When Planning Your Kitchen Cabinets, Don’t Forget the Electrical

Plan all your electrical outlets, switches and lighting choices before installation.

Nothing can destroy a great kitchen cabinet design like forgetting to pre-plan for electrical. 

Electrical considerations include outlet placement but also under-cabinet lighting or interior cabinet lighting. Cabinets can be built to hold air fryers, toasters, convection ovens. As long as a plan is in place an outlet can be added to move these large electrical appliances into a cabinet on a metal pullout. Lots of homeowners are adding computer stations in the kitchen for streaming videos, TV watching and looking up recipes.  

• Before you do anything in the kitchen, create a sketch of where all your outlets are currently located.  This doesn’t mean they have to stay there, but the electrician can use those to run new wire to other locations. 

• Now, to this sketch add your cabinets on the walls, uppers and lowers.  Include the location of all appliances and the kind of electrical each will need. This would include the basics like the refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, oven, hood, and stove but also the in-cabinet appliances that you’d like to keep off the counter and hidden behind a closed door.   

• To this new schematic, add how you see the counter space being used. What will be your major work area? Where do you see plugging in the blender, the coffee maker, or a crockpot? Will they be stored or left on the counter? Where would you like a computer monitor or screen to be mounted?  

• Add the under-cabinet lighting for extra utility. You can also bring highlight lighting to open shelves or glass-fronted cabinets for a beautiful finish.