Take a look around your kitchen. If you had to pick, what’s the one feature that defines the room? Chances are you answered: the kitchen cabinets, and you’re definitely not alone in that response. In fact, King Features Syndicate recently ran a question and answer session by the title of “Cabinets will set the tone for kitchen.” So if you’re in the market for new kitchen cabinets, make sure you’re making an informed purchase before you set down any cash.

Let’s take a look at a couple of the kitchen cabinet dilemmas readers posed of the King Features Syndicate. The advice they received just might ensure your new cabinetry sets the desired tone in your own kitchen.

Homeowner #1 wanted to know what color cabinets she should consider to “take the clinical edge off the shiny steel” of her stainless steel appliances. She prefaced the question with the admission that she had “a small, rectangular kitchen that is open to the eating area.”

The expert’s advice? “Considering the expense of the cabinetry, counters and appliances, the kitchen décor most likely will outlast the color choices [throughout the rest of the room and home]. Think about the overall mood you would like to convey in your home, and then look to a palette of colors that enhances that feeling. You can go all wood for a country or formal style; dark green, blue or red if you want to create some drama; or acid greens and yellows for edgy appeal.”

Fortunately for homeowners, leading manufacturers of kitchen cabinets proudly present cabinetry finishes that heighten the beauty of wood’s organic characteristics and showcase its natural beauty. Each finish technique creates a unique, furniture look, while hands-on craftsmanship gives each piece of kitchen cabinetry its own distinctive style, thereby expressing your individuality. Select a kitchen cabinet door style by wood species, door finish and/or wood finish to set precisely the tone you’re seeking.

Homeowner #2 wanted to know what “kitchen cabinets … would go with the” oak dining room set she inherited from her grandmother and loved. She feared that more oak on the kitchen cabinets would “be too much.”

The expert advised, “There are no rules-simply choose what makes you happy. Select a traditional door style that will complement your dining-room set, and a heritage color-berry-blue or blood-red paint or stain. Another option is to go with wood, left natural or painted white, but mix the cabinet doors so that some uppers have glass inserts.”

With more than 100 door styles, six wood species and 34 furniture finishes, a leading kitchen cabinet manufacturer can help you set exactly the tone you’re seeking in your kitchen. Its decorative glass door insert options further enable you to showcase your best china or let the morning light reflect off your fabulous stemware or other treasured collection. With a variety of mullion doors and glass inserts, including stained glass, camed glass and textured glass, to choose from, you can put the spotlight on what’s really important to you-including your heirloom dining set.

Related Kitchen Cabinet Door Styles Articles

Article by Ben Pate

Whether we want to admit it or not, the kitchen is often one of the centerpiece rooms of the home. It is probably the one place that the modern day family actually spends time together on a regular basis. The one item that makes or breaks the appearance of the kitchen is usually the kitchen cabinet doors.

Kitchen cabinet doors come in a wide array of styles and it is important to choose the one that best fits the overall feel of the room. What looks good on the showroom floor does not always look best once it is up in the kitchen. In order to find the best fit for the room, it is probably a smart move to get online and do some digging to find the right style of door.

One type of door is the flat panel. To be honest, they are not often totally flat, but will have a small design carved into the actual panel of the door. They are, however, considered flat because the inside portion of the design is either inlet or the same size as the perimeter of the door.

The next style of cabinet door is called the raised panel. The raised panel door will also have a design that is carved into it, but that center panel will actually be higher than the rest of the design on the door. This is nothing overly significant, but it will make the door stand out a bit more and has a more customized look to it.

RTF or rigid thermo foil is yet another style of door and are made in a very specific manner. The foil is pressed via a heat controlled system over a MDF panel. The price on this style of door will generally vary and is usually centered around how many passes are made on the door during the construction of the door.

Once the actual style of door is chosen, the type of materials that it is made from will be next. In general, you can choose between a wood surface and a laminate surface. There are varying factors that will come into play, along with taking cost into consideration. The more money that is paid, generally the better product, but sometimes the best is not always the smartest.

Laminate doors are very popular because they are easy to clean. Many times, these styles of doors are used in apartments that don’t actually have an outside ventilation system in place. Because wood is porous and usually more expensive, it may be best to use the laminate so that there is no build up or saturation of the doors. Even if they are stained and sealed, this can be a problem in some situations.

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Choosing the right kitchen cabinet doors is a very important decision when remodeling or decorating a kitchen. Anyone that walks into the kitchen will probably notice the cabinet doors right off. Take everything into consideration and then choose the best kitchen cabinets to compliment the rest of the room.