Choosing the right kitchen cabinets for your kitchen remodeling project is one of the most exciting yet tedious tasks. Kitchen cabinets are undoubtedly the most important part in kitchen remodeling, and if done correctly, they can change the overall appearance of the kitchen.
There are so many things to consider when it comes to choosing a kitchen cabinet. Being an NJ remodel, you must strike a balance between aesthetics and functionality and make sure you give enough storage without compromising on style.
What Are the Primary
Kitchen Cabinet Types?
Choosing The Right Kitchen Cabinets For Your Needs
Kitchen cabinets are divided into three primary types: stock, semi-custom, and custom. The process of choosing the kitchen cabinets starts from here.
Stock Cabinets
These are an affordable choice, and they have limited finishes and sizes, as they are mass-produced. The best part is they are almost always available and are best if you have budget constraints.
Semi-custom Cabinets
As compared to the stock cabinets, semi-custom cabinets give you more choices. This is a common choice, and many brands offer this type of kitchen cabinet. These cabinets offer design freedom to a certain extent, and you can choose dimensions and finishes of your preference.
Custom Cabinets
As the name suggests, custom cabinets offer custom designs, and you can have them as you wish. As they are specially designed for you, they are the most expensive choice and take a long time to deliver. Most designer kitchens are custom-designed, and they choose this option.
What Are the Most Famous Cabinet Styles?
After choosing the specific cabinet type from the above options, it is time to select the cabinet styles. The most common styles are shaker, raised panel, flat panel, and slab cabinets.
Shaker Cabinets
This type of cabinet style is mostly used in modern kitchens. They have a simple frame and recessed panel design and are available in many colors and finishes.
Raised Panel Cabinets
Raised panel cabinets cater to more traditional kitchen styles and are best suited to classic kitchen designs.
Flat Panel Cabinets
Most modern or minimalist kitchen designs use flat-panel cabinets. They are also called slab cabinets.
What Materials Are Available for Kitchen Cabinets?
- MDF stands for medium density fiberboard is a combination of wood fibers with a resin binder and is used for making kitchen cabinet’s door panels and cabinet box. This is mostly used for stock cabinets. It can be painted well with different glaze options to get customized appearance at a reasonable price.
- Thermafoil is another great option, most suitable for a lifestyle kitchen where there’s high level of activity. It’s easier to maintain as it’s scratch-resistant and is more durable.
- Laminate is mostly used for countertops and it’s available in the stock category. This material is mostly used to create the kitchen cabinet panel.
- For the luxury category, solid wood is the top choice which is mostly used for cabinet doors. These are made from different wood types including cherry, oak, hickory, and etc. though these woods are beautiful in nature, they can be painted well. They are expensive because of the natural wood color and gain and some of these should not be even painted for a more natural look.
- For a perfect smooth finish, Maple is the best option. It’s a very hard wood and it takes a deeper stain and exudes contemporary look for your kitchen cabinets.
- Birch and ash are also hardwoods, which make it quite durable.
What Options Are There for Cabinet Finish?
Cabinet color and finish can dramatically transform the appearance of your kitchen.
The quality and appeal of your kitchen design depend a lot on the color and finish of the cabinets. Below are some of the most popular cabinet finishes used these days.
- White cabinets are still popular as always, as they give a brighter feel to your kitchen.
- Gray cabinets are the second most popular choice in the kitchen cabinet finish. Most people prefer to have stainless steel appliances and quartz countertops with gray cabinets.
- After white and gray cabinets, natural wood finishes are becoming more popular. Due to the woody finish, it exudes a warm and organic kitchen vibe.
- Another popular finish these days is the two-tone kitchen design. In this finish style, homeowners prefer to choose contrasting colors.
Kitchen Cabinet Door Styles
As we have discussed the type, style, and finish of the kitchen cabinets, it’s important to talk about the kitchen cabinet door styles. There are three major door styles.
- Full overlay: The cabinet box’s front is covered by doors and drawers; the hinges are concealed.
- Partial overlay: Only a piece of the face frame is covered by doors; the hinges are still hidden.
- Inset: Hinges may be hidden or visible, and doors are flush with the cabinet box’s face frame.
Planning Your Kitchen Cabinet Layout
Last but not least, cabinet layout planning is extremely important, just like all of the above-discussed factors. Layout has more to do with the functionality, such as access to storage, rather than aesthetics.
The most popular kitchen cabinet layout is the traditional work triangle concept. By the triangle concept, it means that the sink, stove, and refrigerator must be in easy access.
These days, 3D animation designs are created before the project begins to show how the kitchen would look after remodeling. It also includes detailed cabinet layouts, and homeowners can change any of these factors to get the design they want.