How to choose the best cabinet door style for your home is often the most important design decision you’ll make during a kitchen remodel. When you walk into the room, for instance, the cabinet door styles are typically the first thing you notice because they set the tone for the entire space. Whether you want something sleek and modern or warm and traditional, selecting the right look involves understanding the anatomy of the cabinet door.
Anatomy of a Cabinet Door
Typically, a frame surrounds the door as shown below, although some modern styles eliminate the frame entirely. Inside the frame is the center panel. This panel can be flat, raised or recessed.
Furthermore, the material you choose impacts the cabinet door’s longevity. While solid wood offers beautiful grain variation, it can be temperamental in kitchens without climate control. Consequently, wood often shrinks or expands with humidity, which may lead to warping.
In contrast, medium-density fiberboard (MDF) solves this problem, because it’s an engineered material made from compressed wood fibers and resin. As a result, it resists movement to humidity changes the way solid wood does. Additionally, the surface is smooth and uniform, making it the ideal choice for painted finishes. Furthermore, paint adheres evenly and won’t highlight grain lines or knots the way it might on natural wood.
Framed vs Frameless
To understand door styles, you must also understand the cabinet box, behind the door. Boxes come in two options framed and frameless. Think of a picture frame, on the front of the cabinet box behind the door as shown below. Doors and drawers mount to the frame; however, the interior of the cabinet is slightly smaller for framed cabinets.
Doors on framed cabinets can be inset, overlay and partial overlay. Inset means the door is flush with a wide frame. Overlay often called full overlay covers almost the whole frame, while partial overlay leaves more room around the cabinet frame, exposing more of the box.
A frameless cabinet has no frame around the box. These cabinets are also known as ‘European Style’. The hardware mounts directly to the cabinet box; therefore, the interior is slightly larger. From a style standpoint, framed cabinets are traditional and classic, whereas frameless cabinets are modern and minimalist.
Shaker
A 5-piece construction defines the shaker door style. A frame around the door typically two to three inches wide with a flat recessed panel in the middle. Its a simple clean line design. It can come in a framed or frameless cabinet box. This is the most popular cabinet door in American homes.
- Slim Shaker, is a variation of the classic shaker door. Similarly, it keeps the same 5-piece construction. The frame is narrow typically and inch to half inch wide, leaving a larger center panel. However, most of the door can feel like a slab door. It is also popular for people that want a wood cabinet, but the look of the modern frameless cabinet.
Slab
A slab door is exactly what it sounds like a flat piece. Additionally, it can come with a framed or frameless box. It’s the most minimal cabinet style and it’s well-suited for modern and contemporary kitchens.
Slab doors with a frameless box can come high-gloss, matte, or natural wood veneers. Because the surface is completely plain, the material itself becomes the design statement.
Slab doors with a framed box are often natural wood either stained or painted and you’ll find them in designer cabinet lines. For high quality examples of this styles you can explore the Catalina collection at Fabuwood.com
Raised Panel
Raised panel doors introduce dimension by featuring a center panel that sits above or right at the surrounding frame. This elevated center creates shadow lines and depth that give the door a sculpted look.
This style is a staple of traditional kitchens. The profile of the raised panel can be varied from stately to slightly casual. Raised panel doors pair naturally with decorative hardware and crown molding.
Final Thoughts
Choosing a cabinet door is the first step in bringing your dream kitchen to life. Whether you prefer the clean lines of a Slab door or the timeless elegance of Shaker, your choice sets the stage for years to come.
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