Home > Kitchen & Bath > Article Archives: Cabinet Meeting 
Mix your cabinet
material media for a sleek,
modern look. Here, dark
wood contrasts well
with steel. 
Wavy glass offers
translucence without
allowing a full view of
cupboard contents. 
Painted cupboards
create a customized look
from your own creative
use of color. 
Customized
cabinet features, such
as cubbyhole insets,
allow you instant
access to often-used
bowls, glasses
or plates.
Mullioned doors
on upper cabinets
offer a display place
for collections of silver
or other servingware.
Pair up
traditional cherry
cabinets with modern
materials such as
stainless steel. Cabinet Meeting Are they fine furniture or cupboards? Form and function rub elbows in the kitchen.
Seamless style The trend of seamless style
means that your kitchen reflects the style of
your home. Modern homes use stainless steel
and concrete. Prairie-style homes employ oak
cabinets. But some new cabinetry has an uncanny
way of fitting in with any style. Inset cabinetry is
a popular option that suits many styles. The doors
and drawers are flush with the frame of the cabinet
and offer a beautiful traditional look, yet impart a
sleek and contemporary feel. Also, look for cabinet
fronts to cover refrigerators, warming drawers and
dishwashers. The natural beauty of kitchen cabinetry
can disguise some of the more utilitarian appliances
in your kitchen.
Unfitted spaces. Today’s kitchens have fewer
wall cabinets and more freestanding pieces in
different zones. Designers used to fill up all
walls with cabinets, but the new trend is for
more wall space in the kitchen. The idea of the
“unfitted” kitchen is European in origin. And many
homeowners embrace this new trend because they
can treat cabinets as furniture when they move
from one home to the next.
Light work. Eliminating walls of cabinets frees up
space for adding more windows. Natural lighting is
a tenet of the green movement in kitchen design.
Natural light is beautiful, and you save energy
because you don’t use as much electricity to light
your kitchen.
Smart storage. If you have oversize plates, large
platters, big cake stands or other nonstandard
pieces, make sure the cabinets you choose will
accommodate them. Think through the ways you’ll
be stacking and storing your serving and pantry
items, then measure to make sure the cabinets will
allow you to use space economically. Similarly, take
into account specific ways you use the kitchen. If
you do a lot of canning, for example, work with a
designer to find a drawer or storage cabinet that will
allow you to have easy access to your canning jars.
Color cues. From durable maple to elegant
cherry, finishes come in all wood colors and can be
stained to suit your preference. Darker browns and
coffee colors are popular. “Brown is the new black,”
says Garner.
Look for cabinets that feature a stain that will lock in a particular shade, or choose an oil or clear finish that will change over time with exposure to light. Distressed or antiqued looks are created by chipping or rubbing paint or wood with stain finished with glaze. Modern, clean and contemporary looks are achieved using stainless steel or laminates. For variety, mix cabinet finishes for more interest. Consider using one cabinet finish for base and upper cabinets and another for the island.
Box basics. The cabinet box most likely will be
fabricated from plywood, particleboard or medium density
fiberboard. Unlike solid wood, these
materials limit the warp factor, a serious concern
in kitchens where humidity and temperatures
constantly change. Ask your manufacturer if the
finish you want requires a certain box material. Also,
stay away from boxes that are stapled. Instead, look
for corners that are glued or screwed together.
Drawers for everything. Warming and
refrigeration drawers, and even drawers for
pantry items and china, are popular because
they offer easy access to items. It’s better storage
management. “Manufacturers are incorporating
roll-out trays and deeper cabinets to compensate
for space lost by not putting in wall cabinets,”
Garner says.
For typical storage drawers, check to make sure that the construction is strong and allows for an easy glide. Full-extension slides have a ballbearing system that makes the drawer more stable for heavier items. Watch out for wooden slides, in which the drawer moves along a wood runner. They can expand and contract, causing drawers to stick.
A touch of glass. Glass cabinet doors lighten the
look of a kitchen in several ways. The glass reflects
natural and overhead light, lightens the look of
solid wood or painted cabinet fronts and gives the
room a sense of depth and interest. To hide clutter,
choose beveled, bubbled, tinted, etched, frosted or
pebbled glass doors.
Quick make-over. If new cabinets are out of the
question, consider refacing your cabinets with new
fronts. This works well if you’re satisfied with your
kitchen’s current layout and the amount of storage
and countertop space you have. With this face-lift
technique, the fronts of your cabinets and drawers
are resurfaced with hardwood veneer or paint.
Hardware can be updated too. Add molding to give
your existing cabinets a totally fresh look.
Stock cabinets. Available from home centers
and individual cabinetry stores, stock cabinets are
built to meet the needs of many consumers. Preassembled,
they’re constructed in standard sizes.
Filler strips close any gaps between cabinets
and walls or appliances.
Stock cabinets are used widely by builders to appeal to a wide market. Cabinets can be purchased in “paint grade” (choose the paint color you want), or stained and sealed in a variety of wood finishes to match the décor of your home.
To upgrade the look of stock cabinets, choose stylish moldings and hardware, or replace wood doors with glass ones. If you plan to store heavy dishes, make sure the cabinets are strong enough to handle the load. Also, see that you have easy access to touch-up or repair materials.
Semi-custom cabinets. This type of cabinetry
offers additional design flexibility, such as
additional molding and finish options, by combining
plywood or engineered-wood cabinetry with solid
wood doors. Like stock cabinets, the semi-custom
versions use standard sizes with fillers to close gaps,
but they allow you to customize features such as
cabinet depth.
Semi-custom cabinets are constructed after you place your order, so you can choose designs and sizes that function best for you. Consult with a kitchen designer to determine the best configuration for your space and the way you use your kitchen.
Custom cabinets. The premium option,
custom cabinets are designed and built for your
kitchen alone, usually by a custom manufacturer
or local woodworking shop. As a result, they
can take full advantage of the space you have
available and offer you exactly what you need,
fitting odd corners, adding depth and creating
storage spaces that function efficiently. Custom
cabinets also allow for seamless spaces along
lengthy stretches of cabinetry or drawers without
needing filler strips.
Cabinets are essentially fine furniture for your kitchen.
But there is the sticker-shock factor that fine items
evoke. Cabinets typically account for 60 to 70 percent
of the cost of a kitchen remodeling project. But the
good news is that you get a lot of options for your
money. In fact, the multitude of cabinet features are
geared toward making homeowners’ lives easier and
more organized.
“Manufacturers are meeting the needs of consumers
in understanding how they work in that kitchen,”
says Bob Garner, president of the National Kitchen
and Bath Association (NKBA). He says that kitchen
designers are in turn accommodating homeowner
needs more than ever. “As designers, we need to hone
in on the things that matter to you. What items do
you store? How often do you shop? Are you right- or
left-handed? Who’s involved in kitchen activities?” In
short, the way you use your kitchen can help dictate
how you shop for cabinets.
THE
NEXT
STEP
Are you ready for
an update? Call
a kitchen design
professional to help
you select the best
cabinet options for
your kitchen.
NEXT
STEP
SHOP THE TRENDS Today’s kitchen trends are moving toward darker and bolder colors, sleeker styles and greener spaces. But more than aesthetics are driving the metamorphosis of the modern kitchen. Here are some of the trends identified by the NKBA that you’ll find in modern luxury kitchens:
Look for cabinets that feature a stain that will lock in a particular shade, or choose an oil or clear finish that will change over time with exposure to light. Distressed or antiqued looks are created by chipping or rubbing paint or wood with stain finished with glaze. Modern, clean and contemporary looks are achieved using stainless steel or laminates. For variety, mix cabinet finishes for more interest. Consider using one cabinet finish for base and upper cabinets and another for the island.
For typical storage drawers, check to make sure that the construction is strong and allows for an easy glide. Full-extension slides have a ballbearing system that makes the drawer more stable for heavier items. Watch out for wooden slides, in which the drawer moves along a wood runner. They can expand and contract, causing drawers to stick.
GOOD, BETTER AND BEST Cabinets fall into three categories: stock, semi-custom
and custom. Each type of cabinet can meet your specific
needs and budget, but semi-custom and custom cabinets allow for greater design flexibility to suit your particular
style. Here are the ins and outs of each.
Stock cabinets are used widely by builders to appeal to a wide market. Cabinets can be purchased in “paint grade” (choose the paint color you want), or stained and sealed in a variety of wood finishes to match the décor of your home.
To upgrade the look of stock cabinets, choose stylish moldings and hardware, or replace wood doors with glass ones. If you plan to store heavy dishes, make sure the cabinets are strong enough to handle the load. Also, see that you have easy access to touch-up or repair materials.
Semi-custom cabinets are constructed after you place your order, so you can choose designs and sizes that function best for you. Consult with a kitchen designer to determine the best configuration for your space and the way you use your kitchen.
SET YOUR SITES
These web sites are great resources for planning your kitchen cabinetry:
These web sites are great resources for planning your kitchen cabinetry:
- kitchens.com
The site includes product ideas, photo galleries and interviews with homeowners who have remodeled their kitchens (complete with before-and-after pictures).
- kcma.org
The Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association site allows you to select the kind of cabinets you want (stock, semi-custom or custom), the material and the place you’d like to purchase them, and then links you to manufacturers.
- nkba.com
Representing the National Kitchen and Bath Association, this site lists designers across the country. Look for the designation CKD, which stands for Certified Kitchen Designer.”
