What’s better for your kitchen cupboards, skirting or toe-kicks?
3rd January 2025
Skirting or toe-kicks? It’s a question that comes up in each and every deVOL design appointment. Perhaps not considered as important as the big choices like layout and colour, but we think through every single little detail because they all make a difference to how your finished kitchen will look. Skirting and toe-kicks are used to bridge the gap between the bottom of your cupboards and the floor, they might hide away cabinet feet, wires or pipes but their main job is to keep everything looking neat and finish off your new cupboards beautifully.
There’s no right or wrong here, we offer both solutions and the final decision usually just comes down to your preferred look. So, I thought it would be helpful to put together some imagery showing you each option below, a few thoughts on why these choices worked particularly well for the rooms and also how, sometimes, we do a bit of a mix of the two…
The owners of this grand kitchen in Bristol went for skirting at the bottom of their cupboards. A staple of Victorian design, skirting feels really authentic in this Regency townhouse and means there’s nothing to distract from that fabulous blue colour and the whole wall of twinkling white tiles…
Next up, a kitchen in an old farmhouse. Unlike the other deVOL kitchen ranges, our Shaker furniture has little legs at the bottom of each cupboard. These are covered if you choose skirting, but if you go for toe-kicks, we fit the kickboards between each of these legs, creating a less fitted look than you might typically see with contemporary kitchens. In the room above, this is the perfect way to make sure the new cupboards feel cohesive with the older, freestanding pieces.
On a sink cabinet like this, the 71mm depth of the toe-kicks makes doing the dishes that little bit more comfortable, as you can tuck your toes right underneath the cupboard and stand closer to the worktop. Sometimes this is a non-negotiable for our customers, so if you need that wiggle room for your feet, toe-kicks are for you. The practicality of toe-kicks, and their lack of ornamentation, are also very popular, as these plinths prevent the underside of your cupboards from turning into a dust trap.
Skirting adds a quiet sense of elegance and grandeur to simple kitchen cupboards and is perfect in a traditional, period property like this one in Bruton. The skirting subtly mirrors the coving around the ceiling, but the stylistic restraint of the design allows the bolder elements, such as the wallpaper, to really shine without feeling overwhelming. This understated quality is appealing to customers who prioritise functionality, as skirting hides away cupboard legs and stops any dirt or dust from gathering there, a real help when it comes to cleaning.
Can you see the two wooden pegs on the skirting in the image above? These indicate that the cupboard is actually hiding a kitchen appliance, in this case, a pull-out bin on the right of the sink and an integrated dishwasher on the left. This piece of skirting, held in place by the wooden pegs, is removable, so you can access your appliances if they need repairing or replacing. Our toe-kicks and legs are also compatible with appliances, and your cupboards will always come with a detailed instruction manual should you need help removing your gadgets.
Now, there’s one caveat to us saying ‘just go for the one you prefer the look of’… Generally, we would advise using skirting for kitchen islands (if they go down to the floor), it just looks neater and more cohesive. This is where the mix of a bit of both is great and is a look not only loads of our customers go for, but one we use in our showrooms too. Skirting on the island and toe-kicks on the perimeter runs, no compromise on practicality and a bit more of an eclectic look which we love.
Hopefully, this has given you a good feel for how both skirting and toe-kicks look in real kitchens, but if you’d like a little more inspiration, take a scroll through the ‘Kitchens’ page of our website or pop an email to enquiries@devolkitchens.co.uk if you’d like to chat with our design team.
