June 30, 2016:
When designing a dream restaurant-quality kitchen, it’s important to consider what type of door swing for your range will work best. The choice will play a critical role in the overall style of your kitchen plus has the opportunity to optimize the way you cook. Pro-style ranges have moved way beyond the traditional drop door options – now it’s important to consider swing doors (there is an option to swing left or right) as well as French Doors when designing your dream range.
Here is a quick look at the options available, even on a 30” range:
Why Choose a Side Swing Door on a Freestanding Range?
There are plenty of advantages to a side swing door when it comes to both functionality and design. First off, these professional-styled gas ranges make cooking large meals in the oven so much easier. Being able to lift your food into an oven with doors that open sideways relieves a lot of stress of trying to reach over the hot oven door. A side swing door is also a great alternative to smaller kitchen with no room for drop down wall ovens and a range top. This is especially important if you are limited to gas only and cannot put an electric wall oven under counter. Plus, a side swing door is ADA compliant and easier to access for wheelchairs. Side Swing styles are typically available with either a right swing or left swing. And of course, this style brings a unique aesthetic to your kitchen as seen in this San Francisco kitchen of Chef Ryan Scott.
“The swing door on my BlueStar perfectly fits my kitchen design and allows me to get things out of the oven without bumping into my island” say Chef Scott.
BlueStar offers swing door options on their 24” up to 60” ranges, but the most popular choice for a side swing door is on the small oven door on their 48” range. Aspiring and professional chefs alike love the style and functionality of the traditional drop down door on the large oven and the side swing door on the small oven.
On larger gas ranges, 48” & 60” sizes, you have the option to have both doors have a side swing function creating a French door look like the range shown below. James Beard award winning Chef Marc Vetri chose this look for his kitchen due to the limited space available. Instead of having to awkwardly reach over a traditional drop down oven door, he has created a fully functional space to create his culinary masterpieces.
French Doors: What’s Trending Now
French doors are a major trend currently in kitchen design. The trademark of the professional kitchen, French Doors are beloved by chefs for their added functionality: you can open the door with one hand, making it easier to maneuver full size sheet pans and heavy roasting platters with no door in the way.
Seen mostly with refrigeration and now an increasing amount of manufacturers are offering wall oven options. BlueStar has long offered the French door design in their collection of wall ovens as well as in their acclaimed Precious Metals Series of gas ranges. The Precious Metals Series was developed with the assistance of award winning Chef Marcus Samuelsson who felt the French door feature was a key component in giving the home chef a restaurant-style experience in their own kitchen.
Like swing doors, French doors provide the homeowner the ability to create a gas range or wall oven that is not only aesthetically pleasing but also extremely functional.
Foodies and design aficionados alike love the ability to design a unique custom range. Your choice of door swings – from drop down, to swing to French Doors can enhance your cooking experience and give you kitchen a true custom look.
Check out the BlueStar “Build your own BlueStar” Tool to build your custom RNB range with side swing doors!
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