Designs For Kitchen Cabinets

Kitchen cabinets are the most important design element for your kitchen. There are three categories of kitchen cabinets: stock, semicustom, and custom.

Stock kitchen cabinets are found in many styles at home improvement stores or from manufacturers catalogs. The kitchen cabinets come only in set sizes. Sizes start at 9 inches and increase by 3 inches up to 48 inches.

Semicustom kitchen cabinets are standard size units with modifications. Some options for semi-custom cabinets are matching interior and exterior finishes and different depths for a unique look. Chose from many styles, construction materials and colors rather than the limited amount found in stock cabinetry.

Custom kitchen cabinets can be any size or style because they are made to your design specifications. Match your existing woodwork with custom kitchen cabinets. Pieces can be free standing or built-in to look like furniture. The greatest thing about custom cabinets is that you can have special features like an extra long cabinet without partitions to fit trays and large pans. The wait for custom cabinets is at least six to ten weeks.

Storage Options for Kitchen Cabinets


Kitchen cabinets need to be not only attractive, but functional. Cabinetry can have bins, baskets, and deep drawers for storage. A lazy Susan is ideal for reaching all of the items in a corner cabinet.

Kitchen Cabinet Designs

■Country
■Traditional
■Transitional
■Contemporary
■Rustic
■Arts and Crafts
■Old World

Country Kitchen Cabinets

Country kitchen cabinets are painted, glazed or distressed. French country incorporates cherry or oak cabinets with raised or recessed panels. An English country kitchen cabinet designs are square accented by curves. These cabinets have a light natural look so they are usually pine or oak. Crown and rope molding are all characteristics of English country. Country cottage kitchen cabinets are painted white with distressed finishes for an aged appearance.

Traditional Kitchen Cabinets

Traditional kitchen cabinets are cherry, walnut, or mahogany with raised panels on the doors. Crown and rope molding, fluting, corbels and a lot of ornamentation are found in the traditional kitchen cabinet design. Traditional kitchen cabinets include Victorian, Italianate, and Georgian designs. Victorian style cabinets have arched and raised panel doors. Cream painted cabinets with ornate onlays, rope moldings and carved reliefs are all features of the Italianate kitchen cabinet. Georgian kitchen cabinets are formal in cherry or walnut woods with heavy crown moldings and stacked cabinets that reach to the ceiling. Other traditional designs are Cape Cod, Neoclassical, Early American, Manor and Shaker.

Transitional Kitchen Cabinets

Transitional cabinetry combines elements from both traditional and contemporary designs with a mix of natural and man-made materials. An example of a transitional kitchen is taking the traditional Shaker design and implementing a lighter color palette and not hiding appliances behind wood panels.

Contemporary Kitchen Cabinets

Contemporary kitchen cabinets are modern, geometric or curved. They are free of molding or ornamentation. Cabinets can be stainless steel, white or bright color laminate. When wood is used it is lightly grained like birch, ash or maple. Doors are slab or horizontal lift-up styles with glass inserts.

Rustic Kitchen Cabinets

Heavily grained woods such as knotty pine, hickory or alder are used for rustic kitchen cabinets. The cabinets have flat panel doors and pieces that look like furniture. Common colored stains on rustic kitchen cabinets are red, green or yellow. The rustic design is rooted in distinct regional images like Adirondack, Pacific Northwest and Southwestern.

Arts and Crafts kitchen cabinets

Arts and Crafts cabinets emphasize craftsmanship. The design includes recessed panel doors with thick frames. Popular woods used for Arts and Crafts cabinets are maple, birch, beech, or oak veneered. The door panel and the frame can have contrasting finishes and wood. Prairie and Mission are other Arts and Crafts styles.

Old World kitchen cabinets

Old World kitchen cabinets have a painted, cracked, distressed finish. Dish and cup racks are part of the Old World cabinetry. Bead board doors have raised panels.