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A Wall of Windowed Cabinets

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How cool is this wall of millwork between a Long Island living room and kitchen? It consumes the entire shared wall between the rooms. Glass cabinet doors on both sides mean light and views are shared between the spaces...

 
 

It's overflowing with potential for storage and display. We would jump at the chance to organize our own things in these cabinets. Wouldn't it be fun?

At the doorway are French doors that carry on the look of the cabinetry and can be closed when needed.

Image: Norman Orsinger Woodworking

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kitchen, living room, inspiration, cabinets, built-in, Norman Orsinger Woodworking, millwork

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Comments (19)

Now this is a photo for inspiration! Very well done and beautiful...

posted by lankenau on August 21st 2009 at 7:08am
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love this!

posted by rstrtz on August 21st 2009 at 7:23am
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Beautiful!

posted by visualingual on August 21st 2009 at 7:32am
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I'd like it more if the cabinetry stopped at the door frame, with plain walls above.

posted by mirandabee on August 21st 2009 at 7:58am
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That is SO cool.

Envy.

posted by Mary B C on August 21st 2009 at 8:03am
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Gorgeous!! ....but oh how I don't want to think about dusting.

posted by emaozora on August 21st 2009 at 8:18am
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Nice, and underused. Did they spend all the budget on cabinetry and left none for tchotckes?

posted by tenderleaf on August 21st 2009 at 8:43am
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Yes, how cool can this be?! Amazing. But, to be honest, I dislike the cushions and wooden chairs; they need to part with some of the too-oldfashioned-to-be-fashionable items in the room in order to do justice to the wall.

posted by tulpoeid on August 21st 2009 at 8:58am
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It's a nice idea but it's too much in that space and looks clunky. The high-contrast pulls and hinges are really distracting and the entire thing looms over the ittle bitty living room furniture. The french doors --and I love french doors-- are the final straw, cutting off the space in a really inelegant way. This needed to have been thought out better.

posted by luckypeach on August 21st 2009 at 9:09am
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I agree with luckypeach. It's clever and I like the idea of having a sort of transom that can be used to display things, but the execution is off; it overwhelms the room. It might look better in a much larger space and done in a sleeker, minimalist, modern style.

posted by slowdown on August 21st 2009 at 9:22am
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Unless this is the only space they have for storage I find it too fussy.

posted by hrhprincessfiona on August 21st 2009 at 9:47am
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I love the idea, and by no means hate its application here, but it seems a tad overwhelming (and empty!)

posted by Volvoguy on August 21st 2009 at 9:51am
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I'd much rather have a continuous open space for the kitchen and living room.

posted by JeffC on August 21st 2009 at 9:55am
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I love it. In fact, in my 15 year-old un-built, self-drawn house plans (which probably will never be built), I created a similar wall in-between my dining room and kitchen. I plan to store my mother's china, my Christmas china, my husband's family china, my collection of unmatched white china---you get the idea---in the space. Along with my colorful collection of table linens (that now hang forlornly in the closet).

I actually have a tiny version of this in the house I now lease. It is upper cabinetry, four doors wide, but it lets light pass through from the kitchen window into the dining room, and I use it for over-sized and rarely used tableware, and sentimental pieces. It makes me very happy.

posted by SunnyBlue on August 21st 2009 at 10:11am
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Yeah.. maybe it's just me.. but i don't think it's "cool" at all.. it's just way too much.. maybe it would've worked if everything weren't so 1/3 size of wall..

I think it might've worked better if the doors were taller.. maybe 90" high instead of standard 80"... What a nice way to make the ceiling falling on top of your head...

posted by kxp6751 on August 21st 2009 at 10:51am
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If the items displayed were glass, then it makes sense. One could really enjoy the beauty of glass items from both sides.

Insulators:
http://www.parrotscanada.com/insulators/canada.html

Vintage glass:
http://www.justglass-online.com/antique/antique-bottles.html

Blenko:
http://www.mid-century-modern-art.com/antique-blenko-glass.html

Or anything cut lead crystal.

But the people in the image don't seem to have a lot to display, which seems like a waste. They could have done a less cluttery looking glass windows inside, even giving the windows a window treatment to let the light through, while still being able to block off the kitchen area.

Many styles and ideas are out there already:
http://www.jwrdesign.com/assets/galleries/41/overhead_windows.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_AeY4l6sTp6o/R7OoXDRlvOI/AAAAAAAAB0o/f8Fb_XWk7YM/s400/DSC00078.JPG

http://www.leadedglassworld.com/Gallery3.htm

posted by #9 on August 21st 2009 at 1:42pm
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Not everyone "decorates" all at once. Given the very nature of this wall of glass cabinetry, I suspect the owners are being quite deliberate in selecting what they want to display.

posted by SunnyBlue on August 21st 2009 at 3:07pm
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I love this! Not a fan of the floor lamp to the left. Very cool though!

posted by youenjoymyself on August 21st 2009 at 9:53pm
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Gorgeous and unique!
What a great idea

posted by bepsf on August 23rd 2009 at 6:12pm
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