When looking casually at a kitchen, people may not be aware that there is a wide spectrum of kitchen cabinet designs.
The wood chosen to build the cabinets is the kitchen cabinet design decision which will have the most affect on the appearance and the cost of the cabinets. Maple has recently edged out oak as the most popular wood for kitchen cabinets. Maple is a hardwood as are oak, cherry and birch among others. Hardwoods are more expensive to use for kitchen cabinet designs than are softwoods. Pine and cedar are softwoods. Many kitchen cabinet designs manufactured in softwood are very attractive. They are not, however, as durable as kitchen cabinet designs executed in hardwood. They do have the advantage of being less expensive. There are low end cabinets which are made of pressed wood or plywood. Steer away from these cabinets. While pressed wood or plywood kitchen cabinet designs may be cheap, they will quickly have to be replaced and their inferior quality is readily apparent. Laminates, veneers and thermofoils are all relatively recent material innovations. These resources have the benefit of allowing for tremendous creativity in the mid-price range.
Once a decision has been made on the wood to be used in the kitchen cabinet design the next important choice will be the overall style of the cabinets. Certain woods naturally lend themselves to particular types of kitchen cabinet designs. Dark cherry, hickory and birch are commonly found in more traditional kitchen cabinet designs as are pine and cedar. Laminate, veneers and thermofoils are often found in more forward thinking kitchen cabinet designs.
Hardware is another important part of kitchen cabinet design. The major variable in cabinet hardware is the type of hinge used on the cabinets. Some hinges allow for larger door openings and thus more accessibility to the contents of the cabinets; other hinge choices are exposed versus non-exposed and self-closing versus non self-closing. Any cabinet bearing the certification seal of the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association will have hardware that meets the association?s minimum standards. If the manufacturer warrants the construction of its cabinets, this should be sufficient for the functional hardware.
Standard kitchen cabinet designs and many semi-custom kitchen cabinet designs will already have drawer pulls and doorknobs. A homeowner may find that changing and/or upgrading the pulls and knobs may be a way of adding a unique personalized touch to kitchen cabinet designs. Custom kitchen cabinet designs will require that the homeowner select the drawer pulls and doorknobs. Once the basics of the kitchen cabinet design have been nailed down it is time to pin down the details. Lazy susan storage areas and simple glass front storage are relatively inexpensive ways to enhance the value of a kitchen cabinet design. Customized cabinets along with extensive use of stained and/or etched glass are kitchen cabinet design features which will rapidly increase the cost of the completed cabinets.
As with any component of home planning, the cost of kitchen cabinet design must be weighed against the pleasure it brings to the occupants and the value it adds to the home. At each juncture of the kitchen cabinet design process it is possible to make decisions which will balance cost and quality. The test is to provide the best value and most quality possible within the homeowner?s kitchen cabinet design budget.
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