An element of style and ergo-friendliness is being added to the latest kitchens with lift-up cabinet doors. Cabinet supplier Tom Tsaklazis says they’re becoming a popular alternative to traditional overhead doors.

"Because lift-up doors move up instead of out, they work with your natural range of motion," he says. "But the main attraction is ease of access. Once open, there are no doors impeding access to the inside."

Designer Megan Longin says the trend towards lift-up cabinet doors is a response to high-ceilinged homes and a return to 1920s architecture. "More recently, attention has been paid to everything below eye height in cabinetry," she explains. "But the popularity of bulkheads, a need for more usable space and the creation of layers, along with soaring ceilings and a lean towards rectangular and elongated styles, has given everything above eye level a new meaning."

Different lift-up mechanisms include the cranked hinge (which comes out and lifts up with a hinge at the top of the door), the reverse sliding door, and the gas spring – a more expensive mechanism whereby the barrel that holds the extended reinforcing arm is held with compressed air, similar to the mechanism in your car bonnet. Some use a bi-fold lift system, where the door is divided into hinged panels that allow it to fold in half as it lifts. Different tension settings allow it to open in several positions until manually closed. Most have soft-close mechanisms, plus a handy safety feature whereby the middle hinges break away to protect fingers from getting jammed. Other ‘up and over’ models need some room above them, as the single door rolls back over the top of the cabinet as it opens, making them unsuitable for ceiling-height cupboards.

According to Tom, lift-up cabinet doors are normally used on overhead cabinets no higher than 600-700mm. "Once they’re open, you have to be able to reach the top knob, so it’s important to get the correct height," he says. "Custom-made cupboards are best, as a designer or cabinet-maker can work out a comfortable height for the user." And they’re not bad in the looks department. Doors can be matched to kitchen colours, or can accommodate aluminium framing and glass or Perspex panels.

Showrooms are a great way to check out the offerings in lift-up cabinet doors – especially their different operations. That way, you can touch, feel, open and close them, and decide if you love them enough to incorporate them into your kitchen reno.