What distinguishes architect-designed cabinetry from a kitchen showroom?

An architect integrates cabinetry into the spatial logic of the room — ceiling height, natural light, adjacency to stone surfaces — rather than fitting a catalog product into an existing layout.

What wood species does MÉTODO use for custom kitchen cabinetry?

Typically white oak, walnut, and parota for Mexican projects. Species selection depends on grain character, durability requirements, and how the wood will age alongside stone or concrete.

How long does custom kitchen cabinetry design and fabrication take?

Design, approval, and fabrication typically span 10 to 14 weeks. We begin fabrication only after shop drawings are reviewed and approved — no surprises at installation.

Can MÉTODO design kitchen cabinetry as part of a larger interior project?

Yes. We design cabinetry as one element of a composed interior, coordinated with flooring, wall finishes, and ceiling details. Standalone cabinetry commissions are evaluated case by case.

Is custom cabinetry more expensive than semi-custom kitchen systems?

Initial cost is higher. Longevity and resale value are also higher. A kitchen built to a specific space with quality joinery outlasts modular systems by decades.

Custom Kitchen Cabinetry by a Mexican Architect: The Design Process

A Mexican architect's approach to custom kitchen cabinetry — how MÉTODO designs joinery, material selection, and spatial logic before specifying a single cabinet.

Custom kitchen cabinetry designed by a Mexican architect starts with the room, not the cabinet. At MÉTODO, before we draw a single door panel, we study the kitchen as a spatial problem: where light enters, how the section relates to ceiling height, and which material combinations will age well together over 20 years.

Why Spatial Logic Comes Before Cabinet Design

Most kitchen cabinetry fails as architecture because it is specified as furniture dropped into a room rather than designed as part of it. The ceiling height determines whether upper cabinets should reach the soffit or stop with a reveal. The window placement determines whether base cabinets should carry a continuous stone counter or be interrupted by a lower sill. The floor material determines whether toe kicks are recessed or expressed.

These are not aesthetic preferences. They are spatial decisions that define whether a kitchen reads as a composed room or a collection of purchased objects.

In MÉTODO, we use what we call a matrix of options to make these decisions explicit and comparable before any commitment. The matrix places three or four cabinetry strategies side by side — different wood species, hardware systems, and joinery profiles — evaluated against the actual dimensions and light conditions of the space.

Material Selection: Wood That Ages with Dignity

We work primarily with solid wood and plywood carcasses, not particleboard with wood veneer. The difference shows at 10 years, particularly in kitchens where humidity cycles are frequent.

Our most common specifications for Mexican projects:

White oak with a natural oil finish — grain is consistent, aging is silver-gray and dignified
Walnut with matte lacquer — rich initial tone, holds its warmth over decades
Parota for clients who want a material with local character — large grain, visible natural edge where conditions allow

Hardware is concealed European hinges for doors, undermount slides for drawers, and custom pulls fabricated in metal or wood to match the joinery. We do not use catalog pulls sourced from the same suppliers as developer-grade projects.

The Section as the Design Instrument

The kitchen section — a vertical cut through the room showing all surfaces from floor to ceiling — is where MÉTODO designs kitchens. Upper cabinets are not specified by a catalog number; they are drawn in section to relate to the ceiling plane, the window head height, and the lighting strategy.

This means:

Cabinet depths are adjusted to the structural wall condition, not standardized
Upper cabinet height is tied to the eye level of the client, not a default dimension
The countertop thickness is part of the section composition, not a supplier default

The section as relato — the section as narrative — is how we know whether a kitchen will feel right before the first panel is fabricated.

Joinery Details That Define Quality

The details that separate custom architectural cabinetry from showroom products are not visible at first. They appear over time:

Drawer box construction in solid dovetail or Baltic birch plywood — not stapled MDF
Door frame-and-panel construction to allow wood movement, preventing seasonal cracking
Integrated ventilation gaps at the top of upper cabinets to prevent moisture buildup
Concealed integration of electrical outlets and USB points within the cabinet structure

These decisions add complexity and cost to fabrication. They also determine whether the kitchen performs identically at 5 years and at 25 years.

The Fabrication and Installation Process

After design approval, we produce shop drawings for the fabrication shop. These are not rough sketches — they are dimensioned drawings with joinery details, hardware specifications, and finish notes that the fabricator uses directly.

Installation is coordinated with stone countertop templating and appliance integration. We do not install cabinetry and then fit the kitchen around it; we sequence the work so that all components arrive at their final position as a composed system.

Próximos pasos

A custom kitchen begins with a site visit and a conversation about how the space is used, not a catalog selection. If you are building or renovating a kitchen in Mexico City or considering an interior commission, that conversation is where we start.

Conoce el método de MÉTODO — and understand how we approach every decision from the spatial level down.