There are certain things you need to know when it comes to choosing kitchen cabinets for your house. You can check out our guide here to learn more.
Whether you’re decorating your home or only renovating the kitchen, you’ll know the kitchen is one of the biggest investments in your home.
It stands to reason, though, since the kitchen is often the heart of the home. It’s where you and your family will gather to cook, share meals, and catch up on the day’s events, as well as where you’ll do most of your entertaining.
But beyond the size or shape of your kitchen, or how you use it, your kitchen cabinets will always be that room’s most visible and defining design feature—as such, choosing kitchen cabinets can be a difficult decision, especially since there are so many factors to consider.
Luckily, we’re here to help you choose the right kitchen cabinets to complete your dream kitchen.
Consider How Your Kitchen Fits Your Home
Before you decide on ultra-modern handle-less kitchen cabinets or settle on a country chic vibe, consider whether these options will fit in with the rest of your home.
If your decor is more minimalist, something more modern might flow well within your home. But if your general decor is more traditional, it will look out of place. Functionality is key in a kitchen but going too futuristic will make it seem like you’re stepping into a different home.
Also, the more visible your kitchen cabinets are within your home, the more you’ll need to take the rest of your home’s feel and decor into account. For example, if you’ve got an open floor plan, it’s even more important to make sure you choose kitchen cabinets that go with the rest of your living and dining area. Anything too different or contrasting could disrupt the flow of your home.
Avoid Fleeting Trends
Are you researching how to choose kitchen cabinets because your current ones are more than a little outdated? Don’t make the mistake of going for something on-trend again. It might seem like the height of interior design fashion now but it’s sure to look dated within a few years.
To avoid falling into the trend trap, concentrate on finding kitchen cabinets that feel contemporary but also classic. Go for woods with an understated grain, simple paneling, and a more neutral finish.
If all that feels a little too basic, adding more on-trend hardware can be a good compromise. Knobs and handles can make a huge difference to the feel of your kitchen but are a lot less expensive to replace if your tastes change.
Decide on Different Design Aspects
While we’re on the subject of choosing kitchen cabinets with specific features, there are a lot more considerations than you might have realized. Here are some different design aspects to focus on:
Material
Solid wood has long been the most popular choice for kitchen cabinets, but it’s not the only option available.
Other materials such as stainless steel, metal, melamine, and thermofoil are a few of the other materials you can choose for your kitchen cabinets. Melamine, for example, can be a more affordable option while stainless steel offers a bright and futuristic feel.
Door Style
The door style is the design element that has the biggest impact on the final appearance of your kitchen cabinets. As such, it’s vital to consider all your options to get the right feel and appearance.
You’ll find that designers cater for every taste when it comes to cabinet door styles, with designs ranging from ultra-modern and sleek to decorative and traditional. The prices can also vary a lot, with more intricate and detailed styles often being more expensive.
Some popular examples of door style include recessed square, recessed miter, raised arch, and a plain slab. Of these choices, the plain slab is the most contemporary but also the most versatile, while the recessed miter is the most decorative and often the most expensive. You may also want to choose clear glass panels on some of your cabinets for displaying glassware and decorative items.
Often, your budget will determine what your options are and help narrow down your choices. But even if you have a clear idea, it’s worth heading to a store to see different styles up close and personal. This way you’ll get a better feel for how your favorite door styles look in reality, as well as how close a match they are to your preferred aesthetic.
Finish
If you opt for solid wood kitchen cabinets, you can leave them in their natural state, stained, or painted. There’s also the option of adding a decorative finish, including crackle, distressing, or glazing.
In the same way that paint samples can help you choose a suitable color for your walls, it’s worth getting finish samples for your cabinet doors. Staining can look very different on different types of wood while having more time to view finish samples can change how you feel about your favorites.
What’s more, natural light, flooring color, and other factors specific to your home can affect what finish works best in your particular kitchen. For example, a kitchen with a lot of light might be too stark in white, especially if the flooring is white too. Likewise, wooden cabinets in a kitchen with wooden floors will look like overkill.
Are you wondering how to pick cabinets that will be popular among potential buyers in the future? If you’re not sure about the color, go with white. White is less taste-specific, making it a good option if you’re thinking of selling your home in the future.
As a bonus, lighter kitchen cabinets look fresh and clean and hide dirt better than darker cabinets do. White is also a good choice if you’ll need baby proof kitchen cabinets either now or in the coming years.
Hardware
Hardware might be one of the last design decisions you make but drawer pulls and knobs can have a big impact on your kitchen’s final look and feel.
For example, cast iron knobs and handles can give a rustic feel to even the simplest white cabinets. But finish these same cabinets off with contemporary hardware in a matte steel finish and the look will be far more modern.
Integrate Form and Function
Once you’ve decided on the decorative elements of your kitchen cabinets, it’s time to think about your kitchen’s function.
After all, the kitchen is the hardest-working room in your home so the cabinets need to be easy to use as well as attractive.
Considering how you use your kitchen can also help you make decisions about design elements. For example, if you’re always heading to your pantry for herbs and spices, you might prefer to have these mounted on the wall in a decorative way.
If your kitchen is on the older side, chances are you haven’t had the luxury of experiencing some of the modern updates in kitchen cabinet design. These days, for example, homeowners recognize how drawers under countertops are more convenient than cupboards with shelves. As such, it’s worth researching some of the possible options you have when it comes to improving the functionality of your kitchen design.
Another revelation in kitchen design is the smooth closing function on drawers and doors. This involves special kinds of hinges and slides that engage to close your kitchen cabinets when the door is around an inch from closing. The silent, self-closing mechanism means no more slamming doors or cabinets left open, ever!
Maximize Every Inch for Optimal Organization
The more organized your kitchen cabinets, the easier and more pleasant your kitchen is to use. With this in mind, it’s vital to consider storage options and how you’ll dedicate cabinet space to everything from cutlery to oversized pots and pans.
You know best what items you use the most as well as what items you pull out once a year at most. This can help you decide what kinds of cabinets you need for easy access to everyday items while hiding those items you rarely use.
In some cases, your kitchen’s layout determines a lot about what you can and can’t have. But, with new storage solutions and inventive ideas coming out every year, there’s sure to be a way to make your kitchen cabinet update a lot more convenient and comfortable to use.
Your kitchen cabinets should enable you to maximize every inch of your kitchen. Pullouts for pots and pans, a designated paper towel cabinet, and a pull out drawer for your trash can and recycling container are just some of the ways you can make your kitchen more organized.
The Ultimate Guide to Choosing Kitchen Cabinets
Choosing kitchen cabinets can be a long and involved process. As well as being one of the biggest expenses in your kitchen remodel, your kitchen cabinets will be the standout feature of your future kitchen.
With this in mind, it’s vital that the kitchen cabinets you choose provide both the form and function you want from your perfect kitchen. But, thanks to this guide, you should now have a much better idea of how to make an informed choice.
For more of the best interiors inspiration, be sure to check out our other blog posts.
