Totally Popular Kitchen Cabinet Styles

Historically, for a lot of people, cabinets were nothing but cabinets. From their beginning, kitchen cabinet styles were boxes with or without doors on them that were suspended on kitchen walls. Eventually base cabinets were added as domestic engineers acquired additional kitchenware and required a place to keep it. The cabinets didn’t have to be aesthetically pleasing, because they were intended to be functional. Exceptions to this practice were in the manor houses of the rich who had elaborately-carved wood and custom-designed cabinetry.

During the Victorian age, cabinetry, just like the taste in furnishings, wallpaper, and carpeting, was very ornate, created using fine hardwoods. You might have had the good fortune to visit some of these vintage houses and observe the elaborate cabinetry wealthy people enjoyed. Kitchen cabinet styles were basically limited to what people could afford.

Modern cabinets have evolved into many different styles in many different price ranges to fulfill the needs of every homeowner. Instead of simply being basic boxes containing shelves any longer, there are a lot of specialty cabinets you can buy, such as a pantry, a cabinet with a pull-up shelf for a heavy appliance, or open plate racks. Cabinets are built using solid woods like oak, cherry, maple, and birch plus those with melamine or wood veneers. Tastes can differ from modern contemporary styles to elaborate, hand-carved creations. It all depends on what you want.

The first thing to ponder when selecting a kitchen cabinet style is the basic style of your home. Many people would rather have kitchen cabinets that look good with the home décor which makes their kitchen look like it fits into the rest of the house. The most popular styles that you can locate for kitchen cabinets include:
* Traditional – formal kitchen cabinet style with hardwoods, dark stains, and
shiny brass hardware. Follows the styles of the 18th and 19th century.
* Contemporary – sleek, streamlined cabinetry with simple, basic lines and flush
doors. Can be constructed of a lot of different materials, such as wood, glass, laminates,
chrome, or stainless steel.
* Shaker – extremely 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 – old world 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 select from, there’s sure to be one that will look great in your home and meld your kitchen into your total décor. You can also add individual spins to the styles of various cabinets. For example, you might want to think about adding colored glass inserts 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 statement of your good taste.