Your cabinets are a HUGE decision when building your home! I say this because kitchen cabinets are EXPENSIVE to purchase … and expensive to change later!
Below is an overview of the TOP chosen kitchen cabinet door styles so you can better understand your options … and can confidently make a decision on what cabinet door style will flow best with your home!
SHAKER STYLE CABINET DOORS
Shaker style cabinet doors are EXTREMELY popular! I happen to be partial to shaker doors (!) … I have shaker cabinets in my kitchen, bathrooms, laundry room, office, and basement bar!
The clean elegant lines of a shaker door go with just about any style of home! This door style is based on the historical simple Shaker furniture style. Shaker cabinets have a recessed panel with a VERY simple frame.
IDEAL FOR: transitional, craftsman, and traditional homes
Related Post: HOW TO CHOOSE INSET VS. OVERLAY CABINETS FOR YOUR HOME
RAISED PANEL CABINET DOORS
Raised panel cabinet doors are very popular and look great in a traditional kitchen! These doors have a raised center panel and can come in a variety of details and depths.
IDEAL FOR: traditional and transitional homes
BEADED PANEL CABINET DOORS
Beadboard cabinet doors add a rustic (or country) feel to your kitchen! Beadboard cabinet fronts are a mix of other styles as well … meaning, the beadboard is typically in the panel of a shaker style cabinet (and can be in other styles of cabinets as well).
IDEAL FOR: country and rustic homes
Related Post: THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN STOCK, SEMI-CUSTOM, AND CUSTOM CABINETS
FLAT (SLAB) PANEL CABINET DOORS
Also referred to as ‘slab’, flat panel cabinet doors are flat (as you might imagine!) and have no frame or panels.
This style of cabinet door offers a clean, simple, sleek, and sophisticated look that gravitates toward a more contemporary design. However, flat doors can work well in traditional and transitional kitchens too!
IDEAL FOR: contemporary homes
CATHEDRAL ARCHED CABINET DOORS
Cathedral arched is one of the most popular styles of kitchen cabinet doors. This type of cabinet door is one of the lower priced styles and is often found in lower-priced homes and rental units.
Cathedral arched cabinet doors are rounded with an arch at the top. Many people love this classic style!
IDEAL FOR: traditional homes
ACCENT CABINET DOORS
See first photo above for the glass accent cabinet doors in my kitchen.
Accent cabinet doors are just as you might imagine … they add a decorative (accent) element to your kitchen and are not used on all cabinets! The most popular accent door styles are glass and aluminum cabinet fronts. Accent cabinets are the same style as your other cabinets but with glass (or another accent) added (e.g. my glass accent cabinet doors are still the same shaker style as my other kitchen cabinets).
You can get really creative with accent doors though! I have seen VERY cool accent cabinets IRL … wallpaper, fabric, leather, and faux animal hair! Of course, these types of accent doors are not ideal for your kitchen!
IDEAL FOR: any style of kitchen
Related Post: HOW TO FILL SPACE BETWEEN CABINETS AND CEILING
CONCLUSION
We covered the top chosen kitchen cabinet door styles above: Shaker, Raised Panel, Beaded, Flat, Cathedral Arched, and Accent cabinets. I hope you now feel more confident in understanding your options AND are excited to let your builder know which cabinet door style you want in YOUR home!
I’ve sprinkled links to more cabinet blog posts throughout this post … hop on over and read these to get more cabinet guidance and answers!
I found it interesting how you mentioned how slab panel cabinet doors can give your home a sleek and modern look that can also work well with traditional kitchens. My wife and I are in the process of building our new home and we want to make sure all the furniture involved is modern enough to look great for the next twenty or more years because we want to pass the home on to our son when we are done with it. I will keep this in mind as we search for cabinets that offer a slab front design to help achieve this goal!
What a great plan to pass your home down to your son! Best of luck as you make all of your decisions. I know you’ll have a beautiful home!
[…] Related Post: 6 POPULAR CABINET DOOR STYLES […]
I love all your designs. I am remodeling an entire home for the very first time. Never could I have imagined how many choices I would have to make. I am definitely taking a crash course in something that before this I had absolutely no interest in. So I’m leaning on you heavily. And I am so grateful to have discovered you. I am copying your kitchen in every way possible including cabinets, counter top, backsplash, flooring etc in colors and designs. Thank you Carrie for your posts. God bless you.
Sincerely appreciative,
Susan McAbee
I’ve enjoyed coming back to your blog to read your articles. Looking forward to the 2021 insights.
Can you tell me what tile backsplash was used in the shaker kitchen cabinet picture? I am trying to find a tile that will go with Cambria Bellingham countertops and I think this maybe a match. Thank you!
Yep! This is my kitchen so I know the exact tile. You can find my kitchen sources info by clicking here.