Kitchen Cabinet Options

Explore kitchen cabinet options and check out inspiring pictures to help you decide which style is right for you.

Kitchen Cabinet Options

This shows different kitchen cabinet options. Darker base cabinets ground the space while the soft-gray finish on upper cabinets highlights their unique shape (Design by Didier Michot).

By: Sean McEvoy

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Kitchen cabinet options can seem overwhelming at first, but luckily the range of options falls into some distinct categories that you'll be able to choose from. Finding the right kitchen cabinets to suit your design taste and create a kitchen that's both attractive and efficient should be no problem once you've explored the available options.

Kitchen Cabinet Options for Storage and Display

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Your first decision when considering kitchen cabinet options will be related to construction. You can choose to have your cabinets custom-designed by a carpenter, or you can explore a range of pre-fabricated, in-stock and semi-stock cabinet options from home improvement or design stores. These approaches all have advantages and disadvantages. Custom cabinets offer the most freedom in terms of design options, but they tend to be expensive. In-stock cabinets are economical, but you'll need to choose from a somewhat limited range of designs and colors. Semi-stock cabinets offer a balance of design and color flexibility alongside the efficiency of being able to mix and match styles and have a fully designed cabinet scheme ready made—however, they can take longer to deliver than custom or in-stock cabinets.

In terms of layout and sizing, you'll want to work within the parameters of your existing kitchen space. In-stock and semi-stock cabinet sizes are standardized, with some variation for areas above stoves or refrigerators. Custom cabinets can be sized to your specifications, but it's a good rule to thumb to stay within standard sizes whenever possible.

When it comes to materials, oak, maple, cherry and hickory are popular options for cabinets. Veneers over plywood are another, more economical option. And if wood's not your first choice, stainless steel or industrial metal cabinets can add a modern touch to any kitchen.