Avoid Common Style Mistakes During Cabinet Refacing

by Allison Beatty
Face Your Kitchen Columnist

As you plan your new kitchen design, look for ways to add style without overdoing it. A few well-chosen focal points, some decorative accents and a burst of color might be all you need. Cabinet refacing is available in a variety of styles, from traditional to contemporary to transitional. As you peruse cabinet styles, look for a door style, wood species and cabinet finish from the same design genre. If you want to create an eclectic kitchen design, choose one unique element instead of trying to blend too many different styles.

Avoid Too Much Variety in Cabinet Styles

While variety is good, too much variety can turn a good kitchen design into chaos. As you plan your cabinet refacing, remember some common kitchen design guidelines:

• Add one or two focal points in your kitchen design, not five or six. When selecting a cabinet design, consider combining some glass cabinets with stylish cabinet hardware.
• Avoid using glass doors in all cabinets, as this could be too bold and impractical.
• Use paint and cabinet finish tones that are in the same color palette.
• Blend kitchen design colors with adjacent rooms for added continuity.

Blend Kitchen Design Colors and Tones Carefully

The typical kitchen design is filled with a variety of colors and blending them together can be tricky. A kitchen design rule of thumb is to pick items with the same color tones. For example:

• If you like earth tones, stick with colors in the sage, rust and cream color families.
• If you like primary colors, don't mix them with pastels.

Don't Skimp on Cabinet Refacing Style

As you caution yourself against adding too much variety, don't go to the other extreme. Each kitchen design should have some flair, whether it is an arched cabinet door style or a bold wall tile. If the kitchen design has too little style, you might loose all the design impact.

About the Author
Allison E. Beatty is a syndicated real estate writer. She has been a writer of home improvement columns for 15 years. Her articles have appeared in numerous national newspapers and magazines, and on home improvement web sites.