Modular Kitchen Buying Guide

As far as the question of kitchen décor is concerned, a lot of people seem to have taken a fancy to the modular kitchen of late. And why shouldn't they? Designed sleekly to suit individual taste and preference as well as the available space in any home, the modular kitchen set has now become a ubiquitous feature. Incase you too wish to buy a modular kitchen system for yourself and are feeling muddled about how to go about it, here's some useful modular kitchen buying tips and information.

Modular kitchen systems consist of standardized units pre-fabricated in a huge array of materials, available in varied hues and with a neat finishing. They come in different price ranges and thus, very easily fit into the budget of people wanting a modular kitchen system. A regular modular kitchen system will generally consist of standardized units for the floor and wall. The units are usually deep to house electrical appliances and kitchen utensils of varied shapes and sizes.

If your kitchen is completely bare i.e. without kitchen counters, you will need a box type kitchen. A box type modular kitchen is fully modular, from the kitchen counters to the cabinets and the shutters to the pullouts. On the other hand, if your builder has already provided you with granite kitchen counters or even a kaddapa (black limestone) framework, you can have a modular kitchen worked into it. However, this way only your cabinet shutters, shelves and pullouts will be modular. But you will be saving out on the overall cost of modular framework.

Certain modular kitchen brands have fittings, cabinet shutters, drawers etc. available in only certain fixed sizes. This works fine if you require a box type kitchen because the counter height can then vary. But if your kitchen has the groundwork in place, you will need to make sure that the shutter heights suit the height of your kitchen counters. For instance, if your counter height is 32 inches, you will need a shutter height of about 30 inches keeping in mind a 1-inch frame all around. However, if you can't find shutters to fit your kitchen, there are certain modular kitchen dealers who make to order as well.

MODULAR KITCHEN BRANDS

Dynasty

Godrej

Aran Cucine

Scavolini

Lispo

Kitchen Corner (Chennai)

Kitchen Concepts (Chennai)

Master Kraft (Chennai)

Bohras - Kitchen World

Hitech Interiors (Bangalore)

Ornate

MODULAR KITCHEN REVIEWS

Mouthshut

KITCHEN CABINETS AND DRAWERS

Let the store owners also sometimes guide you on buying the right modular kitchen cabinet.You will discover that buying a modular kitchen cabinet system is all fun because each set may be made out of a different kind of material. As such, you can choose from natural or lacquered wood, combinations of wood and laminate, laminate and granite, or even aluminum and marble. If you have any ingenious material at hand, then feel free to explore your creativity to get one custom built for yourself.

Make sure that the material you select for cabinets is water resistant. Marine ply is a good cabinet material because of it's greater resistance to water.
Solid wood cabinets need a lot of care and frequent polishing to retain the lustre. Also, constant contact with water may cause the wood to rot.
You should also ensure that the materials used have been treated for termites.

Mild steel kitchen cabinets are prone to rusting if not powder coated. Try and avoid using mild steel above or near the stove area. The cabinets will get very heated, making it difficult to open them.

You invest in good quality shutter hinges and drawer channels so that they do not get spoilt in monsoons.
For drawers that shut on the lightest touch, get hydraulic hinges, which have a smooth mechanism. Smooves (a type of hinge) have a similar mechanism but are of a higher quality. They are slightly more expensive but worth every penny.
You could also opt for 90 degree hinges for regular cabinets. 165 degree hinges are ideal for corner cabinets under L-shaped platforms. They make cabinets with folding doors easier to open and help easier access.
Blumotion channels close at feather touch but never bang shut. So you won't have to worry about your kids closing the drawers roughly.
Telescopic channels too are very useful. They allow the drawer to open fully so you don't have to struggle when you need that pickle jar at the back of the cabinet.
Avoid bottom-mounted channels, as the drawers with such channels do not open fully. At least 4 to 6 inches of the drawer remains inside.

KITCHEN COUNTERS

For kitchen counters, granite is the best option keeping in mind our Indian style of cooking, which involves food colouring and gas stove preparations. However, if you are getting kitchen counters too from modular kitchen dealers you might land up spending more than if you bought the granite from the suppliers directly. But then again, you will have an all inclusive cost for installation.

No matter what the size and make of the kitchen, the two fundamental choices of people have always been wood and laminate for the cabinets and shutters, along with sturdy material like marbles or granite for the worktops. The modular kitchen cabinet system has many advantages. Modular kitchen takes care of important features like exhaust hoods and chimneys which are normally ignored. Repairs are also easy.

MODULAR KITCHEN DESIGN

Modular Kitchens are available in a variety of designs. You could have parallel counters, an L- shaped kitchen, U-shaped-kitchen, C- shaped kitchen.

If you have a large kitchen or want an open kitchen, you could also opt for an island design. The bad part though, is that the designs include the hob in the island, these are not recommended as Indian houses generally do not have underground pipelines. This makes it difficult to conceal the gas pipeline.

Island Kitchen	L Shaped Kitchen
U Shaped Kitchen	Parallel Counters Kitchen

MODULAR KITCHEN ACCESSORIES

The steel pullouts, trays and racks are sold by weight, and it will be much cheaper if you buy them from the suppliers in wholesale markets directly. The costs in the showrooms will be huge. On an average a steel pullout weighs anywhere from 3 to 4 kgs. But just because you are getting them cheap don't use only steel pullouts in your cabinets. You could have a few glass shuttered cabinets with glass shelves to display fancy crockery. Glass shelves are cheaper and modular too. You could also go with thin ply shelves that are fitted with sliding channels so you can access stuff at the back of the cabinet.

MODULAR KITCHEN PRICE AND BUDGET

Prices can range anywhere betwen Rs 1-25 lakh depending on the style and look, and of course the space you have. For instance, Hacker Kitchen offers a basic 8ft x 10ft kitchen for Rs 200,000. For more expensive ones a 15ft x 20ft kitchen could cost between Rs 15-25 lakh. You can check the modular kitchen website links to get a more sense of the prices.

The price also depends on the kind of accessories you may want fitted; like kitchen chimney, or burner. Installation can take up to 15 days.

Local brands will be cheaper, however you should ensure that you do not compromise on material or design.

MODULAR KITCHEN PHOTOS

Here are some links from the net which have kitchen design photos: