Choosing Kitchen Cabinets
cabinets form the backbone of the kitchen. Configure the cabinetry to make the most use of your kitchen’s size and floor plan. Consider different layouts and looks.
Base cabinets get the most attention, whereas hanging wall cabinets are sacrificed for aesthetic features—windows, dramatic backsplashes—to create atmosphere and a living room appeal in the kitchen. That said, base cabinets are moving away from doors and toward drawers. Drawers make storage more accessible for more people.
Kitchen Cabinet Styles and Trends
Wall cabinets today extend to the ceiling, making use of high-up space for storing infrequently used specialty serving-ware and cookware. Or, wall cabinets are blown to full-length proportions, stretching from floor to ceiling to create an accent wall that can house everything from cookbooks to appliances
Style. Cherry wood is big for cabinets with rich, dark finishes. For a more exotic look, go for alternative woods such as mahogany, bamboo, sapele and anaglade. These can be stained or even lacquered to provide a sleek finish (show image). The glazed cabinet treatment is phasing out with the rise of textured looks: wood grain peeking through brushed finishes—a more natural look.
Function. European-style frameless cabinets afford more storage than traditional rail-style cabinets that are typically found in U.S. kitchens. Soft-close on drawers and doors is a must. Some hinges have this feature built-in, but it’s an add-on cost for other models—about $5 retail, according to Burgin, adding up to $350 to $500 for an entire kitchen, depending on size. Touchless cabinets are a luxury add-on that Poteat thinks will move into the mainstream before long. This application is especially convenient for waste/recycling drawers
Choosing Kitchen Materials
before you shop for appliances and choose the material for your countertops, make sure you have a well-thought-out plan for your kitchen renovation. You should identify goals and priorities, with the help of your completed Day in the Life of Your Kitchen Questionnaire and Kitchen Goals Worksheet. You also should have a clear vision of what your new kitchen will look like, after exploring various kitchen designs and layouts. Finally, you should carefully plan out space and storage
Now it’s time to drill down to the details of your kitchen remodel. It’s best to choose all of the appliances, materials and finishes down to the hardware before the project begins. That way, you will have a truly realistic idea of how much the project will cost. (Allowances can quickly get out of hand.)
As you choose among fixtures and materials, visit specialty design showrooms for appliances, lighting, flooring, cabinets, etc. You’ll get a real feel for what’s available in the market, and you can talk to the professionals who work there about your ideas and what products will achieve your goals.
With your goals, floor plan and budget in mind, consider all of the possibilities you can include in your kitchen and focus on choices that meet your needs.
Tips for Choosing the Perfect Kitchen Cabinets!
How to choose the perfect kitchen cabinets!
Dreaming of an upgrade to your kitchen? After living in my home for 16 years, my dream finally came true! I’m so excited to be giving my kitchen a FULL makeover this summer! If you follow me on Pinterest, you have probably seen me pinning kitchens like crazy. ha!
Choosing new kitchen cabinets can be such a hard decision to make. I’m thrilled to be partnering with The Home Depot and Thomasville Cabinetry! They are The Women’s Choice Award winner for the most recommended kitchen cabinets. Knowing that other women have voted Thomasville the top rated company has made choosing which brand to go with a no brainer. Plus, they are exclusive to The Home Depot which makes it easy to shop their amazing solutions that can easily transform any room! Be sure to follow along my kitchen remodel on Instagram. I’ll be doing some LIVE Facebook updates as well.
Cabinets are one of the most important decisions you can make when remodeling your kitchen. If you go with a company recommended by The Women’s Choice Award, like Thomasville Cabinetry, you will have no worries about getting high quality products along with beautiful designs.
Choose a Cabinet Door Profile First
Cabinet doors are the most visible design elements in your kitchen, so your door style is one of the most important decisions you will make. A great way to narrow down your choices of cabinet doors is to decide on a door profile. Here are samples of some I got to choose from with Thomasville
Narrow Down Your Favorite Cabinet Door Styles
Next decide on the style. A lot of times, this is easily narrowed down by budget. So with your budget and door profile in mind, the choices get easier. Thomasville carries many gorgeous styles. I recommend going to the store to see samples and taking photos of your top 3 or 4 styles on your phone. Just take four photos max and don’t go back to the cabinet samples! Look through your photos and delete the ones you don’t love. This should lead you to your top choice for a cabinet door style.
steps to choosing the right kitchen cabinets
Cabinets can be the biggest expense in a full kitchen remodel, accounting for up to 40 percent of the overall budget. They also set the visual tone for the kitchen, and they’re a huge part of how well it functions. Bottom line: Get the cabinets right and your chance of loving your new kitchen will go way up
Set the budget
Cabinets fall into three categories: stock, semi-custom, and custom. Stock cabinets start around $70 per linear foot (a typical kitchen has 25 to 30 linear feet of cabinets). Home centers sell them fully assembled or stores such as Ikea offer flat-pack versions that will need to be put together onsite; styles and sizes tend to be fairly limited. Semi-custom cabinets, which range from $150 to $250 per linear foot, come in more configurations, so they’ll fit your kitchen more precisely, if not perfectly. Custom cabinets can easily cost $500 or more per linear foot; they’re crafted to your exact specs and can include many personalized features
Choose a style
The big decision is between framed and frameless. Framed cabinets consist of a box and face frame, to which doors and drawers are attached. Frameless cabinets, often referred to as European-style, eliminate the face frame; doors and drawers attach directly to the cabinet box. That provides great accessibility and a more contemporary look. On the downside, the absence of a face frame can compromise rigidity; better manufacturers compensate by using a thicker box—say, ¾-inch plywood instead of ½-inch particleboard. For the European look in a framed cabinet, opt for a full-overlay door, which covers all or most of the face frame.
Pick the features
Accessories can improve cabinet functionality, but they’ll also increase the cost by 20 percent or more. A pull-out trash can is a worthwhile addition. Built-in charging stations are helpful, too, because they keep the countertop clear of electronic devices. Appliance garages, those countertop compartments designed to conceal small appliances, don’t always offer the best organization. Instead, consider a lift cabinet with a spring-loaded shelf that swings up and out, providing easy access to a mixer, food processor, or other hefty device
Lighting
“Integrated lighting has become very popular. As soon as you open the drawer, the light comes on. We also do a lot of undercabinet lighting, including LED fixtures with a built-in plug for countertop appliances and a USB port to charge your smartphone and other electronics.”—Kathleen Wilber, Ikea, U.S. sales leader for kitchens
Your Guide to Choosing Kitchen Cabinets
The right kitchen cabinetry can make or break your kitchen’s functionality and style — not to mention your budget. No pressure, right? Don’t stress yet — Houzz’s kitchen cabinet guides can walk you through the process, from start to finish. Resource guides covering everything from Shaker to flat panel, from corbels to aprons, from glass knobs to recessed pulls, are all listed here in easy-to-access fashion.
Door Styles
Shaker, flat or inset? Your cabinet door style is important — it may be your biggest kitchen expense, after all — but choosing it doesn’t have to be stressful. See which of these popular cabinet doors fit with your home’s style.
Hardware Styles
Of course, once you have your cabinets chosen, you have a whole other task ahead of you: choosing hardware. Even if you’ve got simple Shaker cabinets like these, your choice of drawer pulls and knobs makes a big difference in your finished look.
Flat-panel cabinets tend to work best in modern kitchens; make sure you choose hardware to match. Clean, simple and contemporary pulls work well with this cabinetry style.
Raised-panel cabinetry tends to suit traditional kitchens. Look for classic, old-world fixtures to fit this beautiful style.