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4 Things to Know Before Buying Kitchen Cabinets

New kitchen cabinets are a major investment. You want to know that your money is well-spent on cabinets you’ll continue to love for many years to come. That’s why it’s important to prepare before you purchase. Here are four things you should know before buying kitchen cabinets.

1. What’s Your Budget?

Quality kitchen cabinets aren’t cheap. In fact, new cabinets often make up 50% of the cost of remodeling a kitchen. But selecting well-made cabinets is a worthwhile investment. After all, you likely use your kitchen cabinets on a daily basis. And installing new cabinets dramatically changes the look of your kitchen, so it’s one of the best ways to upgrade your space.

However, you’ll save yourself a lot of time and trouble if you know your budget going into the project. That way, when you start getting quotes, you’ll have realistic expectations and can also prioritize what you want most if you’re working with a limited budget. For example, you may decide to keep some custom features but go with a cheaper species of wood. Or maybe the style is most important to you, so you’re willing to sacrifice some custom upgrades.

2. What Style Do You Like?

Cabinets come in a wide variety of styles, and that’s especially true when you work with a custom cabinet company like Edgewood Cabinetry. Having some idea of what you’re looking for saves you time during the purchase process (although we’re always happy to help you decide!). Do you love the European aesthetic with lots of embellishments? You want traditional cabinets. Prefer a minimalist design instead? Modern or Shaker styles will likely suit you best. Or maybe you’re dreaming of a country kitchen, in which case country/rustic cabinets are a perfect fit.

You should also think about the type of wood you like, along with the color of paint or stain you prefer. For example, Edgewood Cabinetry offers many wood species, such as mahogany, maple, oak, cherry, hickory, and pine. We can finish your cabinets with stains and glazing if you want to highlight the natural wood-grain. Or we can color-match any color of paint to give your cabinets the perfect look.

3. How Much Do You Want to Customize?

You’ll need to decide whether you want stock,  semi-custom, or fully custom cabinets. Stock cabinets are the cheapest option since they come in standard sizes. However, you should beware of purchasing stock cabinets on price alone. Many stock cabinets are made of particleboard or plywood covered in veneer and are not built to last. At Edgewood Cabinetry, our stock cabinets are always built from natural wood and are of the same superior quality as our custom cabinets. They’re simply made in standard sizes and don’t come with custom features.

Semi-custom cabinets are cheaper than fully-custom cabinets but still allow you to add some custom features. You can modify accents or add accessories, within the confines of standard stock cabinet sizes. If you’d like a few custom features but don’t have the budget to invest in fully custom cabinets, semi-custom cabinets are the way to go.

Finally, custom cabinets give you an unlimited range of options. You can customize every detail and add as many features as you like. Plus, custom cabinets are built to fit your space, so they don’t leave awkward gaps. And they allow you to maximize space by transforming every available inch into usable storage. The sky is the limit when it comes to custom cabinet options, so this is the choice to make your dream kitchen come to life.

4. What Options Do You Love?

Think about how you use your space and which features you need. Custom options and accessories always raise the price of your cabinets, but it’s a worthwhile investment to increase the beauty and utility of your kitchen. For example, you can add lazy Susans, drawer inserts, cabinet organizes, spice racks, pull-outs, and more. Decide what features are most important to you and which are nice-to-haves. That way, you’re prepared to make decisions when you begin getting quotes.

Ready to get started on your new kitchen cabinets? Contact us here. We’re happy to help.

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Country Kitchen or Modern? Six Design Considerations to Help You Decide

Remodeling your kitchen is exciting, but it can also be difficult to decide exactly what you want. Will a cozy country kitchen become the heart of your home, or is a sleek, modern kitchen more your style? Since you’re investing time and money into your remodeling project, you understandably want to make sure you choose a design you’ll love for years to come. Here are six design considerations to help you decide.

1. Overall Feel

First, you need to consider the overall feeling you want from your kitchen. Do you find sleek, clean, horizontal lines exhilirating? Or would you prefer a cozier, more rustic style that invites your family and friends to sit and have a long chat over meals? Do you like to have everything out of sight, or do you enjoy displaying pots, canisters, utensils, and decorative items?

If you would rather have a sleek, streamlined kitchen, a modern style is best for you. In contrast, if you’d like your kitchen to feel warm and cozy, a country style is a better choice.

2. Range

Your range is often a focal point in the kitchen, so you’ll want it to match the overall design. A cast iron range cooker is the quintessential choice for a country kitchen, but you can also create a country style with a brightly-colored range, or well-chosen neutral colors. On the other hand, stainless steel is the go-to option for a modern kitchen.

Remember, your range hood will also factor into the look of your kitchen. That’s why we offer custom range hoods and vents to match your cabinets and overall design.

3. Colors

Colors play a big part in creating the style you’re looking for. A modern kitchen typically uses black, grey, or white, in combination with stainless steel appliances. On the other hand, a country kitchen may make use of white elements for an airy feel, add brighter colors like blues or yellows, or focus on the wooden elements, by featuring glazed or stained maple, hickory, or oak.

4. Lighting

Your choice of lighting will also impact your kitchen’s style. Modern kitchens typically feature bright lighting that accentuates the sleek lines and smooth surfaces of the kitchen. Additionally, modern kitchens typically have few fixtures, so recessed lighting is often a good choice. Conversely, country kitchens often opt for warmer lighting, decorative fixtures, and plenty of natural light.

5. Accents and Hardware

Your choice of accents and hardware can make or break your look. If you prefer a minamalist style, a modern kitchen will work well for you. Modern kitchens typically include slim, sleek hardware and few, if any, accents. On the other hand, if you enjoy decorative accents and hardware, a country kitchen is the perfect choice. You’ll be able to add tons of charm through decorative accents and hardware like wrought iron fixtures, wire mesh, a butler’s sink, brass rails, and colored tiles.

6. Cabinets

Cabinets may be the most important design element in your kitchen. They take up much of your kitchen’s space, so getting them right is crucial. If you’ve decided that you prefer a modern, sleek look, you’ll typically want cabinets that have flat surfaces to create a streamlined effect. You may choose not to include visible hardware, or opt for thin, horizontal cabinet pulls that follow the same sleek lines as the rest of your kitchen.

More partial to a provincial or farmhouse atmosphere? Raised panel doors, decorative glass panels, and wire mesh will all add to the country appeal of your kitchen. Consider featuring a custom pantry with barn doors, or a cold larder to infuse your kitchen with old-time country charm.

Whether you choose to have a country kitchen or a modern one, Edgewood Cabinetry is here to help. We’ll work with you to help you design cabinets that fit perfectly with the style you want to achieve.  And with our plethora of custom options, you can be certain your kitchen cabinets will offer every functional element you need in a style you love. Contact us here to get started.

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7 Tips For A Better Kitchen Island

7 Tips For A Better Kitchen Island

A kitchen island gives you extra space for cooking, prep, storage and more. However, all islands aren’t created the same.

Much like your kitchen, the best kitchen island is completely unique to you. There isn’t just one design to pick from.

Boost your island to the next level and make it even more useful and amazing. All it takes is a few tweaks to make it exactly what you need.

1. Decide Why You Want A Kitchen Island

The first step is to decide why you want a kitchen island. Most kitchens, even small ones, are able to accommodate an island. However, before you add one, you need to decide what you’ll use it for. For instance, if you’ll use it for cooking, you’ll want to add a stove, vent hood and maybe even a sink. If you’re using it mainly for prep, you probably just need a sink. However, if it’s mainly for extra storage and more general prep, you might just need a countertop and no sink.

Picking the right purpose helps you make the most of your space. For instance, if you don’t need a sink in your island, you’ll have more counter space for other things. HGTV and The Trending House both have incredible island ideas to show you just how unique these can be.

2. Consider A Duel-Height Island

You’ve probably seem most kitchen islands have a single height. There’s nothing wrong with it, but you may want to consider a duel-height island. This gives you a handy nook for hiding smaller items and can even help prevent items from falling off the back while you’re prepping food. It’s also a nice way to provide a separate area just for eating or as a small bar.

3. Optimize Storage Space

No matter what your kitchen island is for, the best way to make it better is to optimize the storage space. Back to back cabinets are always a great option. In the work side, you’ll store more commonly used items. These will vary based on your island’s purpose, but pots, pans and countertop appliances are great things to store on this side.

On the opposite side, cabinets are often shallower. This gives you space for storing smaller items. Of course, you can get as creative as you want with storage options. If you don’t have a sink or oven, you may choose to have drawers at the top and open space at the bottom with shelves or baskets. You can have shelves or bins on each end to store random items, such as frequently used cookbooks or even kids’ toys.

4. Create A Small Eating Area

A kitchen island often replaces a dining area in smaller kitchens. This is also where a duel-height island works well to separate the eating area and the prep area. However, this isn’t necessary. To make it more comfortable to sit at the island, add an indented area for your stools or chairs to slide under. For stools, you may also consider adding a bar near the bottom as a foot rest. Carefully measure your island to ensure you get the right height chairs to work for your island.

5. Make It Functional

Sometimes, it’s easy to get so excited about a kitchen island that you forget to make it functional. Yes, they look great, but if it doesn’t make your kitchen more useful, it’s not helping you. Place your island to give you ample space to move around while still making it easy to jump between your island and your main kitchen cabinets, oven, refrigerator and so on.

Store items in the island that you would actually use on the island. If your oven’s in the island, store your most frequently used pots and pans just to the side of the oven inside deep cabinets. Your island should be functional and make using your kitchen much easier.

6. Add Ample Lighting

Since your island is supposed to be functional, you’ll need to be able to see what you’re doing. Typically, kitchen lighting is focused around your cabinets. This may mean your kitchen island isn’t lit as well as it should be. Add lighting directly over the island. A single bright light may be all you need or two smaller lights.

7. Expand The Island

Finally, consider ways to expand your island, especially in smaller kitchens. For instance, you might have a few feet of extra counter that slides out to add extra prep space or even an eating area. Legs on either corner can fold out to stabilize it. This can be added to both sides. You may even have a panel that looks like a flat panel covering shelves on either end that lifts up to create extra space.

Want to design a better kitchen island for your kitchen? Contact Edgewood Cabinetry today to discuss your plans.

Image: Jason Pofahl

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Edgewood Cabinetry kitchen cabinets Raleigh NC
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Big Considerations for Kitchen Remodeling

Like all home projects, a kitchen remodel can get out of hand without careful planning. According to data from the Research Institute for Cooking and Kitchen Intelligence, 47% of homeowners who have undergone kitchen remodeling wished they could have done something different given a second chance.

The good news is such a scenario is entirely preventable. It just takes some careful considerations and forethought to make sure the process goes smoothly from start to finish. Though there are numerous factors to consider, the most important one is getting your hands on quality products that maximize functionality and provide lasting comfort. Regardless, failure to consider other factors will surely put your project at risk, so before you start tearing down those old kitchen walls, here are some considerations.

Consider a Flexible Budget

Edgewood Cabinetry kitchen cabinets Raleigh NCWeighing the costs of a kitchen remodel is one of the most challenging and essential tasks. Since a budget creates constraints, big decisions such as design changes, which appliances to be used, or type of lighting are influenced by it. If the budget doesn’t permit a specific desire, you will be forced to cut out other items to accommodate the change.

With a flexible budget, you are giving yourself more leeway to accommodate changes. This flexibility means that you are opening yourself up to more options and opportunities to weed out bad decisions, whether it be a more lavish design, brighter kitchen space, or updated cabinetry.

Since a kitchen remodel is a lifetime investment, you might pour in reasonable sums of money to your budget to make sure that you get your hands on your dream kitchen.

Stick to the Current Kitchen Layout

Basing the new kitchen design to the current kitchen layout will help you save you more money. In particular, significant parts of the kitchen, such as plumbing, electric circuits, or gas lines, shouldn’t be touched to avoid unnecessary expensive re-works.

Consequently, some design aspects will have to be based on the current kitchen layout meaning the fridge, outlets, fixtures, and sink will have to stay in place. However, this approach is not written in stone provided that you are willing to spend more. If your design preferences require a complete overhaul of the kitchen, including major re-routing works, then, by all means, do it.

Consider New Appliances

Edgewood Cabinetry home tips kitchen cabinetsSince you are remodeling for a better kitchen space, new appliances should be on your item list. The only downside of it is its high upfront cost. If your budget allows it, then, by all means, purchase the newest appliance in the market.

On the other hand, you can always opt for a downgraded version provided that it meets your expectations in terms of quality and energy-efficient features. The appliance is guaranteed to realize returns throughout its lifetime in the form of fewer utility bills, longevity, and convenience.

The placement of new appliances such as dishwashers or microwaves may require additional wiring or plumbing.

Seek Professional Help from Designers

No one knows better than you how you want your kitchen to look, but seeking professional help from designers can enhance your plans smoothly from start to finish. They are aware of the most common kitchen remodeling mistakes and will guide you accordingly. Since they are professionals, have the technical expertise to execute what you are envisioning. Years of experience under their belts make them the ultimate guide for your project, whether it be which products to purchase, how to reconfigure walls and ceilings, or what type of appliance to choose. The designer can offer fantastic advice based on your specific needs.

Kitchen remodels can be expensive, so let us make it unique with custom kitchen cabinets in Raleigh NC at an affordable price. Call Edgewood Cabinetry at 919-339-7300 to set up an appointment to help you with your dream kitchen plans.

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Expert Tips For Removing Your Old Kitchen

Expert Tips For Removing Your Old Kitchen

Removing your kitchen isn’t the easiest thing to do, but it’s a satisfying process. Suddenly, your kitchen is a blank canvas for your new dream kitchen. Depending on the extent of your kitchen renovation, you might not need to remove everything. However, you do need to remove things in a certain order. Doing it the way the experts do will help you finish faster, stay safer during the process and avoid damaging anything you still want to keep.

Prep For Removing Your Old Kitchen

Expert Tips For Removing Your Old KitchenBefore removing your old kitchen, you need to do a little prep work. The main things you need to do include:

  • Clean out all cabinets, drawers and appliances (you can keep your refrigerator and freezer going until you’re ready to move out appliances)
  • Get gloves and goggles to protect yourself
  • Get a large dumpster delivered if you’re throwing out cabinets, countertops, flooring, etc.
  • Have your new kitchen almost ready to install, such as having new custom cabinets ready to be installed as soon as you’re finished removing everything
  • Have someone to help you (never do this alone to avoid getting hurt)

Prepping means you won’t have to wait so long between removing the old and getting the new kitchen.

Disconnect Everything

Since you’ll be removing your sink and appliances, you’ll need to disconnect your water, gas (if applicable) and electricity to your kitchen. This prevents leaks and shocks when trying to remove things. Often, wires run behind your kitchen cabinets, so it’s safer to turn off the electricity when you’re trying to take them down. If you know where your wires run and can take down your cabinets safely, you don’t need to turn off your electricity until you’re ready to start removing appliances and light fixtures.

Protect The Floor And Other Rooms

Edgewood Cabinetry home tips kitchen cabinetsIf you’re not changing your floors, use a drop cloth to protect them. Despite your best intentions, you will drop things when removing your old kitchen. Also, try to seal off the area by putting plastic over any entrances to other connecting rooms. This helps contain the mess while you’re working. You may also want to put down a drop cloth if you need to walk through other rooms to take out the things you’re removing.

Take Down Anything You Want To Keep

If you want to keep any light fixtures, cabinet hardware and things hanging on your walls, take them down. It’s easy for things to get broken or lost once you really start removing things. For instance, in trying to remove upper wall cabinets, you can easily break a hanging fixture.

Remove The Sink

Before you remove any cabinets or countertops, you have to remove the sink. Double-check that your water is turned off or you’ll turn your kitchen into a swimming pool. If you want to keep your sink and/or faucet fixture, store them carefully in another room or area to avoid any damage.

Remove Upper Cabinets

The next step is to remove your upper cabinets. Do this before removing your countertops. Removing your old kitchen is a lot easier when you can balance your wall cabinets on your bottom cabinets. To remove cabinets safely, remove the doors, drawers and any other moving parts before taking them down. If you plan on giving the cabinets away, label the parts so the new owner knows how to put everything back together.

Remove Countertops And Backsplashes

Now that you’re done balancing your cabinets on the countertops, it’s time to safely remove the countertops and backsplashes. For longer sections of countertops, you may need help lifting them. If you’re not reusing them or donating them, carefully cut them into small sections.

Remove Cabinets

Finally, remove your bottom cabinets. The process works the same as your upper wall cabinets. Take out any drawers, remove the doors and take out any movable storage solutions.

Remove Appliances

The last step is removing your appliances. Unless they’ll be in the exact same spot, you’ll likely need to remove your appliances. This gives you room to install new cabinets, light fixtures, countertops and more. Turn off the electricity to your kitchen before removing your appliances to avoid getting shocked.

Removing your old kitchen may take a few days. However, your new kitchen is waiting. Start the entire process by letting us build your custom cabinets for your brand new kitchen.

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What To Look For When Designing Your Dream Kitchen

What To Look For When Designing Your Dream Kitchen

Designing your dream kitchen gives you the chance to finally get the look, storage and function you want. But, you’ll probably discover there are quite a few choices to make. Maybe you like several types of design styles. What kind of storage works best? How can you choose between those stunning grey and beige granite countertops? It all comes down to knowing what to look for to not only get your dream kitchen but a kitchen you’ll truly love for years to come.

Try A Transitional Style

What To Look For When Designing Your Dream KitchenIf you’re having a hard time deciding between styles, a transitional style is the best choice to look for. Designing your dream kitchen means choosing something that you’ll want to use for years. A completely modern style might not make you happy a few years later. On the other hand, an older style might get boring quickly.

Kitchen trends come and go, but you probably have certain styles and features you still love no matter what. A transitional style means you merge more traditional themes with modern elements. Transitional styles are the most popular choice for kitchens, but you can definitely customize them to your dream kitchen.

Look For Innovative Storage

Drawers and cabinets aren’t the only storage options for kitchens. When designing your dream kitchen, look for innovative storage ideas customized to your needs. For example, you might have a wine rack in between two upper cabinets. Or, you might use your baseboard area to add a pan drawer. We have quite a few guides to help you see just how many storage options are available:

Opt For Custom Cabinets

When designing your dream kitchen, always look for custom cabinets. Stock cabinets can work, but you’ll always feel like you’re compromising in certain areas. Plus, it’s difficult to fully maximize your space when you’re forced to only use a few specific sizes.

Custom cabinets give you choices. Choose the size, function, organization and much more. You can even choose the materials used. Your kitchen will thank you for going custom and your friends will envy your unique kitchen.

Combine Elements From Various Sources

Edgewood Cabinetry cabinetsWhile you may already have a dream kitchen in mind, take some time to look at other kitchens. Browse through images on Pinterest. Check out friends’ and family’s kitchens. Look at current trends and various styles.

Now for the fun part. Don’t try to just copy someone else’s kitchen. Combine the elements you love into your dream kitchen. A specific color, type of lighting, cabinet style, organization methods and so on can all come from different sources. Together, they create a kitchen you’ll love.

Think About Function And Convenience

Designing your dream kitchen also means deciding on the right layout. You’ll want to look for cabinets and appliances that best fit the layout you want. Think carefully about the function and convenience when designing a layout. You’ll want to design your cabinets to make it easy to reach things as you cook and entertain. The more convenient and functional, the more dream-like it’ll feel every time you walk into your kitchen.

Match Your Home At Least A Little

It’s easy to get carried away, but the last thing you want is to design your dream kitchen and discover it clashes horribly with the rest of your home. While your kitchen doesn’t need to match exactly, it shouldn’t be a shock to the eyes when you walk in. Add design elements that help your kitchen match, at least a little. This is especially true if you have an open kitchen that connects with your dining room and/or living room.

Designing your dream kitchen is fun. Contact us today to find out how we can help create the custom kitchen cabinets of your dreams.

Image: Sidekix Media

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Renovating Your Kitchen

Renovating Your Kitchen – This Is The Process

Renovating your kitchen can be an exciting time. You’re eager to get the cabinets of your dreams, more space to cook and a completely new look to your kitchen.

However, all of this doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time to plan, coordinate contractors and turn your current kitchen into a dream come true.

Don’t let the process deter you from remodeling your kitchen. However, before you get started, take a quick look at the process itself so you know what to expect.

Planning

The first step is probably the most important – the planning phase. Take as long as you need to figure out exactly what you want. Visit home improvement stores, watch kitchen and home remodeling shows, get lost on Pinterest and think about what’s most important to you.

Also, think about how big of a kitchen renovation you want to tackle. Do you just want new cabinets? What about a completely new layout? Do you need new plumbing or electrical outlets? The bigger the renovation, the more planning involved.

It doesn’t hurt to talk to friends or family who’ve renovated in recent years to get an idea of how they planned and what the finished product actually looked like.

During this phase, try to balance what you want with what’s realistic. No matter how hard you try, you only have a set amount of space, so you have to plan based on what you can realistically do.

Budgeting

Now that you have an idea of what you want, it’s time for the compromising portion. Go ahead and get estimates for what you’re looking to do to see if it fits your budget.

If it doesn’t, it’s time to decide where you can make some changes. For instance, choosing a different type of wood for your cabinets or opting for a different type of kitchen flooring can drastically change your costs. Leave some wiggle room in your budget for unexpected costs, such as discovering a weak spot after your kitchen flooring is removed.

Choosing Contractors

The next step is probably the hardest. You have to decide who will renovate your kitchen. It’s vital to be careful as choosing the wrong contractor not only makes renovating your kitchen a nightmare, but destroys your budget quickly. Carefully review your options and don’t just go with the cheapest or fastest available. Sometimes it pays to spend a little more for higher quality work, even if you have to wait a little longer to get your dream kitchen.

Make sure you choose contractors that are able to work together. For instance, you don’t want to have your cabinets being installed before your floors or walls or finished. You need to coordinate a team to handle everything. Ideally, you want to renovate your kitchen starting with the plumbing and electricity. Then you’ll renovate the walls and floor. The final step is appliances and cabinets.

Choose Your Layout

Before your contractors get started, you have to determine the final layout. Your contractors can help with this. For instance, if you’re wanting a wall removed or added, they can tell you what is and isn’t possible. They can also show you examples of other kitchens they’ve done to give you an idea of what yours might look like when completed.

Designing Cabinets

Now that you’ve gotten the layout out of the way, it’s time to start designing your cabinets. Your contractors for everything else, need to know the specifications of your cabinets. After all, the placement and sizes of your cabinets determine where your major appliances will go and how electrical and plumbing needs to be done.

For instance, if you’re wanting an island as part of your kitchen renovation, your electrician will need to rewire your kitchen to add power to the oven in your island.

Setting Timelines

This part will be tricky, so be prepared. It’s hard for contractors to give you an exact date sometimes. After all, they are all working together. Rushing them won’t work and will just result in poor quality. However, it’s reasonable to set realistic deadlines. You don’t want your remodel to take years.

Instead, insist on regular communication with everyone to ensure the project is staying on schedule and no one is slacking off.

Overcoming Obstacles

There will be obstacles, so be prepared. Even with the best contractors, you might run into issues such as the wrong parts coming in or not being able to get an inspector to come in when necessary. Don’t let this get you down. Just be ready to roll with the punches.

Enjoying The Finished Product

Now for the part you’ve been waiting for – sitting back and enjoying the finished product. Renovating your kitchen might be stressful at times, but it’s all worth it when you walk in and see a completely new room.

Want to learn more about our part in your kitchen renovation? Check out our FAQs to learn more about our process and what to expect.

Image: Carl Gartman

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refrigerator cabinet end panel

Cabinet Installation

A recent install is awaiting granite installation in Cary NC and the customer can’t wait to start filling the cabinets.

Sherwin Williams Pure White, raised panel doors give this traditional kitchen with an island cooktop a brand new look.
#cabinetinstall #cabinetdesign #kitchencabinets #kitchenremodel

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Choosing Kitchen Cabinets

6 Things To Consider When Choosing Kitchen Cabinets

Choosing kitchen cabinets often feels overwhelming. With so many choices, where do you even start?

While you could just browse Pinterest and home improvement blogs (which are both great ways to compare styles), it’s also a good idea to create an initial checklist to help narrow your options.

The one important thing to remember is you should always pick what’s best for you in the long term. After all, high-quality kitchen cabinets can last a lifetime or more.

1. Cabinet Door Styles

While it is important to think of things like what type of wood and finish you want, a top consideration when choosing kitchen cabinets is your cabinet door style. Your doors are the focal point of your cabinets. Choosing a door style can change the entire theme of your kitchen.

The Spruce lists eight of the most common varieties, but you’re always free to try something different or even mix styles together to create your own. For instance, you might mix glass insert doors with slab style doors for a modern, yet minimalist style kitchen.

2. Function Of Cabinets

Function should always be a consideration. For instance, an open shelving theme isn’t going to work well with cabinets that are going to be used for canned goods, stacks of cookies and snacks and other items that may make your kitchen seem more cluttered than organized.

If counter space is more important than storage space, you might choose to have your top cabinets much shorter to allow for taller appliances to sit on the counter. If you tend to use numerous smaller items, you may want cabinets with more drawers than shelves.

When considering function, also consider the layout. After all, the layout makes it easier to accomplish what you want. HGTV lists six popular layouts that will guide you in choosing your own.

3. Style Of Your Kitchen

Choosing kitchen cabinets isn’t quite as difficult if you know what the style of your kitchen is. Of course, if you’re doing a remodel, you may have plans to change all that. However, your cabinets should match your kitchen’s style. For instance, if you want a more rustic look, you wouldn’t want more ornate cabinet doors and bright white finishes. You probably wouldn’t have oddly shaped cabinets, such as corner cabinets.

If you’re scratching your head and trying to figure out a theme, don’t worry. Before you shop or work with a designer, check out these styles from Houzz and Cabin Life.

4. Mixing With Hardware

Usually, hardware is the last thing anyone thinks about. But, think about how much of a style impact door and drawer handles make. You can take basic slab style doors and drawer faces and spice them up with vintage hardware or funky pop culture/hobby style hardware. For instance, if you’re creating a farmhouse theme, you might play around a bit with farm animal and tool shaped hardware.

5. Custom Sizes And Shapes

Stock cabinets are wonderful, especially when you’re in a hurry, such as after major water damage from your dishwasher fritzing out. However, choosing kitchen cabinets doesn’t mean you have to settle for standard sizing only. Custom kitchen cabinets are ideal for anyone who needs special sizing and shapes. For instance, maybe you need a cabinet that’s three inches shorter than all your other top cabinets to place your espresso machine under. You might have a corner where you want a large free-standing cabinet that functions much like an island.

6. Organization Style

Finally, think about your organization style. Do you want cabinets that offer more space on the outsides for hanging pans or something with custom shelving for stacking pots and pans? This is where custom cabinets really help. You’re able to get more organization options, such as various sizing for different types of items. You’re also able to mix and match styles a bit to create a theme that’s all your own. For instance, you may have two cabinets that are nothing but drawers and glass insert top cabinets for showcasing your best china.

Are you ready to start choosing kitchen cabinets now? Contact us today to learn more about our custom kitchen cabinetry services.

Image: TA9141985

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