What to expect for custom Cabinet Trends in 2021

The year is turning and so are the trends for home decor! If you haven’t updated your kitchen in a while this may be the year to do it. Replacing kitchen cabinets is an inexpensive and easy way to increase your home’s resale value. Plus, custom cabinets have a much better look and feel than stock cabinets. This means that the appeal is greater in the value higher. So what are the new trends coming up in 2021 for Custom Cabinets? Old colors of years gone past are definitely out and new and exciting colors are coming our way This article goes over the new trends coming up for the next year. 

What Are Shaker Style Cabinets?

Shaker kitchen cabinets are cabinets that are built in a style made popular by the Shakers. The Shakers are an 18th-century religious movement that emphasized simplicity and function in terms of design. The cabinets that they designed, and the ones inspired by their designs, are five-piece cabinets with a recessed center panel. You’ve likely seen several of these cabinets.

What Do They Look Like? 

Shaker cabinet doors are rectangular doors, taller than they are wide. The center of the door is recessed, and the edges are raised. The pull is in the bottom corner of the cabinet door, and the hinges are typically hidden. 

Shaker cabinets have been popular since the 1700s because they have clean, simple lines. For a minimalist look, they are absolutely perfect. They’re also perfect for homeowners who are looking for pops of style and design in other spaces and don’t want their cabinets to distract from the design. 

What Are They Made From? 

The first Shaker cabinets were likely made from local hardwoods that were near the crafters. Now, they’re made from just about every wood imaginable. In the United States, red oak and white oak are very common. Hickory, pecan, and maple are also very popular. They can be unfinished or finished, depending on your preferences. 

Unfinished hardwood is wood that has not been stained, sealed, or painted. It’s open to damage from moisture, oils, and high temperatures. So, it might not be appropriate for cabinets above the oven. However, unfinished cabinets are also easier to repair. You just sand away the damaged parts, and your cabinets are back to normal. 

If you want to customize the look of your cabinets, opt for a wood that you like. Alternately, you can opt to have them stained. A stain can transform wood from its natural color to white, black, or even green. A coat of polyurethane will seal them from moisture and oil damage. 

What About the Hardware? 

The hardware on your cabinets consists of the hinges and pulls. Traditionally, shaker cabinets would have very simple cabinet pulls, typically made from brass or steel. Those are great choices. Something a little more ornate could also help offset the simplicity of the cabinets. 

Polished metals, glass, or antique hardware would really stand out against the plain cabinets. Shaker cabinets have a timeless look that has been popular for hundreds of years now; if you choose Shaker cabinets, they’ll likely never go out of style. 

Do Your Cabinets Have to Match?

Homeowners are experimenting with a range of new trends for their cabinets to make them pop and look more interesting. Some of these trends are also designed to save money or evoke rustic, cabin looks. The mismatched cabinet trend is one of them. The trend at its simplest involves using cabinets of different styles, colors, or materials side by side throughout your kitchen. There are several different ways this can be done. 

Mismatching Woods

If you choose hardwood cabinets, you could choose several different types of wood for your cabinets but ones that are all in the same style. So, each cabinet will be constructed the same but they’ll be made out of different woods. You could do this to capture the light in your kitchen different. For example, if you have a window that allows more light to hit one side of the kitchen than the other, you could put brighter cabinets on that side. Darker cabinets would go on the other side. That would create a dividing line in your kitchen to create a subtle contrast. 

You could also choose to do the opposite to sort of balance out the light in your kitchen. Darker cabinets on the sunny side will brighten up. If they’re only a little bit darker than the other side, it might actually match better than all-matching cabinets. 

Mismatching woods can give your home a look that evokes cabins and other rustic settings. If you were building a cabin or an outbuilding, you might opt for whichever cabinets you could get your hands on, regardless of their make. With some planning, you can recreate that look. 

Mismatching Styles

Typically, cabinets are all about the same height and width. Smaller cabinet doors are typically just smaller copies of the same style of cabinet. However, there’s no reason why cabinets of different sizes need to be the same styles. If cabinets of different sizes were all in the same style, you could actually achieve a harmonious look. All of your small cabinets could be one style, and your large cabinets could be another. 

Mismatching Colors

Lastly, you can mismatch the colors on your cabinets. This can be done with paint on any type of cabinet or with stain on wooden cabinets. The choices could be the same as the mismatched styles; larger cabinets could be one color, and smaller cabinets could be another. Alternately, you could mismatch cabinet doors to create a kind of checkerboard effect.

Hiding Your Appliances in Cabinets

For a long time, kitchens have had a basic look that hasn’t changed very much. They have cabinets on top that are about eye level and above. They have cabinets below the countertops. Appliances are built into the cabinets below the countertops, and the refrigerator interrupts the cabinets somewhere. It’s a look that everyone is familiar with. However, that look has been changing in a serious way. The basic construction hasn’t changed, but homeowners are starting to hide their cabinets. They’re hiding them in cabinets and also hiding them behind false cabinet doors. 

Hiding Appliances in Cabinets

Appliances that can be picked up and moved are oftentimes ending up in cabinets. For example, microwaves aren’t necessarily sitting on countertops anymore. Now, they might be in a cabinet at eye level. Breadmakers, waffle irons, and popcorn machines are also being put in cabinets. It’s trendy to keep the counter space open by putting small appliances away. The new trend involves appliances that are actually used in that space, though. If you want to use your cabinets while they’re still in the cabinet, you might need to have the cabinets designed for that.

For example, many cabinets aren’t wide enough to hold a microwave. Some of them aren’t made to withstand the heat of a waffle iron. If you’re looking for a redesign in this manner, you should seriously consider working with a professional who can make your ideas work. 

Hiding Behind Cabinet Doors

In addition to putting your appliances in cabinets, you can make your appliances look like cabinets. It’s actually pretty simple since most appliances are flush with the cabinets anyway. You need to have tall cabinets in the first place if you want to hide the refrigerator. You’ll then need to make sure you can push the refrigerator a few inches back from the line of the cabinets.

Install some cabinet doors and close them over the fridge. Just like that, the refrigerator is hidden behind cabinet doors. If you make the doors match your existing cabinets, you can create an unbroken line of cabinetry. The oven can be hidden in the same way. You just need to make sure you have enough space to open the cabinet doors fully and then also open the oven door fully.  Also, make sure that your cabinets can handle any heat that might emanate from the oven door. A properly functioning oven shouldn’t be very hot on the surface, so it shouldn’t be a big consideration.

Get the Help of an Experienced Boise Cabinet Builder for Your Kitchen Project

At Sweetwood Cabinets, we’ve been installing cabinets throughout the Treasure Valley for over 20 years! When you’re ready to spruce up your kitchen, enlist the help of a professional to ensure the job gets done right the first time! Give us a call today to schedule a free consultation.

Cabinet Efficiency Is the Name of the Game

Lately, minimalism, open concepts, and clean lines have been very popular. Cluttered countertops and bulky appliances are on the way out. So, how are homeowners creating open spaces while still having all of the kitchen appliances they need? How are they doing it without increasing the actual amount of space 9in their homes? Efficient cabinets are the best way to accomplish that. That means putting cabinets in places where there might usually be false cabinet fronts, and also utilizing cabinet space as effectively as possible. 

Everything Is a Cabinet

In many kitchens, you might have cabinets up on the wall and then a few below the countertops. The corners and other tight spaces might have false cabinet fronts. That’s because those small, tight spaces are often thought of as not big enough to be useful cabinets. If you want to maximize your efficiency, you need to consider making those cabinets as well. For example, if you have a small space at a right angle in your cabinet, you could still use that space as a cabinet. Cookie sheets and flat pans can be turned on their side and slid into the cabinet vertically. That will save you space in your other cabinets. 

Similarly, consider adding more shelves to your cabinets. If you have a cabinet with a lot of vertical space, you probably aren’t utilizing it. Leave enough space on the bottom for tall pots and pans, but add another shelf. That second shelf can as much as double the amount of shelving without increasing any volume in the cabinet. 

Efficient Cabinets

More efficient cabinets are in the same vein as cabinet shelves. There are dozens of different types of cabinet inserts that can be added to a cabinet to make it work better. Lazy susans are rotating shelves that allow you to stack items deep into the cabinet. Without a lazy susan, it can be a serious hassle getting to spices at the back of the cabinet. With a lazy susan, you can just spin them to the front. That allows you to utilize the entire cabinet. 

Similarly, you can find inserts that allow you to stack cookie sheets vertically or pullout trays that convert a cabinet into a multi-level drawer. Bread boxes allow you to store small items that might roll around in a standard cabinet. 

All of these things can greatly maximize your cabinet space without taking up any actual space.

Contact a Professional Cabinet Builder in Boise

Cabinets are one of the most difficult pieces to build and install when it comes to your kitchen remodel. Don’t try to do it yourself and don’t settle for the cookie-cutter ones at Lowe’s. The team at Sweetwood Cabinets has been building and installing cabinets for over 20 years and we can help turn your dream kitchen into a reality! Call today to get started.

New Accent Hardware Can Spruce Up Old Cabinets

The look of your cabinets can be enhanced with dozens of different types of materials, paint colors, stain colors, and hardware choices. However, when it comes down to it, there are two basic components to a cabinet: there is the cabinet door, and there is the hardware. If you want to change the way your cabinet looks, you’ll need to change one or both of those things. Changing your hardware can spruce up your cabinets for a fraction of the cost and effort of changing the doors themselves. So, what is accent hardware? 

Antique Hardware

Accent hardware is eye-catching cabinet pulls and hinges. Antique hardware is one of the most effective ways to do that. Hardware from old furniture was often handcrafted or produced in much smaller batches, with greater attention to design. That’s why so many antique cabinets look ornate when they might have been pretty standard at the time. You can choose authentic antique hardware to make your cabinets stand out. You can also choose hardware that’s just been designed to look antique. 

When you’re choosing authentic or new antique hardware, you’ll also need to choose the patina. The patina is the signs of weathering and age that comes from years and years of use. The metal will likely grow dull. Oils from hands will collect in cracks and creases of the metal to darken those areas. It can be a very exciting look that some people want to preserve. Others might choose fully restored hardware that looks like it was just created even though it’s antique. 

Bold Colors

Most cabinet hardware is metal, but it can still come in bold colors. For example, stainless steel is often a pretty standard silver color. However, polished steel can really shine. Similarly, polished brass can gleam like gold. Aluminum can also provide a great contrast to your cabinets. Choosing the bold color will often depend on the color of the cabinets themselves. A purple or a blue cabinet might look great with something bright and gold. A neutral cabinet might look great with a silvery metal. 

Black is also an option. Wrought iron is naturally black, but painted black hardware is an option. Lastly, metal can be blacked in a factory. It’s a chemical process by which the surface of the metal is transformed to a solid black color. It’s a permanent look that’s more durable than paint. 

Any of these options could radically transform your cabinets with minimal effort.

What’s Trending in Cabinetry Right Now?

Kitchen cabinets experience several different trends throughout the years. Some of them last for decades, and others are out with the new seasons. For example, hardwood has ebbed and flowed, but it’s always been pretty popular. Different synthetic cabinets come and go. Blue is one of the hottest new trends. Blue is often thought of as a color that doesn’t show up as much in nature. While that’s true, there are pops of blue all around, if you know where to look. Obviously, the sky and deep water are blue, but many beautiful flowers are blue as well. There are several shades of blue that can work for kitchen cabinets. 

Blue as a Neutral

Neutral colors are typically muted tones that are found in nature. Earth tones, for example, are common neutrals. Hardwood cabinets are mostly neutrals. White, tan, and brown are popular colors. However, blue can be used as a neutral if you pick the right shade of blue. The sky is typically a light shade of blue throughout the day and trends towards a deeper blue as the sun goes down. If you pick a shade of blue that’s readily seen in the sky, that could serve as a neutral. 

You could pair that with muted earth tones for a traditional, earthy look. You could also pair it with some stainless steel appliances for a more pronounced, industrial look. 

Blue as a Pop of Color

Blue doesn’t have to be neutral; it also can be a very striking color that draws the eye. If that’s the case, pick a blue that is bright and vibrant. Pick something that you might see in a flower or even a cartoon. Royal blue, aquamarine, and turquoise are great colors for cabinets that you want to stand out. The blue will draw the eye. So, you can pair it with neutral tones to make the cabinets pop. alternately, you can pair it with some more bold colors to create a vibrant and fun look. 

Blue That’s Almost Not Blue

Finally, you can use different shades of blue to achieve a look that’s close to white or close to black without being either. A very light shade of blue can look almost white while being subtly different. It will also be a little bit easier to clean than a true white. Alternately, you can use a blue that’s so dark that it’s almost black. However, when the light hits, you’ll see a little bit of color. That adds some depth to otherwise black cabinets. 

Should You Paint or Stain Your Cabinets?

When it comes to choosing a color for your cabinets, you have three basic options. You can leave them in their natural state, you can paint them, or you can stain them. If you want to leave them natural, you should still consider some kind of finish to protect the wood from moisture and scratches. Polyurethane is a popular finish for protecting wood. If you stain the wood, you’ll need to finish it with some polyurethane as well. If you paint it, you likely won’t need to add another coat of finish because the paint will serve as the protectant. There are advantages and disadvantages to both staining and painting.

Ease of Application

 To apply stain to your cabinets, you need to first sand them smooth. Clean off any sawdust with a slightly damp cloth. Then apply a coat of stain in your preferred color. Allow that stain to set for a few minutes, then wipe off the excess. If the color isn’t as deep as you would like it, you can wait until that first coat dries and apply another one. WAit for that to dry, and then apply a layer of polyurethane. Once that’s dry, your cabinets are finished. To paint your cabinets, you will likely just need to sand them. Clean off the sawdust, and apply a layer of paint. Two thin layers of paint are better than one thick coat.

So, in most cases, paint has fewer steps than staining. However, covering up a very dark wood with a light paint color might require you to use a layer of primer. Once you add in the priming layer, the amount of work is about the same.

Wood Grain

 The prominence of the wood’s grain is one of the biggest differences between paint and stain. Stain seeps into the wood, so it typically does not cover the grain of the wood. A true black stain might obscure the grain but the look of the wood still remains prominent. Paint sits on top of the wood, so it largely obscures the look of the wood. The physical features of the grain will remain but the different colors will be painted over.

If you want your cabinets to look like natural wood, you should consider staining them. If you just want to give them a coat of a preferred color, paint will suffice.

Cabinets can be painted or stained to achieve your preferred color. The amount of work is similar, so it’s mostly an aesthetic choice.

How to Get On The Distressed Cabinet Trend

Bathroom and kitchen cabinets are much like any other design elements in that they go through a range of trends that come and go. In the past, modern materials such as metal and glass were very popular. While they are still popular, hardwood cabinets have experienced a serious resurgence in popularity. One of the most popular trends is a move towards distressed wood. Distressed wood is wood that looks like it has aged and weathered over time.

Distressed Wood

The distressed wood trend began with a move towards reclaimed wood for many different purposes. Many people repurposed old barn doors, roof beams, and discarded wood for their homes. That led many manufacturers to begin manufacturing wood that mimics this look; this is called distressed wood. If you are looking to create distressed wood cabinets, you have a few options.

The simplest option is just to buy distressed wood or authentic reclaimed wood cabinets. If you already have the cabinets and don’t want to buy new ones, you can distress them yourself.

Distressing Your Cabinets

Your first step is to remove the existing paint and finish on the cabinets. You can do this with paint remover. A semi-paste paint stripper is the safest option. Apply it and remove the paint according to the guidelines on the product. You can also remove the original paint with a sander. If the paint is very thick, a power sander will save you a lot of effort.

Once you’ve got bare wood, you can set to distressing it. If you want to mimic the look of chemical weathering such as from UV light and rain, you can make a mixture of white vinegar and steel wool. Leave the steel wool in the vinegar for several hours. Spray that onto the bare wood to create a light graying effect. If you want the graying to be darker, you can spray the wood with black tea before you apply the vinegar and steel mixture.

You can also use your power sander or a wire brush to create a scraped look. To use a sander, pick the coarsest sandpaper you can find. Use that to create uneven scrapes in the wood. To create the true patina look, you can mask off certain sections of the wood before you apply the tea and/or vinegar. That will create varied depths to the finish.

Finally, applying a matte finish to the wood can help enhance the distressed look and also give it a look of finality. Just like that, you can have rustic cabinets in your home.