TIANLICHUJU — PERSONAL VERIFICATION WORKSHEET
A kitchen junction beneath existing decorative architecture
https://tianlichuju.com/journal/a-kitchen-junction-beneath-existing-decorative-architecture/

PROPOSED CHECKS — NO MEASURED RESULTS SUPPLIED
Date: __________________  Units: __________________
Room / product reference: __________________

1. Cornice geometry and variation
Where: Along the full cabinet wall, measuring both decorative projection and changes between ends.
Record: Record heights and projections in millimeters, plus uneven areas and surfaces that must remain untouched.
Your observation: ______________________________________________
Interpretation: One ceiling height cannot establish a buildable junction beneath an irregular decorative feature.
Alternative: Revise cabinet height or use a deliberate separation instead of forcing an exact-looking fit.

2. Gap, closure or lower run
Where: In a full-scale safe outline and a section through cabinet top, existing detail and wall.
Record: Compare cleanable opening, closure fixings, removal and usable storage in each option.
Your observation: ______________________________________________
Interpretation: The most seamless option may create inaccessible cleaning or unnecessary intervention.
Alternative: Choose the simplest junction that preserves needed capacity and the existing fabric.

3. Appliance and upper storage access
Where: At tall appliance cabinets, extraction routes and compartments above ordinary reach.
Record: List product ventilation and service provisions, intended upper contents and appropriate retrieval method.
Your observation: ______________________________________________
Interpretation: A decorative top line should not dictate equipment performance or count inaccessible volume as everyday capacity.
Alternative: Lower the run, relocate contents or revise the appliance arrangement.

PRACTICAL TRIAL
1. Have the responsible surveyor or installer confirm dimensions before cabinet manufacture rather than relying on a front elevation.
2. Review the complete junction detail including fixings, ventilation, installation space and making-good responsibilities.
3. Compare occupied sightlines and cleaning access for all three junction strategies before accepting a generic fit-on-site note.

COMPARE THE SAME SCOPE
- Verified wall and cornice section
- Gap or closure construction
- Useful upper storage capacity
- Appliance ventilation and service route
Cost drivers: Custom fillers and scribing; Sensitive work around original detail; Extraction or appliance coordination
Choose another route when: A full-height run is unsuitable when it requires unresolved loss of original detail or compromises actual equipment requirements.

EVIDENCE BOUNDARY
This is a coordination checklist, not a surveyed dimension set or permission to alter old fabric. Product and building requirements remain project-specific.

PHOTO REFERENCE
A central island with stools sits among timber-toned cabinets, a pale refrigerator and an arched window.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kitchen_in_a_Sectional.jpg

DECISION CONDITIONS
choose: Choose a deliberate open or carefully detailed upper junction when a verified survey shows how it preserves the existing feature and remains accessible for cleaning and installation.
alternative: If the cornice makes full-height units awkward, compare a lower cabinet run with better reachable storage rather than buying height that cannot be fitted responsibly.
stop: Stop final manufacture when the drawing leaves moldings, appliance ventilation, fixing locations or responsibility for dimensions unresolved. An attractive elevation is insufficient approval.

PUBLISHED REFERENCES
US NPS: Treatment guidelines, 2017
https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1739/upload/treatment-guidelines-2017-part1-preservation-rehabilitation.pdf
The National Park Service rehabilitation guidance treats interior features and spatial relationships as part of historic character, and advises compatible alterations that avoid obscuring or damaging significant fabric. Applied to a cabinet junction, this supports resolving the connection explicitly rather than treating an existing cornice as expendable filler space.
Scope: The conservation guidance concerns significant historic interiors; it does not supply cabinet tolerances, appliance ventilation requirements or permission for a particular building.
Photographer: Riverview Homes, Inc.
Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0

Notes: ________________________________________________________