Benefits & Drawbacks of Floating Kitchens
Many Australians love the floating kitchen’s modern and minimalist aesthetic that resonates with their personal tastes. Its sleek lines and integrated appliances enhance a “floating” vibe in the kitchen, adding a unique aesthetic touch.
Various techniques and products, such as high-end floating systems, wall-mounted lighting, mirrors, platforms, or recessed cabinet lighting, create a striking appearance and a light, open sensation. Floating kitchens have been a game-changer for homeowners who prefer a sleek, modern feel.
If you’re considering a floating kitchen design but don’t know where to start, we can guide you through the entire process. As a trusted kitchen designer in Nerang with over a decade of valuable industry experience, we can provide you with useful insights for your new endeavour.
This blog will explore the benefits and drawbacks of floating kitchens, empowering you to make informed buying decisions and take control of your new kitchen build.
What Is A Floating Kitchen?
A floating kitchen is a modern design where builders mount islands and cabinets to the walls. Alternatively, hidden pedestals support these kitchen fixtures, creating the illusion that they’re hovering above the floor. Floating kitchens’ sleek, minimalist design makes the surroundings feel expansive, while its underneath open floor space (the toe kick or kickboard) facilitates easier cleaning.
The toe kick has several advantages, including the following:
- Convenience: The toe kick provides a space for your toes, minimising back strain and enhancing convenience.
- Protective barrier: This feature prevents your feet or cleaning equipment, such as mops or vacuums, from striking and denting the cabinet base, preventing costly replacements and providing you with peace of mind.
- Finished look: The toe kick conceals cabinet supports or gaps, enhancing your kitchen’s visual appeal.
Floating Kitchen Cabinets: An Essential Feature of Floating Kitchens
Floating kitchen cabinets are mounted directly onto the walls, creating the illusion that they’re hovering above the floor and making your kitchen seem bigger and brighter. It’s a stark contrast to traditional cabinetry, which extends to the floor without any wall mounting.
The typical floating kitchen cabinet installation method involves mounting the cabinet onto the wall, ensuring no base touches the floor. A highly experienced kitchen builder uses wall brackets or hidden frames to latch the cabinet securely onto the wall.
Alternatively, some homeowners prefer replacing the toe kick with a mirror. Although this strategy can create the illusion of a floating kitchen, it doesn’t capture its true essence. Moreover, the mirror requires additional cleaning and may be prone to damage in a busy, high-traffic area.
Floating Kitchen Islands Complement Their Cabinet Counterparts
Floating kitchen islands are usually the focal point of modern, sleek Australian kitchens. As the term suggests, these eye-catching fixtures appear to float above the floor, creating a stylish aesthetic that makes your kitchen feel spacious and less cramped.
Unlike floating kitchen cabinets that are mounted onto the walls, floating kitchen islands’ large countertops that extend beyond their base and the absence of legs create the desired effects. Some kitchen islands’ toe kicks cover the base area, mimicking the effects of floating kitchen cabinetry.
Sometimes, kitchen builders employ innovative floating kitchen island techniques, such as hidden platforms with mirrored claddings and legs that lift the island off the floor.
However, these innovations can be challenging. For instance, floating kitchen islands often impede electrical and water supply lines, which can hinder appliance installation requirements. Nevertheless, if you prefer these strategies, consulting a highly experienced kitchen builder will allow you to overcome these challenges and enjoy an elegant and multifunctional floating kitchen.
Floating Kitchen Benefits
The benefits of a floating kitchen include the following:
- Stylish: Floating kitchens defy the norm of conventional culinary spaces. Its floating elements create an elegant, minimalist aesthetic that enhances your living space’s visual appeal.
- Expansive feel: Floating cabinets and islands create the illusion of an open and expansive kitchen, allowing you to maximise space in cramped, densely populated areas.
- Customisation alternatives: You can customise your floating kitchen with various materials, such as sleek, stainless steel or warm wood, colours like bold red or calming blue, and sizes, from compact to spacious, to align with your unique preferences. Whether you prefer a minimalist, Scandinavian, modern industrial, or futuristic theme, collaborating with a trusted kitchen designer can help bring your dream floating kitchen to life.
- Enhanced natural lighting: By replacing solid doors with floating kitchens, you encourage more natural light to permeate your kitchen, improving overall energy efficiency.
- Easier cleaning: Floating kitchen cabinets’ and islands’ toe kicks allow homeowners to sweep and mop the surrounding areas easily, relieving them from the stress of cleaning hard-to-reach areas.
- Cost-effective: Floating kitchens typically require less labour and material than conventional cabinetry and kitchen islands, enabling you to create a stylish kitchen that fits your budget.
- Easier installation: Floating kitchen fixtures are typically easy to install. Floating kitchen cabinets, in particular, are easy to remove or rearrange, saving time and effort.
Floating Kitchen Drawbacks
The drawbacks of a floating kitchen include the following:
- Limited storage capacity: Floating kitchen cabinets offer less storage space than their conventional counterparts, which can be a drawback for homeowners needing storage in cramped spaces.
Moreover, floating shelves cannot accommodate heavy items, such as large pots or dishes, because they can sag or dismount from the wall. For this reason, consider only reputable contractors who can ensure a hassle-free installation.
Alternatively, deep drawers, drawer dividers, under-sink organisers, toe-kick drawers, and inside-cabinet doors allow them to rectify this situation. Consider consulting your designer on how to optimise storage and enhance efficiency in your kitchen.
- Safety issues: Items like mixing bowls, baking trays, cutting boards, plates, mugs, cookbooks, and canned goods can fall off open floating kitchen cabinets, potentially endangering homeowners, young children, and pets. If you have kids and pets, locking your kitchen cabinet doors can prevent a potential disaster.
- Cleaning problems: Cleaning floating kitchen fixtures can be a double-edged sword. While their toe kicks facilitate easier mopping and sweeping, their open design makes them prone to dust, grease, or debris accumulation.
- Constant organisation: Floating kitchens’ open design often requires continuous organisation. Plates, mugs, cutting boards, utensils, and cookbooks that are always on display require a high level of neatness to ensure a visually appealing kitchen.
- Plumbing and electrical supply exposure: The design of floating kitchen cabinetry and islands requires your designer to expose plumbing and electrical supply lines, which could become an eyesore.
Floating Kitchens Vs. Traditional Kitchens
Traditional kitchens’ full storage capacities, easy plumbing, and easier cleaning qualities transcend generations, enhancing their timeless appeal among numerous Australian homeowners.
Whether it’s a large refrigerator, coffee station, or versatile WFH space, conventional kitchens can accommodate most fixtures, enhancing open-floor layouts’ multifunctionality and providing homeowners with a high return on investment.
On the other hand, floating kitchens’ elegance, expansive feel, customisation alternatives, enhanced natural lighting, and cost-effectiveness compensate for their shortcomings. Although they may not provide ample space for large appliances and multifunctional items, their visual appeal and clean lines deviate from the norm, adding a touch of elegance to your kitchen.
Whether you prefer a traditional or a floating kitchen, consider striking a delicate balance between aesthetics and functionality to enjoy its long-term benefits and receive great value for money.
Conclusion
A floating kitchen can significantly transform your culinary space into a stylish, eye-catching area. Its visual appeal, customisation features, enhanced natural lighting, and cost-effectiveness appeal to many Australian homeowners.
On the other hand, a floating kitchen’s downsides include a limited storage capacity, safety issues, constant organisation, and exposure to plumbing and/or electrical supplies.
If you’re considering a floating kitchen, consulting a trusted and highly experienced designer can help you see your dream kitchen come to life. As a professional kitchen builder in Nerang, QLD, with over a decade of industry experience, we can help you achieve this objective and enjoy an elegant, multifunctional kitchen.
Please contact us today to schedule an appointment, arrange an on-site inspection, receive a personalised, upfront quotation, and discover premium kitchen building solutions that are built to last.
