So you meant to give that kitchen with the white cabinets a face-lift but just never got around to it. This time, procrastination may have been a good thing: All those bright whites that were wildly popular in the 1990s and early 2000s are now the hottest trend in kitchen cabinetry.
“Cabinets painted white with a glaze have actually been back in for a few years now,” said Rhonda Mathis of Wood Hollow Cabinets, a Dalton firm that works with builders, decorators and homeowners. “I think people like them for that clean, crisp, very modern look.”
Almost all of the kitchen makeovers performed by Martin Jimenez and his team at Cabinet Transformations in Fayetteville involve turning outdated cupboards into shiny- and off-white styles.
“People want a bit of glazing that gives cabinets an almost antique look,” he said. “They’re definitely moving away from the darker kitchens.”
And though homeowners might have thought white was just a trend, it turns out it was timeless.
“When I first started in this business 15 years ago, white was going out, and everything was dark,” said Sarah Price of Founders Kitchen & Bath, a partner of Construction Resources in Alpharetta. “But now people find they want white because it is classic. You can always change the countertops, the backsplash and the paint on the walls, but white cabinets stay neutral and work with everything. That also helps with resale; white doesn’t date a kitchen, so no one will come in and say, ‘Oh, you did that in 2014.’”
Contemporary kitchen cabinets don’t need to be blindingly white to work. Owners and buyers are also leaning toward the slightly off-white shades with hints of gray, but they’re going retro with hardware.
“The big trend that’s coming on fast is polished chrome,” Price said. “Again, it was a trend in the ’90s, but people want that polished, stainless look that we got away from. They particularly want it in the bathroom and maybe in the kitchen, where it dresses things up. I’ve even heard a rumor that polished brass is coming back, but that’s not something I’m going to be jumping into.”
When it comes to cabinet colors, bathrooms are another story.
“Sometimes the bathroom cabinets will match the kitchen, but usually people are doing just the opposite,” Price said. “The bath might have light walls and counters, and more people are going with marble on the floors, so they don’t want light cabinets. They go very dark with maple or cherry woods to create that Zen-spa feeling.”
Steven Gamper of CSI Kitchen & Bath Studio in Norcross also finds homeowners and buyers opting for cherry and mahogany stained in rich, dark shades as part of their master baths. They also want cabinetry that works.
“We’re seeing a lot customizing with drawers where you can put cosmetics and hairsprays,” he said. “People want compartmentalized drawers for curling irons and hair dryers that are already plugged in. We’re also seeing vanity heights going to the same height as kitchen cabinets — about 36 inches.”
The same level of detail that moves away from simple shelves and drawers has been popular in kitchens for some time. If the space allows, owners opt for cabinets that soar dramatically to the ceiling and mix a combination of open shelves, flush doors and panels with punched-tin or glass fronts that showcase favorite china pieces. They’re also going for microwave drawers with control panels on the outside (like the dishwasher) and specialized storage spaces for items such as knives and appliances.
“Everything we do now is custom; we actually draw out and produce the cabinets and tailor them to the space,” said Bobby Dulin, owner of Cabinet Resources in Norcross. “In the past, everyone did standard 8-foot cabinets, but it’s become very common to take them all the way up to the ceiling for a dramatic flair. We also add a lot of functionality features, such as soft-close drawers and doors, and pullouts for mixers and blenders that are wired so you don’t have to find a place to plug them in. We can also blend the appliances into the cabinetry with panels that go over the front so everything looks integrated.”
Doors that fit inside the edge of the cabinet, without exterior hinges, are also gaining traction, Dulin said.
“Inset doors and drawers flush with the frame of the cabinet are very popular — even though people forget that’s the way cabinets used to be before adjustable hinges came out,” he said. “And they aren’t any more expensive than hinged doors.”
Cabinetry has even gone high-tech in places, Gamper said. “In some of our higher-end lines, we have cabinets that you can wave your toe under the ledge, and the door will open automatically. It’s also available on sliding pantry doors. These mechanisms give you different options, but they also increase the cost of the cabinet.”
When it comes to cost, even basic drawers and shelves can take a considerable bite out of a budget. In most new construction, Price estimates that the expense of cabinetry in the kitchen, master bath and laundry room equates to about 5 percent of the home’s total cost.
“The cost depends on first, style and type of door, and second, the type wood,” Price said. “Then it depends on what the owner wants. For instance, every home magazine now shows cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling, some with glass panels and lighting. But that’s actually two stacks of cabinets with glass-fronted shelves on the top that are not very functional. A gourmet kitchen with those cabinets to the ceiling and high-end appliances can range anywhere from $50,000 to $75,000.”
Which wood is used depends on whether or not the owner wants the cabinets to be stained or painted, Dulin said. “If we’re painting, we use a paint-grade maple, which has less of a grain. But if we’re staining, we can use cherry, mahogany or alder, which is a less expensive version of cherry. Either way, most people want wood instead of a composite or fiber board.”
And cabinets don’t just stay in the kitchen and master bath. They show up in laundry rooms, mudrooms, family rooms, libraries, butler’s pantries, walk-in pantries and home offices.
“Mudrooms with lots of shelving and cabinetry are a big thing right now,” Price said. “We’re also seeing houses that don’t have formal dining rooms but do have a butler’s pantry or a china cabinet room to store dishes. We’re seeing giant walk-in pantries where people put the appliances so they’re not on the counters and where there’s room for freezers and broom closets.”
The combination of cabinets through the house offers buyers and remodelers a range of options that can seem almost overwhelming. That’s why Price starts off by drawing up a complete sketch of every option an owner wants. “But from there,” she said, “we start taking things out until we have a room that fits their budget.”
About the Author
