Choosing the Right Cabinetry for Your Kitchen Remodel

Erica Corcoran, 314 Design Studio Kitchen and Bath Designer

When selecting cabinetry for your kitchen, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by all the options.  We advise our clients to find a product that meets the “4Ps”. That is, finding the best product at the right price that is practical for your needs and represents your personal preferences.

Cabinetry ranges in costs for many different reasons. Here we will review the impact of quality, construction, wood species, door styles and finishes on cost.

“We specialize in designing distinctive kitchens that represent our clients’ personal style preferences, lifestyle and budget.”

Cabinetry companies categorize themselves in quality grades ranging from 1) ready to assemble and in stock 2) semicustom and 3) custom. The most cost effective while still having good quality are going to be your semi-custom cabinet lines. However, most of these cabinet lines have limits as to what you can change. For example, you may be able to change a width dimension but not height or depth.

There are also 2 types of cabinetry construction: 1) framed and 2) frameless.

Frameless cabinets come from the European way of manufacturing cabinets. The advantage of this type of construction is the maximum amount of storage space. Since there isn’t a face frame and center stiles taking up room, it allows for larger openings. It also offers the “desired” look of clean lines, which is one of the most common requests we hear from 314 Design Studio clients. Frameless cabinets will continue to grow in popularity.

Frameless Kitchen

However, framed cabinetry also has its advantages. Primarily, framed cabinetry has the widest range of styles.

Frameless Kitchen Door Styles

1)  There is a standard overlay door style which will be the least expensive.  A standard overlay, or ½” overlay, will expose 1” of the face frame behind the door.

2)  Then there is a full overlay door style, or 1 ¼” overlay, which simply means you only see ¼” of the face frame.

3)  Lastly, there is the inset door style. This look is more desirable when designing a traditional or classic kitchen. It gives the cabinets an appearance of furniture. The doors are hinged to the inside of the cabinet which exposes the entire face frame. This style is going to be the most expensive of the three. (Below, photos show beaded and flush inset samples)

Flush Inset Kitchen

Full Overlay Kitchen

Other factors that drive costs:

• Wood species – Oak, maple, birch, knotty alder, cherry, hickory, walnut, mahogany, etc.
• Door style – Slab, flat panel or raised panel
• Finish options – Standard stain vs. enamel (enamel costs more), glazing/brush glazing, distressing options (such as wormholing), dry brushing, rub-through, spatters, and knife cuts

Take a look at one of our product vendors, Yorktowne Cabinetry, who has done a nice job outlining finishing options in their photo gallery.

Whether you want to replace your kitchen cabinetry, remodel your entire kitchen, or build a custom kitchen in a new home, Mike and I look forward to working with you!