Kitchen Cabinet Configurations

What to Know when Choosing your Kitchen Cabinets

Finding the best kind of kitchen cabinets can be a confusing task to tackle, especially with so many different aesthetic styles and uniquely functioning designs available for consumers to choose between. Your base cabinets made the foundation for your kitchen, so knowing what you need is vital. 

To clear things up and make choosing cabinets a little easier, read over our quick guide here to get a better grasp on common cabinet vocabulary and learn the basics on what to look for when browsing around on your own.

Cabinet Types

One of the first things to figure out is what general type of cabinet you are looking for. The three most common types of cabinets are defined largely by their intended location, and by the way they mount into your kitchen-space.

• Base Cabinets
These cabinets are mounted to the base of a room between the ground and wall, usually so that they rest beneath a countertop.
• Wall Cabinets
Wall cabinets are exactly as their name implies. Includes any kind of cabinet that is raised above the floor and mounted to a wall.
• Tall Cabinets
Tall cabinets are often single isolated units that can be mounted to a wall, or act as freestanding storage.

For Example: kitchen pantries and refrigerator cabinets.

Storage Styles

The performance of your cabinet is largely dictated by the style of storage it accommodates. This may be the most important decision you make when purchasing any cabinet box, so let’s take a moment to learn what will work best for you.

Doors

Spacious and versatile, cabinets covered by doors can stylishly contain their contents for easy access and safer spill-proof storage.

Cabinet boxes that sport doors are also easily customizable with externally purchased racks and integrated shelving systems to allow for a range of personalized storage possibilities that can be easily hidden for a cleaner kitchen appearance.

Drawers

Often paired with base cabinets, multiple drawers can be attached to a single cabinet box to create an efficient layered storage system perfect for compact appliances, utensils, and any other smaller kitchen essentials.

Open-Shelving

Exposed shelves free up the usable space within your cabinets and can create an appealing roomy impression in any kitchen, small or large.

Open-shelving is exceptional for showcasing assortments of cookery, cookbooks, seasonings, and more through a casual yet collected appearance. While it does require a little more orderly upkeep than other storage styles, this fashionable method of cabinet presentation is often well worth the effort.

Cabinet Designs

Regarding the overall design of your cabinet, there are two primary types to consider: framed or frameless.

Framed cabinets include built-in frames located in the front of a cabinet box that create a walled space for doors and drawers to rest. Meanwhile, frameless cabinets are exactly as they sound, open-faced.

Both choices differ greatly from each other in terms of function and appearance, not to mention that when it comes to framed cabinets there are multiple different door styles to think about as well.

Framed Cabinets

Full-Overlay Door

As the name indicates, full-overlay doors cover the entire front of the cabinet box. There are many different full-overlay door designs available to customize a cabinet’s face with, making this framed design a favorite option in countless kitchens.

Partial-Overlay Door

This design includes a door or drawer that covers only the opening of the cabinet, allowing you to see some of the frame. This design also allows you to conveniently pull open the door or drawers without the use of a handle.

Full-Inset Door

Inset doors are made so that they align within the inside of the cabinet’s frame, creating a level and even surface between the door and cabinet for a smoother aesthetic.

Frameless Cabinets

Tastefully made cabinets without an inside edge are becoming increasingly popular, and encourage a sophisticated minimalistic design that relies on the contents of the cabinet rather than the design of its frame.

Like any framed cabinet, frameless designs are freely able to accommodate shelved or drawer styles, and come with the bonus of additional space for extra storage room and easier accessibility.

Frameless cabinets can also be easily modified to attach a full-overlay door with hinges if ever desired