Some stylish hideaways

Cabinets are the ultimate stowaway spaces for all our knick-knacks. But how do we choose the right one? Sarah Thomas offers some expert suggestions to help you decide on the right cabinets for all your needs at home.

It is quite natural to find a lot of things in the house that may not have any purpose, but we are attached to them emotionally. Sometimes, we do not like throwing away certain items just because it has been with us for too long.  While such accumulation may be good, it becomes a major reason for disorganisation and clutter in your home later.

“Collecting souvenirs has always been my hobby, I go weak for knick-knacks as well and most of the time by the end of the day they just end up causing a mess at home. I can’t throw them away, they are all memories of a certain place, you know,” said Samantha Richardson, tech writer and a globetrotter, who loves picking up a souvenir or two from every place she visits. But, sometimes, this leads to a very messy, unappealing look at home, she admits.

A space for all

It is in times like these that cabinets play a major role - a centrepiece of function and aesthetics, opines Afifa, freelance interior designer. According to her, cabinets are the best way one could hide away all the stuff that does not add to the beauty of the house. “It is a secret hideaway for all those things that one may consider important, but which really is not. The interiors would remain in pristine condition and it adds to the beauty of the house,” she states. This, of course, is just one among the many advantages of having cabinets at home.

Apart from hiding away all the excess stuff, it also helps in organisation. Afifa explains that having a cabinet does not mean that all the hideous junk in the house needs to be thrown away in it. A home is clean only when it is beautiful, both on the inside and outside.

Moving from the functionality to the aesthetics of cabinetry, Cynthia Grooger, another freelance interior designer, explains that choosing cabinetry is an art. One needs to make sure it looks good, gels well with the interiors and at the same time, is not too expensive. “I have often noticed while doing up the interiors of the house that people prefer cabinets in the bathroom and kitchen. I personally feel every room can have cabinets. Anything unnecessary can be hidden away; who wants to see wires attached to electronic goods sticking out in the open?”

The purpose of a cabinet varies depending on what you want to place in it and where you want to place it. Cynthia throws light on some of the important things to keep in mind while going in for some good cabinetry.
The best of its kind

If your house is semi-furnished, you may have more freedom to customise your cabinets. You can have in-wall cabinets with fancy doors. If your interiors are already done up, then go in for some cabinets that would add to the ambience of the house and would not look like an extra piece of furniture that has been brought in to create storage space, Cynthia advises.

Cabinets can be broadly divided into three categories, she explains. Ready-to-assemble cabinets are pocket-friendly and can be customised to suit your needs and cane be removed when not needed. The drawback, however, is that they are not available in the designs and colours one would like. They just serve a functional purpose. Stock cabinets are her second recommendation; they too are made to suit the functional needs of the house. Affordable and easy-to-use, these cabinets are highly durable and are commonly available, but these may lack the aesthetic factor.

There is then a choice you could make between custom and semi-custom cabinetry. Cynthia personally prefers this category as it gives the individual creative space and you have the freedom to customise it as desired. There are several designs you could choose from.

Afifa states that depending on the interiors of the house, the cabinetry style can be chosen. The shaker style cabinet doors are her favourite as they are clean, minimalist and emphasise utility. they go well with any setting, be it modern or traditional and for Indian homes, this would be the best pick, she suggests. The shaker style cabinet doors work best in the hall and living room.

For the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom, she suggests louvered cabinet doors. They are nothing but horizontal wooden slats that you would most probably see in windows. “They add character to the cabinets and give it a very classic feel,” she states. “The other styles are insets, beadboard, thermofoil; they are slightly expensive and not very common. Insets are amazing too, but they need to be designed well and also require a high budget,” Afifa explains.

For more drama, you can get cabinets made of bamboo and other such interesting materials. If made in wood, the hinges and door styles could be experimented on to make it look unique and complement the setting of the house. “Wired and glass doors are options to show off your stuff and still look tidy.

Wooden vintage cabinets with an old rustic feel adds drama to the space and you can also team up two or more cabinets in contrasting colours and styles to add an interesting value to the space. You can show off your linens, clothes or flashy footwear behind the classy glass doors of the cabinets or you could place your prized collection of books to captivate other bibliophiles visiting your home,” suggests Cynthia. If not anything else, you can place lamps and other showpieces to make the cabinets look extravagant and expensive. It is all about what you do and how you do it, she states. Even if you pick it up from a flea market, make sure to present it well, she urges.

You can either stick to one central theme with a common colour scheme or try contrasts and complementing colours to make the cabinets an important artistic element in the house. The cabinet can also have a mirror or a sliding wooden slab to make in a dressing table or a study table, she states. For small spaces, these are the best options.

If you are the creative kind, you can also design and construct your own simple two-door cabinet. If not, there’s always the carpenter. Spruce up your home with some sophisticated cabinetry today.