Picking Contemporary Kitchen Cabinet Styles for your Home
Historically, for a lot of people, cabinets were cabinets. From their earliest usage, kitchen cabinet styles were boxes with or without doors on them that were suspended on kitchen walls. Eventually base cabinets were added as housewives purchased additional kitchenware and required a place to put it. The cabinets weren’t intended to be nice to look at, because they were meant to be functional. Exceptions to this practice were in the mansions of the wealthy who had elaborately-carved wood and custom-designed styles.
During the Victorian era, cabinetry, just like the taste in furniture, wallpaper, and carpeting, was very ornate, built using fine hardwoods. You may have had the chance to visit some of these Victorian mansions and observe the elaborate cabinetry they enjoyed. Kitchen cabinet styles were basically limited to the amount people could afford.
Modern cabinets have evolved into several different styles in an array of different price ranges to satisfy the needs of every homeowner. Instead of just being basic boxes containing shelves any longer, there are numerous specialty cabinets you can choose from, such as a pantry, a cabinet with a pull-up shelf for a stand mixer, or open plate racks. Cabinets come in solid woods like oak, cherry, maple, and birch in addition to those with melamine or wood veneers. Tastes can vary from streamlined contemporary styles to fancy, hand-carved units. It all depends on what you want.
The first thing to consider when picking a kitchen cabinet style is the basic style of your home. Many people prefer to have kitchen cabinets that match the home décor which makes their kitchen look like it belongs with the rest of the house. The most popular styles that that are available for kitchen cabinets include:
* Traditional – formal kitchen cabinet style with hardwoods, dark stains, and
shiny brass hardware. Looks like the styles of the 18th and 19th century.
* Contemporary – sleek, streamlined cabinetry with simple, basic lines and flush
doors. Can be made of many different materials, such as wood, glass, laminates,
chrome, or stainless steel.
* Shaker – exceptionally simple, plain wood cabinets
finished with dyes and oils.
* Country – simple lines for a very casual look.
Finished with paints or stains and either with or without doors
* Rustic – knotty pine, strap hinges, and basic kitchen cabinet
style.
* French Country – European styling with
intricate, carved moldings and even feet,
more like furniture than kitchen cabinets.
* Arts and Crafts – Square, bold lines done in Mission style. Often of oak.
* Cottage – casual and cozy with mismatchedstylescabinetry,finishes, and hardware.
With all of these different kitchen cabinet styles to choose from, there’s bound to be one that will look just right in your home and meld your kitchen into your total décor. You can also add private spins to the styles of some of the cabinets. For instance, you might want to think about adding stained glass panels to the doors or finish them with colored glazes and exotic hardware. As you can see, kitchen cabinets aren’t merely cubes any longer. They’re a reflection of your good taste.
