I came across this very informative article by
Bianca Noorda, I think you will love it!
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Choosing the correct kind of Cabinet Doors for your kitchen can give a headache even the most knowledgeable of us. To make this task just a bit simpler, let’s take a closer look at the most popular cabinet doors available.
Before we get to the core of the matter, let’s take a moment to talk a bit about why is this so important. While the main purpose of your cabinets is providing a proper storage space for you to keep all your kitchen utensils and tools in, do not neglect the aesthetics. Unless you’re a huge fan of the floating shelves, chances are that the cabinets will cover the majority of your kitchen, all the way from your floor to the ceiling. Considering this fact, it’s quite obvious that the cabinet fronts or doors will be the most visible element of your kitchen.
It doesn’t matter if you want to make them subtle or bold – the doors will cover most of the visible space in your kitchen. Whether you want them to be a minimalistic addition or the focal point of your kitchen doesn’t matter – if you choose the wrong kind, that won’t be cohesive with the rest of your kitchen, the final effect will be chaotic and can ruin the entire kitchen design.
Now you should be well aware why it’s so important to pick from the best kinds of cabinet doors out there. So, without further ado, let’s look what options do you have – these are the most popular types, and I’m sure that at least few of them will be suitable for your kitchen.
Glass cabinet doors
They are usually a bit more expensive, because of the additional effort of fitting a glass of certain quality inside the frames, but can be a very good solution for interiors of all kinds.
Glass cabinet doors work particularly well in the smaller kitchens, as they add depth to your interior, thus making it appear larger. Other than that, they are a very good choice when you want to show off some decoration hardware in your kitchen, hiding it behind the cabinet doors yet making it visible.
Glass cabinet doors work particularly well in the smaller kitchens, as they add depth to your interior, thus making it appear larger. Other than that, they are a very good choice when you want to show off some decoration hardware in your kitchen, hiding it behind the cabinet doors yet making it visible.
Gkass cabinets and doors. | Photo by: Thomas And Birch
Keep in mind, however, that it requires you to keep the insides of your cabinets clean at all times, because they will be visible.
Another good thing about these is that you normally don’t have to buy all the cabinet doors with the glass center, as usually it’s only the upper cabinets that look good with such doors.
The glass used in such cabinet doors is usually milky, but can come in plenty of designs and styles, making the glass cabinet doors very versatile. You can find ones to fit any interior, that’s for sure.
Louvered cabinet doors
These cabinet doors are a bit more sophisticated, but certainly grant you some very sought-after elements of kitchen decoration. They are made from horizontal wood slats, and in case you didn’t know, horizontal lines are a real life-saver in any smaller kitchen because they make the interior look more spacious and wider.
Louvered cabinet doors. | Photo by: Thomas And Birch
The gap between each slat grants a natural source of ventilation, so that’s a second thing that’s a very valuable in the kitchen. There is no better place to soak your wet dishes than behind such ventilated cabinet doors.
The only real problem with such cabinet doors is that they don’t come cheap, but if that’s not an issue for you, then by all means I highly recommend this type.
Shaker cabinet doors
I’m unsure if this name rings any bell in your head, however, I’m quite sure you’ve seen that kind of cabinet doors before because that’s the most common and popular type. These cabinet doors got their name after the Shaker style furniture, which is known for the very minimalistic and elegant shapes. When talking about the Shaker style furniture, it’s the practical aspect and utility that’s the most important.
Shaker style cabinet doors in the Scandinavian kitchen. | Photo by: Studio McGee
Visually, shaker style cabinet door consists of five pieces of flat-panel wood, with four pieces creating a frame around the fifth flat panel used to make for the center of the door. You can see how it looks in the picture attached.
Shaker style cabinet doors are highly appreciated due to their versatility – usually made from wood, with plenty of species of wood, types of stains and colors available, they fit any design of kitchens, so you can’t really go wrong with shaker cabinets. A highly recommended type when you can’t think of anything fancy and extravagant, but still want your kitchen to look up to date and modern.
Flat cabinet doors
Not much to say about these – they are simple, flat panels. No decorations except for the hardware, which also should be kept simple if we want them to be cohesive with the style of the doors themselves.
They are one of the best cabinet doors for modern or contemporary kitchen styles – especially if the rest of your house is in the sleek, seamless design.
Flat panel cabinet doors. | Photo by: Studio McGee
While they are usually available in wood, you can also find some made from laminate, which is a bit cheaper and more versatile, meaning you can make it a bit more decoration-friendly. All in all, it depends on the style of the rest of your house.
Beadboard cabinet doors
Before we get to the actual characteristic of this style of cabinet doors, let me just tell you that you should only get these if you don’t mind cleaning them on a daily basis. While there is no better choice of cabinet doors if you’re going for the cottage style in your house, they are a real nuisance to clean.
The point of these cabinet doors is resembling a traditional, beadboard paneling style. If you don’t know what beadboard actually is – it used to be the material of choice when decorating walls, back when plaster or paint wasn’t as available and popular as they are today.
Beadboard cabinet doors. | Photo by: Turan Designs
All in all, we use beadboard style cabinets to resemble cabinets from the past, hence, the cottage style I mentioned earlier.
Usually, these cabinet doors come white, and that’s why they are hard to be kept clean. Not only that but also the curves on the central panel doesn’t make it any easier. However, the final effect will be very much worth the effort as there are no better cabinet doors for the cottage-style house.
Inset cabinet doors
All the other cabinet doors are set upon the outer frame of your cabinet, but not these ones. That is where the name comes from – the inset cabinet doors are set inside of your cabinet, meaning they are usually just a few inches smaller than the other ones. This might prove to be crucial if have to fight for every inch of free space in your kitchen.
The construction itself is impressively precise because it’s only with a perfect match when these cabinet doors can successfully operate. Because of that, this style of cabinet doors is also one of the most expensive out there, but the modern and luxurious design is worth every penny.
Inset cabinet door style. | Photo by: HT Renovations
One thing to keep in mind is that these cabinet doors require different hinges than any other standard cabinet doors – they have to be exposed, and not concealed as is the case of other cabinet doors. If they don’t come with these hinged attached, then you have to remember you’ll have to pay some extra for them – with the amount of the cabinets in your usual kitchen, counting two hinges per cabinet, this can quickly become quite an expensive purchase. For that reason, better make sure the hinges come with the doors themselves.
Distressed cabinet doors
These are basically any of the other cabinet doors, just damaged. No, I’m not kidding you – you have to pay extra for someone to tarnish your cabinet doors to the point when they resemble something antique, of age and used up. Seems absurd, but the final effect can be actually quite pleasing.
Distressed cabinet doors. | Photo by: Grady O Grady
If the design of your house is more traditional, rustic or antique, then this might be just a solution for you, to make your kitchen design cohesive with the rest of your house. The so-called damaging of your cabinets is actually acquired through the process of rubbing or otherwise distressing the material, giving it a new ( or actually old ) look, without making the cabinet doors useless – meaning the producer will take care to only alter the aesthetics, but not the functionality.
Distressing your cabinet doors doesn’t come cheap, as you’ll have to pay an additional fee of about 20% for the ” enhanced” edition of the doors. Well, some people buy jeans with holes in them and pay extra, so I guess that’s not all that absurd.
Thermofoil cabinet doors
Since this article is about the most popular cabinet door styles, we can’t forget about the very standard Thermo foil cabinet doors – however, I’m not a huge fan of them myself. While they come at an attractive price, they are nothing to write home about.
Therm foil cabinet doors. | Photo by: Northlight Photography
Thermofoil cabinet doors are made from the medium-density fiberboard, which is wrapped in a plastic coating. Under the heat that’s used when producing them, they seal together. While it’s a really durable material for cabinet doors, it’s also hard to repair once damaged, so keep that in mind.
These cabinet doors also don’t take heat and age very well, and if the quality is not optimal, they can yellow as time goes by – but usually only the lighter colors of Thermo foil doors fall victim to that.
Custom cabinet doors
If none of the aforementioned cabinet doors match your tastes, then there is always the option of getting yourself a custom made ones. Designing your own cabinet doors can be a really good way of showing your creativity and imagination, as well as making your kitchen truly unique and one of a kind.
Keep in mind, you don’t have to design everything from scratch – all you have to do is take one of the cabinet door styles and add a personal twist to it. For example, replace the central panel and fill them with something interesting or different.
Custom-made cabinet doors. | Photo by: Northlight Photography
After you’ve got your project, any local cabinet doors producer should be able to make your imagination come true, so give him a call and ask for a price of such custom design. Who said your kitchen should be like all the other, most popular ones?
Price range
Now that we’ve covered the most popular styles, it’s time to give you an idea about the expenses which you’ll have to cover when buying cabinet doors for your kitchen. Let’s narrow it down to three categories, to make it easier to grasp. Keep in mind that a lot depends on the prices of your local producer, so we can only tell you so much about the prices. Nonetheless, let’s try:
- High price – The inset and louvered styles are the most expensive. The custom made cabinet doors can also fall into this category, depending on your local producer’s price for making them come true.
- Above average – Distressed, glass and beadboard should fall into this category as they are not very expensive yet require some additional cost
- Lower price – Shaker, flat panel, and Thermo foil are what can be called a low price, by what I mean it’s pretty normal, without any additional cost. All in all, an affordable price.
That’s all there is to know about the most popular cabinet doors, their design, and functionality. I’m sure that now the choice that has to be made will be just a bit easier, and soon you’ll be able to enjoy your stylish and chic kitchen.
by BIANCA NOORDA ·
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www.kennedykitchensandbaths.com
kitchen cabinet door styles, kitchen cabinet doors,luxury kitchen cabinet doors, kingofrenovations
This post first appeared on Bathroom Remodeling Columbus Georgia, please read the originial post: here
