Kitchen cabinets can make or break a kitchen. They draw your eyes toward them and become the focal point of a kitchen. That’s why it’s so crucial to think carefully before choosing your kitchen cabinets.
There are dozens of different kitchen cabinet styles, but only a few of them are widely popular in the United States. These kitchen cabinet styles are what you’ll see in 90% of the homes that you visit.
Popular in the United States Kitchen Cabinet Styles
Shaker Cabinets
Shaker cabinets are one of the most popular kitchen cabinet styles. The shaker cabinets have a five-piece door with a recessed center. They work well in a transitional kitchen design and are often cheaper than other cabinets.
They come in every color but are generally a neutral color like white or grey. The hardware is usually oblong to fit the center of the cabinet doors and drawers. All in all, shaker cabinets are a safe kitchen cabinet style if you’re unsure of what you want.
Traditional Cabinets
Traditional kitchen cabinets can be any color, from wood grain to pale green, yellow, or blue. They usually have a rectangular groove on the facing that sets them apart from other cabinets. They look similar to shaker cabinets, only the center is convex again.
These are the types of cabinets that you may see in older houses. However, they are still used today and one of the best selling kitchen cabinet styles at most hardware stores. They are another safe choice because they go well with any kitchen style.
Farmhouse Cabinets
Those obsessed with interior design have probably considered farmhouse cabinets at some point. Farmhouse decor is warm and welcoming, and farmhouse cabinets are no exception. Though it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what they are.
But farmhouse cabinets are almost always pale and textured. Especially if they are wood grain. They feature a barn door as the cabinet doors more often than not. This gives the entire house more of a farmhouse feel to it.
Louvered Cabinets
View in galleryLouvered cabinets are one of the easiest to spot. They look like a washboard or classic window shutters. They have small wooden slabs that stack on top of each other in a way similar to blinds you put over a window.
Louvered cabinets can be any color, as what defines them is the style of the cabinet architecturally. They truly add a springtime feel to your house. So make sure to add a vase of daisies if you get louvered cabinets.
Louvered cabinets are more common in laundry rooms and bathrooms than kitchens. Although that shouldn’t stop you from stepping out of the box. After all, that’s when magic usually happens!
Craftsman Cabinets
Craftsman cabinets are versatile. What is important about craftsman cabinets is that they are handmade. Usually, by a small business or private woodworker. The cabinets are almost always left finished but unpainted.
The natural wood grain is part of what defines craftsman cabinets as it makes them look so natural. Cabinet hardware is also usually left simple. This ensures that the focus is brought to the quality work that the woodworker has put into the cabinets.
Boho Cabinets
Bohemian decor may make one think of the 1970s. However, it has never been more prominent than it is today. Bohemian cabinets are usually painted either a bright color with unique designs. Or a soft color to accent brighter decor.
Related: 40 Bohemian Bedrooms To Fashion Your Eclectic Tastes After
The kitchen itself should feel earthy, yet exciting. Boho style is the perfect combination of relaxation and passion. This is why the word spiritual suits it so perfectly. The cabinets reflect culture and personality.
Shabby Chic Cabinets
View in galleryShabby chic cabinets are usually painted a soft color. They are also often distressed to look older than they actually are. This can happen even if they are brand new. This is a strategy used in many decor styles, but with shabby chic, there’s a refined nature that remains.
Shabby chic cabinets are always soft. The most common shabby chic kitchen cabinet colors are soft pink, blue, green, and white. If painted white, the other kitchen decor is usually a soft color and the kitchen’s focal point.
Glass Cabinets
Glass cabinets aren’t usually solid glass. They are usually wood cabinets with glass doors that are framed in wood. There can be panels/grids or they can be left solid, which is a cleaner look. Glass cabinets give a cabinet an airy feel.
If you know how to handle glass safely, you can create your own glass cabinets. First, remove the back paneling of the cabinet doors. Then, replace it with glass. Just make sure the glass is very secure before using the cabinets.
Rustic Cabinets
Rustic cabinets are similar to farmhouse cabinets. The biggest difference between farmhouse cabinets and rustic cabinets is that rustic cabinets are warmer, more solid, and almost always wooden. They are darker and more earthy than farmhouse cabinets.
You can find inspiration for rustic cabinets by browsing through kitchens in cabins and lodges. If you see a fireplace in a cabin, there’s a good chance that there are rustic cabinets in that kitchen. So take a look!
Mediterranean Cabinets
View in galleryMediterranean cabinets are authentic and historic, or at least they are made to look that way. They are the type of cabinets you’d see in a French home from the 1800s. You may see a butcher block in the corner with a bread bowl on the island.
The point of Mediterranean cabinets is to take one back in time. Or at least, make one feel as if they are journeying through time to experience life in historic Europe. Namely Italy, France, Greece, or another Mediterranean country.
Chrome Or Steel Cabinets
View in galleryMetal cabinets are hard to come by and aren’t very popular in residential houses. They are usually reserved for commercial kitchens or workshops. They are durable and offer a modern, yet industrial feel to a kitchen. Pair with Edison bulbs for a truly industrial kitchen.
If you can’t find or afford chrome cabinets, you can always fake them out by painting your cabinets a shiny silver. It won’t be quite the same. But, it will let you experiment and most people won’t know the difference.
Beachhouse Cabinets
Beachhouse cabinets are the type of cabinets you’d find at a beach house. They are almost always white, coral, teal, or seafoam green. Many times, you will notice that beach house cabinets are whitewashed as well.
The reason for this is that people with beach houses want their decor to look like it has been washed by the sea. If you can afford it, you can even get drift wood cabinets made from real drift wood for your kitchen.
Contemporary Cabinets
When you hear contemporary, you may think sleek and minimalist. That’s what contemporary cabinets are. They offer a taste of modern, only with a less eclectic design than most modern cabinets.
Contemporary cabinets come in all shapes and colors. But the most common types are a soft wood grain, black or white. Hardware is also sleek, modern, and geometric, with little to no design on them.
Asian-Influenced Cabinets
View in galleryAsian cabinets from Japan, China, and Thailand, have two primary styles. The first style is a cultural, and historic, style that features bright paintings on simple wood grain cabinets. This style can be eccentric and warm.
The other style is quite contemporary. It is sleek and simple. The Japanese culture is known to love minimalism, with the famed author Marie Kondo hailing from Japan. So either way, you’ll be able to find perfect Asian-influence cabinets.
Slab Cabinets
View in gallerySlab cabinets are modern cabinets that have flat fronts with no grooves or intentions. The hardware is very simple, or even non-existent. They look similar to shaker cabinets only with just one panel.
If you want to keep things as simple as possible, then slab cabinets are perfect. You really can’t get any more simple than slab cabinets. These can be made out of any material you have on hand or can imagine.
Simple Shelving
If you’re trying to find a way to forgo cabinets, you can opt for shelving instead. These will work just like cabinets only without the walls that cabinets have. There can be tops and bottoms, with shelving in between them.
Simple shelving instead of cabinets can free up space and make a kitchen look open. You can make them out of wood, glass, metal, or something else entirely. This gives you a lot of room for creativity.
Just An Island
If shelving isn’t your thing but you still want cabinet space, then consider getting a large island. The island can be used to store everything out of sight. This eliminates the need for standard kitchen cabinets like we’ve talked about.
If you need more space, you can add a pantry, utility closet, or even an overhead pan rack. This can add a lot of character to your kitchen. Opting out of getting cabinets altogether is a bold move. But sometimes bold moves pay off.