The cabinets in your kitchen are incredibly important. Not only do they play a significant role in the dynamic of the entire room, but they are at the heart of the function of the room as well. Your cabinets help you keep your counters and workspaces clean by providing you all the storage space you need to hide away your impressive wine glass collection or even your wide array of cheese graters.
Choosing your new cabinets may feel daunting because you want to choose a style that won’t be quickly dated. Cabinets are one of the biggest investments you make in your kitchen remodel, and you want to make sure that you are happy with them for many years in the future.
Here is a short guide on all of the things you should consider when you begin to pick out your new kitchen cabinets:
Number of Cabinets
The number of cabinets you choose is incredibly important because it can have a real impact on the look and feel of your kitchen. There has been a recent trend in minimalist cabinets and open shelves. It is important to remember that this is a trend and that unless you have a stack of five Anthropologie plates and little else, minimalist cabinets and shelving units may not be the most functional choice for your kitchen.
Similarly, adding too many cabinets into your kitchen can make it feel small and cluttered. The only thing worse than not having any space to store your kitchen goods is having floor to ceiling cabinets on every wall of the room.
Choosing Materials
How do you choose the right materials for your kitchen when you have so many styles to choose from? The first thing to decide is whether you want to go for a classic wood style or if you want to join in on some of the modern designs. You can choose to incorporate glass into your cabinets or even get cabinets made out of colorful laminate.
You can even choose a style that is made out of eco-friendly materials. Eco-friendly materials are cabinets that are made from recycled wood, salvaged wood, wood veneer or even a renewable wood like bamboo.
Inset v. Shaker v. Flat Panel
The style of your cabinet doors does not necessarily contribute to the function, but it will change the dynamic of your kitchen. There are three main types of cabinets that most people install; however, if you want to stand apart from the crowd, you have other options as well.
The inset cabinet style is a classic look that will remain stylish and beautiful for decades. However, it is usually the most expensive style that you can choose to install. Because the style includes visible hinges, the cabinets have to be measured and cut precisely to be functional. Although they are expensive, their value goes a long way when you are still complimented on them after 20 years.
If you want to go for a classic look, the Shaker-style cabinet doors are a tried and true style that fits into almost any home. These cabinet doors are the most common style used in kitchens today. The clean lines and simplicity of the design is a perfect addition to almost any kitchen because it will complement almost any design. Whether you want to make it modern or throw it back to a farmhouse style kitchen, you can achieve almost any look with Shaker cabinets.
Flat panel cabinets have become the go-to cabinet style of choice in recent ultra-modern kitchens. They provide a minimalist look that is perfect for a contemporary and futuristic style. You can purchase the flat panel style in wood or laminate. This style is particularly appealing because you can take it from the IKEA showroom look to an ultra-high-end look depending upon your budget.
Choosing Hardware
As if choosing the number, material and style of the cabinets isn’t enough, you also need to choose the right hardware to complement your cabinets. Believe it or not, these accent details really contribute to the overall style of your cabinets.
A good rule of thumb is to choose hardware with design features that are similar to your cabinets. For example, if you have chosen flat-panel cabinets for a modern kitchen, you would want to find complimentary hardware that exemplifies the minimalist and clean look that your cabinets have.
When you add it all up, there are a lot of things to take into consideration when you are designing your new kitchen cabinets. But as the most expensive part of your project and as the focal point of your kitchen, your cabinets deserve the time and energy that you dedicate them. If your designers’ eye is a bit color-blind, you might enlist the help of a trusted cabinet maker or kitchen specialist because they make it their business to know which drawer pull goes best with which color cabinet.