Victorian Kitchen Design Checklist
This short checklist will allow you to design a more authentic Victorian style kitchen from scratch. Wear it alone or in conjunction with a designer.
1. Rimmed Frame Cabinets with Pocket Doors
2. Doors and drawer fronts should be five-piece with flat panels
3. Doors and at least some drawer fronts must have integral or applied moldings on the inside edge of the door jambs and tracks.
4. Flat panels may have vertical flanges, sometimes called cottage flange or country flange.
5. Consider using plain, flat-panel drawer fronts with no stiles or rails on top drawers.
6. Hinges must be exposed cast barrel hinges. Stud hinges are more ornate than ball hinges, but either will work.
7. If possible, the finish on the hinges should be coordinated with the home door knob hardware. If your door knob hardware is brushed nickel, use brushed nickel cabinet hinges.
8. Knobs and pulls for ornate details; matching finish with hinges
9. Consider glass or porcelain knobs on upper cabinets and metal pulls on lower cabinets.
10. High quality polished cast Butler’s locks can also be used for an authentic look.
11. The chests of drawers will be made of solid wood, preferably tongue-and-groove. This isn’t necessarily a Victorian detail, but it adds to the overall care of detail.
12. Position upper cabinets near the ceiling and add decorative crown molding.
13. If the ceiling is nine feet or higher and the upper cabinets reach the ceiling, divide the cabinet frame in two, with two separate doors, with the upper door as square as possible.
14. At least some upper cabinets must have glass; beveled glass will give them a very elegant look; the stained glass windows will look appropriate for the time. The blacked out ‘water glass’ will also add a vintage look.
15. Use Long, Curved Decorative Brackets to ‘Support’ Upper Cabinets
16. End panels and back of island panels can be beadboard
17. Open shelving back panels can also be bead boards
18. Countertops: Consider using a mix of materials. If you use mostly granite and have a defined baking area, use marble for the baking area. Side counters and islands will look stylish with solid wood tops; use cherry, walnut, or mahogany.
19. If you have a side booth with a counter, consider using a solid wood top; mahogany or cherry look
20. Apron sinks always help to give the kitchen a vintage touch.
21. Varying Cabinet Depths Creates More Interest: Make the sink cabinet shallower than the others so it sits back under the sink in the gable front
22. If using a dish rack, use round pegs for dividers
23. If base cabinets are going to have decorative legs or legs, use curves in the design instead of straight lines
24. Suggested Cabinet Materials:
*Painted Maple
*Cherry
*Mahogany
*Vertical Grain Douglas Fir
*Oak in quarters
