Ooops… My new kitchen has painted cabinets…in gray, benjamin moore’s silvery moon.
I don’t care for “shaker” style cabinets. I don’t know if it’s really “shaker”. They look like backside of a door. My idea of shaker style is simple and beautiful not just simple. What they sell as shaker style cabinets these days is simple in an ugly boxy way. If you want to be simple and beautiful, proportion becomes very important. I don’t think the cabinet makers got the proportions right in “shaker” cabinets.
I talked to a kitchen guy recently. He said here in the northern burbs, most people want transitional style, some want traditional. They sell very little contemporary style cabinets in the suburbs, but their showroom in the city sells a lot more.
I think white cabinets will always be a significant part of our market for two reasons. One they were part of the original style of the house (lots of 1920s housing stock) and secondly because they make the rooms seem lighter and airier. Craftsman style was popular here when I first started working in the early 90s, but I see very little of it now. Shaker cabinets though are popular. But not with the cute handmade tiles and all the rest of the Craftsman look.
Here is an interesting example of a kitchen with drawers, gray, and painted cabinets. The house is up for sale at 1.4M, but crazy overpriced. I think it’s going to sell for 900k if they’re lucky.
My kitchens will always have cream colored cabinetry. It’s just what I think of when I think of a kitchen that makes me happy. I like to be able to see the grime so I can clean it. Our island currently has a chocolate/bronze colored paint on it and it always feels dirty to me.
@MotherOfDragons I wouldn’t have expected that exterior and some of the design elements in Georgia. It looks more Wesy Coast to me, almost Santa Fe. Is that typical in your area? I like parts of that house but its almost like they threw too much trendy stuff in. Hard to think it won’t look dated quickly.
I am about 12 weeks away from beginning a kitchen remodel in my “downsize” condo. I had my dream custom natural cherry kitchen in my house–funny how you don’t get to pack it up and take it with you–and I wanted to live here a year and analyze the place before moving ahead. I cannot move anything or blow out walls, so I am restricted to just making it look great, and getting all those drawers and pull out things that will make my “Twilight Years” more comfortable. I am getting medium stained maple cabinets on the bottom, and warm white cabinets on the top, with some glass doors too. The cabinets will go up to the ceiling, and I thought that the white would make it seem less oppressive. Also, my kitchen has zero architectural interest, unlike my house, and I thought I could give it some punch that way. Shaker cabinets, jazzy, busy quartz counters, and my pride and joy, a brass chandelier from the 1880’s to which I am emotionally attached . Can’t wait.
@doschicos that particular house is in a neighborhood built by the guy who did Seaside, so all the ones in there are unusual. You’ll have hyper-modern next to Santa Fe next to classic southern. My favorite house in there is this one:
Personally, I could not happily live in a house like that, but it is very popular here. There are thousands of swim tennis communities with homes identical to that one here.
I think the one really crazy thing I want in the next kitchen is a kitchen island with fossils in it. I know-terrible for resale. Don’t care
My husband is a plumber and very handy so initially we got estimates from a big box store for our new cabinets. Just for fun I also went to a custom cabinet maker and had them price it out with a few other options the big box couldn’t do (custom depth on the island due to space) and was floored when the price was just slightly over the big box cost but included all the bells and whistles! So the advice is to get multiple bids on cabinets. Also - we run into many people who buy something on line for us to install only to find out it is not code compliant in our state or worse, comes broken or with parts missing. If it’s an option, buy supplies through your contractor and let them worry about it.
I never did post to Houzz though I should actually make a professional Houzz page. I’ve never bothered because I already have more projects than I can handle.
@threebeans We found the same many years ago.We were on somewhat of a budget and first looked at ordering remade cabinets. I didn’t find them to my liking and had them custom made and much better quality for not too much more. So happy I did that.
@MotherOfDragons Go for the countertops you want! So much easier to replace and less expensive to do so than replacing cabinets IMO.
Loved the honey oak finish in old house. Chose honey spice (Kraftmaid) in current house (family room has honey oak beams and above fireplace wood seen from kitchen/vice versa). Niece is doing chestnut cabinets for her new house in a different state. I decided to do maple for a change from oak but like warm, light woods. Think dark colors are depressing.
I think open shelves must be dust catchers. Don’t want to wash stuff BEFORE using it. Plus, like glass fronted cabinets, everything is on display. It is nice to be able to hide stuff, especially when it is not complete sets (our glasses/plastic cups range in styles as sets have broken…). I also dislike clutter.
Do look at the big box stores for ideas. Learn about cabinet construction on the Kraftmaid site so you can find out how yours will be made. We upgraded some things. Also how the doors meet in the middle and other stuff is covered on that website. Costs of custom/big box semicustom will depend on costs in your area. Be wary of cabinets made overseas. There are several shops here who get theirs from China. So many good brands in the USA!
Ditto on the counters- post #72. We replaced our blue fiber Formica with a neutral pattern a few years before selling. Did NOT go for granite as the extra expense would not have sold the house and having seen plenty in real life/on TV I knew someone could dislike what I chose.
I am pleasantly surprised with the homes that you linked in Georgia. They are interesting and have beautiful cabinetry. Great mix of materials. Usually I see the tract home blah when I see new construction in Atlanta.
Kraftmaid has a great selection of sturdy inserts, pull out shelves, trash holders, etc. Look through everything they have. In a pinch I would get whatever cabinets fit your budget, but the Kraftmaid inserts are worth the money.
mathmom, really like your kitchen. Only Q, why didn’t you use a 4- door fridge?
Your kitchen looks informal, but the layout and so many specific items are just terrific.
Ps. I think white cabinets will always appeal to many. Also, when I view Gardenweb, and see the gorgeous cherry cabinets built by the Amish, I can see how appealing they are. being in FL, I’d leave the cabinets, and replace any dark countertops with a light Quartz. When future buyer paint my maple cabinets, I don’t want to know about it or see the result.
@bookworm, I loathe my fridge. We got it just before French Door fridges were everywhere. We went enough over budget I made the decision to keep it for a while. I do hope to get a new fridge sometime in the next few years.
