The Latest in Kitchen Cabinets

From organization to ornamentation, cabinets are among the most noticeable and useful features of your kitchen and bathroom. Cabinets determine both the style and day-to-day functionality of the room, but these benefits can carry a hefty price tag. Cabinets are as much a financial investment as they are a statement of taste, and putting a great deal of thought into their design will pay off in the long run.

Cabinets are available in three classifications: stock, semi-custom and custom. Stock cabinets are preconstructed into fixed dimensions and present the least expensive choice. Semi-custom cabinets, typically 20- to 30-percent more costly than stock cabinets, are constructed in box-like stock models but offer customized sizes, fittings and other options. Companies such as Scherr’s manufacture ready-to-assemble cabinet boxes for cabinet builders and do-it-yourselfers, offering more than 135 door and drawer styles. Custom cabinets present the most expensive option but also the most flexibility in design. Built from the buyer’s specifications, custom cabinets can provide the perfect fit for the room and are a great choice when matching pre-existing cabinets or trying to accommodate unusual dimensions.

Photo courtesy Scherr’s

Door styles for cabinets are another facet of the design selection and are categorized into two main styles. Face-frame doors, a traditional style, reveal part of the cabinet frame around the perimeter of the door. Full overlay doors, typical of the modern European look, covers the entire frame of the cabinet.

The design of a kitchen’s cabinets should strike a balance between elegance and usefulness. Is the kitchen often used for cooking or just eating take-out? If the kitchen is in constant use, then on what scale? How big is the family and how demanding are the cooking requirements? What organizational demands will the cabinets need to meet in regard to storage space and people’s ability to move about the room? First consider the day-to-day function of your design, and then focus on aesthetics.

Plenty of Options

Among the most popular trends in modern cabinet design is the furniture-style look. The furniture style often combines painted and stained wood to achieve the look of fine furniture pieces such as desks or chests. Antiquated finishes or colorful paints are popular options, as well as mixing different styles of cabinets in the same kitchen. Ornamentation and fine details enhance the appeal of many kitchen cabinets, adding decorative touches such as columns, elaborate trim, moulding, glass or metal insets and more. Unusual cabinet shapes, such as arched, hexagonal or convex doors are a growing trend, as well as carved wood motifs. Options for cabinet design, particularly in regard to custom cabinets, are virtually limited only by the imagination – and pocketbook. Here are a few popular trends to consider.

Pierced Tin

Handcrafted pierced-tin panels can achieve an antiquated look for modern cabinet design. Evoking the warmth of an old-fashioned country kitchen, pierced-tin door panels can embellish almost any cabinets (old and new), broom-closet doors, pie and food safes, jelly cupboards, spice cabinets, breadboxes, vegetable bins, entertainment centers and more.

Photo courtesy Country Accents

Artistic pierced-tin panels from Country Accents are available in hundreds of designs and metal finishes, and in a wide variety of standard sizes. However, if the standard sizes don’t fit the bill, most designs can be readily adapted to custom size requirements.

And to keep the original luster of the tin beautiful for ages, the panels require a minimum of care. To clean, simply wipe with a soft, dry cloth. Should it become necessary to use a cleaner, use only a mild, nonabrasive detergent diluted in water and then wipe dry immediately. Never use waxes, polishes or abrasive cleaners on these panels as they may damage the protective coating. With proper care, these panels will keep their original appearance indefinitely.