A lot of storage space are required with it comes to storing items in the kitchen. There are now a lot of options available to choose from when it comes to designing storage spaces: build in (either wood or brick kitchen cabinets) or portable ones.
Building the kitchen storage compartments using brick and mortar would be lead to more cost savings in the long term. That is, the cabinets are build like how you would build a wall – line it with bricks and cement, then complete the finishing touches using tiles as per below:
The above kitchen storage compartment are build using bricks layer by layer with cement and then covered with tiles. The cabinet doors are bought separately and installed into the structure. The door came with a wire mesh that prevents insects, bugs and rats from entering.
The structure is very solid and is able to support a tremendous amount of weight. Meaning you can stack lots of heavy items either inside the cabinet or on the counter without risking the structure will give way.
One also need not worry about the structure being eaten by termites as one would with wooden cabinets (I have a few friends whose wooden kitchen cabinets had to be replaced as being infected by termites).
Spills and dirt are also very easy to clean- often with just a piece of cloth. The stickier ones can be easily wiped off using a sponge. For example, the structure that you see below has been around for a few years and yet it still look almost as good as new.
It also look like part of the building structure- especially if the walls are also tiled in similar colour or complementary colour tones. Often if you are purchasing portable furniture, the furniture would not look completely part of the design.
The disadvantages of having a brick and mortar counter are:
1. The location is not movable.
Unlike furniture, it cannot be moved around or have its location changed. You would need to drill and remove the structure which is labor intensive and involve a lot of cost.
2. Design change not would be possible
If you need to redo the entire look, design or colour, it is not easy to do so as it would involve a lot of cost to literally break off the tiles.
For those who are having wooden or portable kitchen cabinets, all they need to do is to either replace or move the location of the cabinets.
Concluding words
In my kitchen in my previous home, we had wooden build in kitchen cabinets which in some part have deteriorated with the years with the door hinges getting spoilt or loose and creepy crawlies are able to get in. That is why sometimes it becomes necessary to store items into storage boxes and then kept in the cabinets.
Whereas in my new place, I am getting used to the build in structure of the kitchen cabinets using brick and tiles. It is easy to take and store items so long as they are stacked away neatly. If the door does get spoilt after a while, it can be easily replaced with another door…. after all I have seen the worker actually install the door last after completing most of the other work like tiling.
If you are sure of the design and structure, you may consider solid, non movable build in kitchen cabinets like the ones shown in the picture above. However if you have money to spare and fancy changes in future, then you may want to invest in the build in wooden cabinets which can be removed and replaced.
