable standing desk that comes in three different desktop sizes – 47” x 23”, 47” x 31”, and 59” x 31”. The same base is used for all three, as it expands and contracts in width. A high-grade steel frame can handle loads up to 154 lbs., and the bottom edge of the desktop can be lowered or raised from a sitting height of 26.8” to a comfortable standing height of 46.5”. The frame can be ordered with or without the desktop, so a shop can build a custom top to match the job species.

Measuring for confined shelving or countertops in an alcove can be a challenge, so Rockler (rockler.com) has provided a new solution. Designed for measuring stair treads, the Perfect Fit guide (item 52048) works on tops from 26” to 48” wide. To measure wider than that, just screw down a cleat near the centerline and take two readings. The jig picks up any deviation in the squareness of the alcove’s side walls. Just slide the gauge open until it fits in the opening, adjust the angle finders to lay against the walls, and then use the gauge to transfer the angles and dimensions to a shelf. No measuring is required.

Visually embellishing a kitchen can be a hugely complex proposition. Designers have such a wide palette of materials and colors at their disposal that creating a distinctive ‘look’ is incredibly subjective. But even small changes can alter the feel of a room – anything from different molding edge profiles to a minor tint alteration, or perhaps changing the hardware from matte to satin.

One of the hottest trends at the moment is adding decorative metal grilles to cabinet doors, especially on wall cabinets. Designs of Distinction (brownwoodinc.com/dod) has created a 1” double-diamond decorative grille that comes in a variety of finishes, and just changing the color brings a whole new aesthetic to a room. These grilles are made in the U.S. with hand-crimped and woven steel wire, and they can be ordered in full sheets or custom sizes. Among the finishes are copper, antique copper, antique pewter, antique brass, satin brass, satin nickel, stainless, and flat black.

Another way to embellish cabinetry is to add some curves. Decore-ative Specialties (decore.com) has recently added concave radius doors to its catalog, where the face of the door curves inward. They are perfect for inside corners or bow-shaped islands. The company has had a convex door available for a while, along with curved face frames and drawer fronts. A shop can select a standard radius or if a project requires something extra special, it can designate an exact radius. The new product is available in many different door styles.

And staying with curves, Eagle Aluminum (eagle-aluminum.com) has come out with several new aluminum and stainless-steel, oval-shaped edge moldings for countertops, large panels and cabinet doors. Eagle stocks these in standard mill finish or polished, and the company can supply a satin, clear-anodized, bright-dipped, bronze, or black finish upon request.

The design aesthetic over the past decade has swung hard toward white plastic and paint, and away from hardwood grain. Now there’s evidence of a nostalgic trend back toward the warmth of wood, where monochromatic kitchens are being accented with large areas of natural wood.

Frank Paxton Lumber (paxtonwood.com) has added Shinnoki as an option for shops looking to chase this trend. This is a prefinished wood veneered panel that is ready to use and as easy to work with as a melamine board. The new program includes matching panels, laminates and edge banding, all available from stock in 16 trendy real wood designs, of which seven are European white oak. The veneers are from FSC-certified sources over a 11/16” MDF core.

There’s an interesting new design from Osborne Wood Products (osbornewood.com, part No. 143558) called the Twisted Loft Island Leg. This is a wooden leg with a curved design that prompts thoughts of a DNA helix. At 34-1/2” tall and 3-1/2” wide, it has 7” of square stock at the top and bottom to allow for easy installation (there’s an option that adds an inch to one end). In between, the wood takes a dramatic twist, and the square sections are separated from this with a shallow saw kerf that runs around the leg. This item is available in 15 species.

Among several new products from Keystone Wood Specialties (keystonewood.com) is a wine drawer insert. This is a simple rack that pops into a drawer and it’s a nice design element for clients who appreciate having a few bottles on hand. The inserts are only 3” tall, but the drawer will need more clearance when bottles are on board. They are available finished or unfinished, and in a variety of wood species.

It may look small, but the new Drying Rack Drawer from Rev-A-Shelf (rev-a-shelf.com) is the perfect solution for towels and dish cloths. Called the 4WDR, the solid maple unit installs in an existing cabinet drawer and the shop only needs to attach the drawer front with figure-eight fasteners. A customer can then open the drawer and unfold the arms for up to 18 linear feet of drying space. With two positions for the folding wings, the user can lay items flat or hang then to dry on stainless-steel rods.

Beyond hinges and handles, hardware manufacturers are offering shops several interesting new ways to enhance cabinetry and make it more usable.

Blum (blum.com) has developed the Space Step, which is a disappearing step that not only creates extra storage space behind toe kicks, but also provides better access to wall cabinets for children and shorter adults, or for people who own tall cabinets.

New from CabinetParts (cabinetparts.com) is a hidden hamper for a vanity from Century Components. Built in solid maple, it has Blum Movento slides, and it measures either 14-3/8” or 17-3/8” wide. This is basically a heavy-duty drawer with a plastic clothes hamper that can be hidden behind a vanity base door (the height is 19-5/8”) to provide a simple and convenient laundry solution.

Century Components (centurymade.com) has also created some sensible silverware tray inserts that have a natural maple ‘bumper’ underneath. This protects the original drawer from wear and gouges that distress it over time. Each of the compartments is at least 3” wide, which makes it a whole lot easier to reach and retrieve cutlery. And the walls of the dividers are stepped down for both looks and convenience.

One of the challenges in kitchen and especially bath design is using casework to hide ugly ducts, pipes and wires. That’s especially true with extractor hoods over a cooktop. Conestoga Wood Specialties (conestogawood.com) came up with an elegant solution last year when it introduced a cabinet with a recessed, adjustable back. The customizable WRC3 wall cabinet has a three-sided back, so anything running through the inside of the cabinet is hidden when the doors are opened. The recess can be placed in the center or to either side, and the false back is constructed of 1/2” natural birch prefinished plywood. It’s removable for access to any hidden ductwork or wiring.

For shops that don’t have a lot of faith in regular drawer slides to carry the load of a tall, heavy and vertical pantry pull-out, Fulterer USA (fultererusa.com) makes a system that delivers some serious support. The FR777 rides on hefty steel slides and DuPont Delrin rollers. Easy-close is an option, plus the system delivers quiet movement and both horizontal and vertical adjustments. There are several slide lengths to accommodate different pantry depths.

In May, Salice (salice.com) introduced the new Conecta invisible hinge that remains completely hidden within the door and the side of the cabinet. Designed to deliver clean lines and modern design, its slim dimensions have surrendered nothing in performance. It can be used with aluminum or wooden doors and is completed with customizable cover caps. And it’s just one more way that cabinet shops can add appeal and functionality to casework.  

This article was originally published in the July 2023 issue.