Kitchen cabinets and drawer fronts are an introduction to your kitchen. The appliances and lighting are equally important, but nothing catches the eye like those framed cabinet beauties. Regardless of your overall kitchen design and layout, making the right choice of unique kitchen cabinet door styles speaks tons about the room’s atmosphere.
While design and technical teams are working on the delivery of futuristic kitchens, the beauty of this area should never be forgotten. Providing uninterrupted work surfaces, virtual window backsplashes for recipes, and kitchen cabinet doors that open on command, may sound intriguing, but kitchens should never lose their taste in style.
By exploring the popular styles and not-so-common choices of new cabinet doors, I will amaze you at how cabinets can easily shape your kitchen. The following examples can help in designing kitchens before the actual work begins.
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Flat Panel Cabinet Doors
You may have heard this style referred to as slab doors. These flat-panel doors are a popular option for working on a tight budget. There are no frills or details that accompany the cabinet fronts. This is a great option for use with contemporary designs. The type of material lets you bring out a unique presence in various colors to highlight the sleek and clean lines that are so common in slab cabinets.
We can make slab cabinet doors and drawers from MDF or plywood with a flat or shiny laminated finish. A modern design uses a vertical wood grain or a bold lacquer finish. For example, gray marble slab cabinets can add a striking modern look with a chic backsplash and natural wood stools. Ornate wood cabinets would not do this kitchen justice, but lovely flat panels bring out the unique beauty of the room.
Mullion Cabinet Doors
To make an artistic statement, mullion cabinet doors have cabinet face frame openings. Grid inserts highlighting glass or wood panels present a custom-looking design of squares, circles, or geometric shapes. Shaker cabinets and partial overlay doors will sometimes use this feature to bring a sophisticated appearance to the corner or upper kitchen cabinets.
The modern farmhouse is another style that makes good use of mullion doors. Open shelves and glass-front cabinets let you showcase antiques, glassware, or kitchen accessories, complimenting the popular transitional farmhouse design.
Metal grids on glass cabinet doors make the perfect fit with white cabinets of simple design; Glass panels or stained glass inserts can top off traditional kitchens looking for an updated flair. Starting with clear glass and experimenting with different styles of inserts is one of the best ways to add your personal style.
Shaker Cabinet Doors
Shaker-style cabinets are popular when updating a new kitchen. A recessed center panel on a shaker door allows you to mix and match different styles. Use together with glass cabinets, open shelving, or slabs with flat center panels as you plan your dream kitchen.
A shaker-style cabinet door takes a simple cabinet frame and delivers a simplistic design using only rail and stile construction. Shaker-style cabinets are perfect for traditional, transitional, or modern kitchens. Fresh, clean lines are what this most popular cabinet door style offers in a modern kitchen.
Cabinet units that make up a bespoke kitchen style often use popular cabinet door styles, like the look of shaker cabinetry. The selection of countertops is endless when a timeless cabinet design is present. Available in big box stores like Home Depot, a wholly assembled cabinet unit piece can save you time and money while delivering a modern kitchen display.
Raised Panel Cabinets
Cabinet fronts with a raised center panel are considered a beautiful fit for traditional styles. You will often see an arched panel within the cabinet box. Solid wood with a high-quality natural finish brings a fabulous regal traditional look to any kitchen.
This classic look brings warmth to a luxurious setting and delivers a rich, prominent look. We can also recess the inserts with a cathedral frame to present a more distinguished depth to your chosen style. If you are looking to update the look of your kitchen in a few years, do not install raised panel cabinets.
Cabinets that show off the quality of wood, like knotty alder or straight-grain cherry, should never be painted over. They blueprint traditional styles with quality materials and craftsmanship. Painting solid wood will cheapen the look of traditional cabinets. Gain expert advice from interior designers before changing natural raised panel cabinets.
Beadboard Cabinets
Beadboard cabinets have a distinctive look and can easily form a focal point in a kitchen. Wood planks in the cabinet’s center make up a vertical display of earthy tones. Surrounding areas like walls or backsplashes can also be lined with bead board paneling for a rich textured look.
Flat panel cabinets can work for bead board by covering the entire cabinet door surface and be used for country, rustic, or beach atmospheres. A beaded inset door brings a seamless look to modern styles of different colors. Shaker beaded cabinets deliver a modern rustic look to a kitchen with wood and stainless steel appliances.
Louvered Cabinets
Louvered doors are a unique way to add character to a classic style. They effortlessly intermingle with a wide variety of styles. Made of plywood and beautiful finishes, they resemble custom cabinets with flair. From ocean living to a smart condo remodel, louvered cabinet doors can represent charm and sophistication.
Louvered doors can also set the pace for a design style throughout your home, with closet doors and bookshelves that share the same style. Tight spaces gain the appearance of width with louvered slats and natural wood finishes. They also provide needed ventilation in areas otherwise closed off by standard doors.
Specialty Cabinets
Custom cabinets are possible if none of the manufactured cabinet styles are quite what you are looking for. The cost will be higher than assembly line cabinets, but it will guarantee you a well-crafted and balanced product.
Overlay styles are a commonly requested custom door front. They can also make drawer fronts to match the cabinet fronts. The adobe cabinet door will fall outside the standard stock cabinetry measurements to produce a cleaner-lined appearance in upscale kitchens.
Other cabinet door options include full overlay doors and glass-ready and French door frames. Creating the perfect fit with new cabinets and doors will add a professional look to your home. The extra work is worth the expense.
Thermafoil Finishes
Thermafoil Cabinet doors and drawers are more of a type of finish for MDF wood than solid wood. This new technology allows a high-quality look to all cabinet doors and drawers. Better known as RTF (rigid thermafoil), they wrap this technically advanced foil around the right cabinet door style. The cabinetry is then glued and pressed on special routing machines where thousands of pieces can be cured in one day.
The result is a durable product that is seamless, resistant to staining, and color consistent. This option extends life and is far cheaper than remodeling with solid wood. You can have a custom appearance of cabinets in a shaker, raised panel, slab, and other styles at a portion of the cost.
The good news about today’s cabinets is that any look or style is achievable. Custom cabinetry is always an option if manufactured cabinets do not have the desired size or appearance. Mixing different cabinets and colors is a great way to create a unique look without sticking with one style or color tone.
Woods are in a category all by themselves. No more are pine, cherry, and oak the few choices available for making solid wood cabinets. If they built your home to intrigue with the natural flair of nature, choosing a uniquely beautiful wood like knotty alder or walnut can bring out the exceptional quality of your home and be a personal favorite.
There are hundreds of ways that cabinets can transform your kitchen into your dream room. With the different styles, a mixture of decor, countless materials, and finishes, you can bring a tasty revolution with a few remodeling changes. Many home improvement stores can give you a good idea of what works best in your kitchen. For wanting to create a different and durable look, interior decorators love a challenge. Some stores offer this service at no charge to customers.
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Karen Gillan
Karen Gillan, Senior Writer
Experienced Writer with 20+ years. Demonstrated writing experience includes technical writing, magazines, story writing, and journalist projects. Karen has a powerful media and communication background with academic training from LaSalle University (architecture, interior design) and business college courses. She loves editing novels and contributed to a national art journal.