Kitchen cabinets may establish the design of your house, whether you’re building a new one or remodeling an old one.
It might be difficult to decide the color, style, and hardware to use for kitchen cabinets because there are so many alternatives available by kitchen cabinet makers.
To find out what common mistakes to avoid and how to choose kitchen cabinets you’ll enjoy for years to come, we contacted several experienced designers for their best advice.
Evaluate Your Area
First and foremost, you must have a realistic vision of the space itself, regardless of the design you finally decide on. The size of your family and the amount of food you will really make in the future should be taken into account.
A modest family of four should arrange a set of cabinets that take up around 24 square feet, plus an extra 6 square feet for each family member.
If your kitchen is tiny and you don’t want to enlarge it, think about the areas you can make the most of for the most storage.
Ward 5 Design creator Leni Calas advises being creative about what you need room for. A kitchen island, cabinet pull-outs, or corner cabinets could be a good addition if you have a lot of appliances and dishes.
Make Plans for Every Season
In addition to everyday serveware and food storage, kitchen cabinets hold items like serving trays, large roasting pans, and specialty glassware that you may use only sometimes during the year.
If you have speciality pans or plates stashed away in a spare cupboard, get them out and incorporate them into your kitchen’s general design. It will be more fun to be in the kitchen if you have everything you need close at hand.
Maintain It Clean
Cabinet designs have their own trends and classic appearances, much like everything else in home design. To ensure that your cabinets age gracefully, you want to use classic solutions.
Considering how costly cabinet replacement may be, you want to be sure your remodel lasts the first time.
For a sleek appearance, Design Hutch founder and main designer Brooke Spreckman prefers to utilize shaker-style cabinets with a narrower border. Modern and contemporary kitchens will look good with styles like this one.
Speaking of cleanliness, sticking to a more straightforward cabinet style isn’t only a matter of taste but there are functional considerations as well. According to Spreckman, cabinets with fluting, ribbing, or any other busy design may deteriorate more quickly and gather more debris over time, necessitating greater upkeep.
Select the Proper Finish
Selecting a finish is necessary after deciding on a style. Knowing how the finished space will appear is crucial to ensuring that the color won’t overrun the space because the cabinets will blend in with the rest of the kitchen’s design.
Stained wood is a traditional choice since the tint will go well with your hardware, appliances, and countertops. But not all stains are appropriate for something as noticeable as kitchen cabinetry. Calas advises avoiding using any stain that has an orange or yellow tint since those hues don’t hold up well over time.
Expand Widely
When it comes to your kitchen, accessibility and functionality are crucial. Consider your cooking style, your preferred dishwashing location, and the cookware you use on a regular basis. When you are arranging the area, you don’t want to go through the entire effort just to discover that your favorite cookware don’t fit near the oven.
Spreckman suggests selecting broader pieces for both upper and lower cabinets because cabinets come in a variety of widths.
“Use two 24-inch-wide cabinet boxes if your space is 48 inches wide,” she advises. “Avoid dividing that into three 15-inch containers.” You will be able to fit more things into each unit as a result of the more effective use of space.
Complete the Look
Cabinet hardware, such as door knobs and drawer handles, provides another level of flair and usefulness.
According to Tama Bell, CEO of California-based Tama Bell Design, “this choice will really finish the design, and cabinet hardware becomes the jewelry.”
Hardware should complement your other appliances and finishes in the kitchen, just like everything else. While novelty pulls could be adorable in a bathroom, they won’t look as well in a bigger area like a kitchen. Gold-tone knobs and pulls also tend to seem more outdated than pewter or silver.
The good news is that hardware is rather simple to replace, so you can always opt for something else if you become weary of your selection.
A list of frequent mistakes people make is just as vital as a checklist of things you should do while installing cabinets. Designers frequently find concepts that don’t work out when they are hired to redesign a kitchen. They advise being ahead of the game by doing your homework in advance and being aware of what to avoid in the first place.
Take Your Time
Since cabinets need a significant time and financial commitment, spend some time browsing design and manufacturer websites to bookmark designs and hues that appeal to you.
Online viewing is an excellent place to start, but nothing compares to receiving a close-up look and professional advice. According to Inspired Interiors founder Emily Mackie, seeking designer advice is essential as it will enable you to push limits and investigate creative design options.
“Keep a keen eye on emerging trends, and consider attending trade shows if you have the opportunity,” she advises.
Make Your Investment Pay Off
Although everyone enjoys a good bargain, there are some situations in which saving money isn’t beneficial. You don’t have to pick between mass-produced, ready-to-buy cabinets and custom-built ones because there are many solutions available.
“A beautiful cabinet doesn’t have to be expensive,” Calas explains. “Finding someone who can deliver quality results at a reasonable price usually just requires some legwork.”
Regretfully, bespoke units will last longer than inferior cabinets. Years later, they could still look great, but the poor quality parts might cause doors and drawers to shut clumsily and become bothersome with regular usage.
Mackie suggests comparing the cabinet choosing process to buying a vehicle. “You know that a car’s longevity depends on its quality, so you wouldn’t look for the cheapest engine when purchasing one.” To guarantee a long-lasting and useful kitchen area, she advises giving priority to cabinets that are made to last.
Think About Continued Maintenance
How frequently you need to clean your cabinets depends depend on their color and style. Daily wipe-downs are practically a given because food spills and normal dust will damage an off-white front with a more elaborate border.
Spreckman cautions against this, despite the fact that many cabinet design allow for the homeowner to exhibit décor objects between the top of the uppers and the ceiling.
“If at all possible, carry your cabinetry all the way up to the ceiling,” she advises. “Don’t allow dust to gather over your upper cabinets.” Your future self will be appreciative!
Examine Inside
It is one thing to have ample cabinet space, but it is another to have an accessibility problem when you open a door and find a mess of plates, glasses, and bowls. To find the dish you need, you don’t want to have to pull it out of the cabinet every time.
Think carefully about how you will organize your items to be easily accessible before you buy your new cabinets. You may create a personalized look and facilitate kitchen work by installing bins, racks, and other storage solutions within your cabinets.
Allow (Enough) Light to Exist
Shadows can be cast by cabinets, particularly ones with a darker finish. The workstation may be better illuminated by installing suitable overhead lighting, but up-close tasks—especially those using small countertop appliances—will not benefit from this. To improve your vision, think about installing under-cabinet lighting strips or other comparable solutions.
Your cabinet makeover will be a success for many years to come if you start with a good plan, evaluate how you use your kitchen, and carefully examine your overall design.