Designing and installing kitchen cabinets used to
be routine. Counters were always the same height
and appliances nearly always went against walls.
Nowadays, clients want open floor plans, so features
like islands and peninsulas are more popular. These
freestanding cabinets create all kinds of difficulties:
switches, electrical receptacles, and other devices that normally
go in walls have to be mounted in the cabinets;
water supply and drain pipes, plumbing vents, and heating
ducts may have to be routed in unusual ways. None of
these obstacles is insurmountable, but together they do
make it harder to lay out and install kitchen cabinets.
Space is always at a premium in kitchens. Every pipe,
box, and