Design & Remodel

Kitchen trends tend to stick around a little longer than bathroom trends. But with that being said, microtrends are always changing as new products, colors, finishes and features enter the market.

When it comes to kitchen cabinets, you can’t go wrong with a classic white look. Although door style trends have changed, white kitchens have been around for decades and tend to have a classic feel. Some of my favorite whites for kitchen cabinets are Pure White or Greek Villa by Sherwin Williams or Cloud Cover or White Dove by Benjamin Moore. These options are slightly offwhite but provide a timeless feel without going too stark or sterile. If you love white cabinets but want to make the space feel more your own, consider adding an accent color, either to a hood, some open shelving or an island.

Grays have been around for a while now, but we’ve seen them working their way out in turn for warmer or more nature-inspired tones. Warm grays and browns, natural wood tones, greens, and earthy reds have been showing up in kitchens lately.

Blues, of course, are still in the mix, too. Mix and match is certainly an option when it comes to the kitchen but try not to over-do it. If your space is large, you might be able to go with up to three colors for your cabinets, but my rule of thumb is to stop with two. If you introduce too many colors or textures into the space, you could end up with sensory overload and the space will just look busy. Introducing too many finishes can also date the space. Remember, that in addition to the cabinets, you must consider all the other finishes going into the space: countertops, backsplash, flooring, etc., then decide what you want to be your main focal point.

Along with cabinet color, it’s also important to consider the door style and cabinet overlay. For a long time, raised panel doors were at the top. But for the last several years, shaker door styles have taken over. Shaker is still a very popular choice today, whether it be a pure, straightlined shaker or a beaded or beveled shaker; they all have a clean look that can go with almost any décor. Slab doors are getting to be popular as well, as they offer an even more straightlined and modern look. Plus, they allow for some more creativity when it comes to decorative hardware, i.e. pulls and knobs. Slab doors also look great in either a painted or stained finish, not just the high gloss contemporary finishes. Other flat panel (as opposed to raised panel) options are popular as well. As I mentioned earlier, these are slight variations of the common shaker door, but offer a little more individuality.

Door overlay is also something to consider when it comes to the look of your cabinets. A traditional overlay was most common for many, many years. Traditional overlay basically means the cabinet doors were spaced apart such that you could see the face frames of the cabinet boxes. These also

Sara Bagwell

Design & Remodel

nMORE INFO: tracytesmerremodeling.com have the center rail, or divider, in larger cabinets with two doors which everyone now hates, because those dividers limit what you can get into the cabinet. The most common today is full over- PHOTO: TRACY TESMER DESIGN/REMODELING lay, which means A recent kitchen remodel. the cabinet doors all bump up to each other to cover door style, when it comes to the cabinet frames which creates kitchen cabinets, though. Funca more seamless look. This over- tionality is just as important as lay style also eliminates the cen- looks, and you don’t have to ter divider to give full access to choose one over the other anylarger cabinets. Inset cabinetry is more. beautiful, but not as common be- In a previous month, I talked cause it takes someone who really about kitchen storage and organiknows what they’re doing to get zation solutions. There are practieverything balanced and lined up cally an infinite number of properly. Inset doors sit inside the accessories, roll out shelving and cabinet frames to create a com- organizers, or other solutions to pletely flush look. If going with make your kitchen more organthis style, one of my favorites is a ized and easier to use. Make sure company called Shiloh cabinetry. you consider all the options when These are semi-custom cabinets redesigning or updating your designed and built to your kitchen kitchen so your space really specs and dimensions but cut and works for you. finished in a factory. Sara Bagwell is a designer for

There are certainly other fac- Tracy Tesmer Design/Remodeling tors to consider than color and in Gainesville.

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