Choosing the best kitchen cabinet design is essential for creating a cohesive kitchen style. Your kitchen cabinet design depends on what style you want your kitchen to embody. There are cabinet options for every design preference, from modern, to traditional and eclectic.

The primary cabinet considerations are cabinet color, styles, hardware, and location. Follow these tips for the main cabinet considerations so that your kitchen remodeling results in your ideal cooking space.

Let Your Kitchen’s Style Inform Your Cabinet Decisions

Before you can make all the decisions about your cabinets’ style, you need to have a vision for your kitchen. The current popular design options include sleek modern kitchens, cozy cottage decor, and timeless traditional setups.

While these three styles serve as examples of informing your cabinet decisions, you should research your own desired kitchen style and match it with your home’s general design scheme. You’ll be the one cooking and living in it, so you have to love your choices.

Modern Style Cabinetry

The modern kitchen is designed to keep clutter to a minimum. That refers to removing visual clutter and physically decluttering a countertop. Cabinets are a prominent feature in a kitchen, so they need to be minimalist to work with this design scheme. A simple color palette for the cabinet and its hardware is ideal.

Stainless steel hardware on a reflective black panel door is a popular choice for this decor scheme. Leave cabinet frames out and rely on the breaks between the cabinets to create vertical and horizontal lines. Horizontal wood grain can work in modern style cabinetry if it is straight rather than flowy and knotted.

Cottage Style Cabinetry

A kitchen with a cottage vibe is comfortable, casual, and carefree. It is the stylistic brethren of a beach house-themed kitchen. The colors reflect light well, and there are splashes of vibrant colors like yellow or turquoise.

Lighter cabinets with worn and ornate hardware enhance the cottage vibe. Choose cabinets with raised panel doors to give the kitchen more crisp lines.

Traditional Kitchen Cabinets

Traditionally designed kitchens are for those who want their kitchen to stay stylish regardless of yearly trends. A traditional kitchen is homey and warm, with elegance spread throughout.

Cabinets with detailed profiles and solid wood finishes are common in traditional kitchens. Ornate handles and knobs adorn the cabinet doors. Symmetry and balance are essential for the cabinet layout.

Move Your Cabinets Under the Countertops

Removing the upper cabinetry from your kitchen is one way to open up your kitchen space and give you more design options. If your kitchen is large enough and has a lot of counter space, you may be able to remove the above-counter storage. You can replace that cabinetry with large windows if you have a great view or recessed shelving for decorations or decorative storage.

Moving your cabinets under the counter also lends itself to choosing a unique color and finish. Since the cabinets no longer dominate the kitchen landscape, they can be used as an eye-catching accent instead. This choice is excellent for eclectic kitchens that thrive on bold color schemes and fun decor.

Under-the-counter cabinetry can also be designed for modern kitchens. Removing upper cabinets declutters the space, which is in line with modern design principles. Outfit the remaining cabinets with minimalistic cabinet door styles to continue the contemporary theme and let in light with a window above the sink.

Install Cabinets in the Kitchen Island

Kitchen islands are a must-have in popular kitchen styles. Not only are they trendy, but they earn a high return on investment when included in a kitchen remodel. To make your kitchen island functional and stylish, consider installing custom cabinets.

The style of cabinet you choose for your kitchen island is dependent on your kitchen style, but it can be different from the rest of your kitchen cabinets. Island cabinets with a bold color, different from the rest of the cabinets, create a lively space for entertaining guests. Slight variations in cabinet color break up an open floor plan by creating a visual barrier for the kitchen where a physical barrier is missing.

If you use your island for seating, you can install shallow cabinets that store rarely used kitchen appliances. Not only does this declutter your other cabinets, but it adds texture to what would otherwise be a monolithic side of the island.

Light-colored cabinetry complements dark natural stone island countertops. Dark wood finished cabinets are ideal for lighter countertops, like speckled beige granite.

Consult With Experienced Kitchen Designers

While some general rules and trends recommend specific cabinet styles, finishes, colors, and layouts, the truth is every kitchen and home is unique. To get the best kitchen cabinet design, you need to consider your kitchen and home styling goals.

Everything from what cabinet door handle you choose to the accent color of your island cabinets contributes to the cohesion of your kitchen with your whole home.

At Motor City Granite & Cabinets, we have accrued over 30 years of combined experience advising homeowners on kitchen and bathroom remodeling. If you are in Oakland County or the Detroit area, contact us for more information about our cabinetry, countertops, and remodeling services.