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.
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.
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.
Colors and Finishes
Colorful kitchen cabinetry has made a big
comeback. Try pretty palettes to give your kitchen flair.
Molding and Details
Adding molding is an easy way to make any
type of cabinetry look custom. Whether you want to add crown molding to your
existing kitchen or edge molding to new cabinets, this guide can help you
envision the final result.
steps to choosing the right kitchen
cabinets
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
Finish
“There’s still plenty of interest in
lighter-toned cabinets. But we’re starting to see an uptick in our pebbled gray
and chai finishes, as more customers go for a tinted neutral color instead of
stark white.”—Tracy Riel, KraftMaid Cabinetry, manager, designer services
Choosing Kitchen Cabinets Where To Start
& What To Know
Choosing kitchen cabinets is probably the
biggest if not the most nerve-wracking decision you’ll make for your kitchen.
It’s easy to understand since the cabinets have a big impact on your budget as well
as how your kitchen looks. They’re one of the first things you see when you
walk in a kitchen and have a large influence on the whole “feel” of
the room
Looks aren’t the whole story however and
with cabinets there is an element of ‘you-get-what-you-pay-for’. That’s because
they’re made with a variety of construction techniques using several different
materials in a “good”, “better”, “best” fashion.
Besides that there are options to consider like full extension drawers,
soft-close hinges and many others, and they can have a big impact on the
overall cost.
If you’re now thinking that you’ll need to
mortgage the farm to afford decent cabinets, don’t worry. You can still find
good products at an affordable price and it doesn’t have to incorporate the
absolute best materials or the latest organizer gizmos.
Just be aware however that cabinets
generally consume about half of the typical kitchen budget so you’ll want to be
sure you know what you’re getting for your money. The best way to do that is to
understand the differences in construction and materials and how those elements
impact their quality and durability.
The first thing you want to do is get some
clarity on your goals for how you want your kitchen to look and function so
that you’re ultimately satisfied with the end result. You should do this
regardless of whether you’re replacing your existing cupboards (essentially
staying with the same layout) or starting with a completely new layout plan.
Tips for Choosing the Best Kitchen Cabinets
It is not possible to have a functional
kitchen without cabinets. They are an essential part of the kitchen. It is not
possible to have an organized kitchen without cabinets. There is an extensive
range of styles available on the market and choosing the style that is perfect
for your kitchen can be challenging. Some of the important considerations while
selecting cabinets are the color and style.
Consider the Kitchen Style
There are several kitchen styles which are
suitable for traditional and modern kitchens. It is important to choose
cabinets which match with the color scheme of your kitchen.
Choose the Material
There are a wide range of materials which
are used for making cabinets. You can choose from stainless steel, melamine,
metal, wood, or thermo foil. One of the most popular choices for cabinets is
still solid wood.
Choose the Right Design
There are so many options when it comes to
styles and colors of doors. There are also countless possibilities when it
comes to the layout.
Aesthetics and Functionality
While choosing cabinets, you should not
just focus on the beauty and look of the cabinets. You can choose the best
cabinets by considering the available space. You can also add drawers under the
counters of the kitchen instead of shelves