Do you plan to renovate your kitchen? Then you’ve probably saved a couple of kitchen cabinet ideas on Pinterest and are looking further to replace your old ones with new stylish ones. This article can get you started.
If you have a passion for cooking, you already know that the kitchen is the soul of a house. The only room where sophisticated culinary styles mix with the intensity of a fun night spent together with friends or family. When speaking about kitchens, the focal point has always been the cabinet. No matter the room’s shape or size, cabinetry plays a paramount role in defining the style and layout.
However, it would help to consider several variable factors before buying kitchen cabinets. Read the following list to determine if the kitchen cabinets you plan to install fit your overall house style and needs.
What style of kitchen cabinets better fit your layout?
The room’s layout shouldn’t impact the unit style you choose, but it can influence it. If you have a large family kitchen where everyone gathers daily to prepare meals and eat together, you should look for farmhouse-style cabinets that would work great with a large island. On the other hand, if you need to install cabinetry in a small apartment kitchen, you may find it more suitable to install a modern, streamlined design that allows you to maximise space and light.
What are the best quality kitchen cabinets?
When you look for kitchen cabinets, you mainly check the doors and ignore the carcasses the drawer fronts and doors are attached to. They have a structural role in supporting the worktops and house and storing your tools and equipment. They aren’t visible with the doors closed, so you can easily overlook them. However, it would help if you didn’t neglect to check how sturdy they are because they have a huge impact on your kitchen’s performance and functionality.
The quality and density of the materials used to craft the carcasses directly impacts the cupboards’ lifetime. Low-density chipboard is a widely used material for kitchen cabinets as it’s more affordable than other variants. However, to make an informed decision, you should know what solutions are available on the market.
Melamine-faced chipboard cabinets – this material is a staple of entry-level kitchens as it’s durable and affordable. The chipboard core contains paper, sawdust, and scrap wood and is faced in a melamine laminate. Homeowners usually like it because it has an easy to clean, moisture resistant, and anti-fungal surface. However, we should mention that the core can blow and expand if moisture gets in, so ensuring that the carcass is well-sealed is recommended.
Medium-density fibreboard cabinets – this is another type of mass-produced board. It’s more expensive than melamine-faced chipboard because it’s smoother, denser, and stronger. MDF contains no knots and is sap because it’s made from felted wood fibres. You can find it in a wide range of finishes.
Timber-faced MDF – if you want to install cabinets that look like real wood, you may prefer timber-faced MDF units that have a thin veneer of timber on both sides to make them look as if they’re made from a single piece of wood.
Plywood cabinets – plywood cabinets are a premium range of kitchen units mostly used for bespoke furniture. They’re solid and stable, but their weight can prove a challenge for wall-hung units.
Real wood cabinets – furniture manufacturers state that solid timber in single planks is impractical for kitchen carcasses because it warps in time. But if you want real wood cabinets, you can opt for units made from multi-stave boards that contain narrow staves of wood placed together.
Do you want bespoke or standard kitchen cabinets?
If you search for a provider of kitchen units for sale, you’ll notice that most companies offer both standard and bespoke units. They usually manufacture carcasses in standard European sizes, labelling them according to their width. This means that they can easily accommodate European appliance sizes, and you won’t have to worry that you won’t find tools and equipment to match their size.
However, if you want to customise your kitchen, you can reach out to a furniture provider to develop a design that fits your room layout. Decide if you prefer standard or bespoke kitchen furniture before visiting the local showroom to order new cabinets. However, keep in mind that customised furniture usually costs more than standard units. But you pay for premium quality, freedom of choice and design flexibility.
Do you prefer framed or frameless cabinets?
When browsing through the styles of cabinets you can install in your kitchen, you’ll notice that some are described as framed while others are frameless.
Framed cabinets are made of a box (basically the cabinet) and a face frame (a structure installed to the front of the unit to reinforce drawers and doors). This solution is more suitable for small rooms as the boxes are thinner and fit in tight areas.
Frameless cabinets usually feature thicker boxes to which the drawers and doors are directly fastened. If you want a sturdier solution, ask the furniture provider for cabinet boxes made from at least half-inch thick materials. Because they have no face frame, it’s easier to access the full interior of the unit. Frameless cabinets are a common European style and are more suitable for modern and contemporary houses.
How much do you want to spend?
Before browsing for cabinet styles and models, consider how much you afford to spend and your intentions for the house in the long run. If you want to rent or sell it in the future, you can skimp because a kitchen remodel doesn’t offer a great return on investment. But if you want to get old in this house and want to build your dream kitchen, you can invest in premium bespoke cabinets.
Depending on your needs and available funds, you can choose from a wide range of cabinets. Keep in mind that customisation can increase the cost.
