Cabinet Styles for Your Kitchen Refacing

by Melissa Bullard
Face Your Kitchen Columnist

Refacing your kitchen cabinets is the perfect opportunity to change or modify the style of your kitchen. Because kitchen cabinet refacing keeps the current layout of your kitchen, but replaces the cabinets doors, drawer fronts, and hardware, it's good to look at it as a type of kitchen facelift. To create a tightly unified look in your kitchen, go with cabinet drawer and door front styles that better match your appliances, flooring, and countertops. If you're wondering how to choose cabinets to create a particular kitchen style, read on.

Refacing Kitchen Cabinets: Kitchen Styles

If you're wondering what type of cabinet doors and drawer fronts to get, take a look at this list to get some ideas about what might best match your style.

• Craftsman Cabinets: If you like the look of the Arts and Crafts era, which valued simple lines and fine furniture craftsmanship, go for richly-colored kitchen cabinets with a simple woodwork design, or consider choosing glass-paned cabinet doors to display the dishes behind. Individual, freestanding cabinets, and wrought-iron hardware can also add to this kitchen style.
• Contemporary Cabinets: The contemporary kitchen is simple, slick, and chic. For a contemporary kitchen, go for a minimalist look. Don't choose cabinet doors with any extra curves or ornamentation. Choose flush cabinet doors and drawer fronts that create an overall flat look, as well as simple, straight door handles.
• Country Kitchen: For a country kitchen look, choose cabinets that are comfortable and casual. Using beadboard as the front of the cabinet door creates a country look, as does leaving certain shelves open to display cooking utensils. Using glaze to give your cabinets a slightly distressed look can amplify the country feeling.
• Old World Kitchen: The Old World style kitchen is intricate and ornate, yet sturdy. Choose cabinets with fancy molding and designs that look as much like a piece of French or Italian furniture as cabinets. Painting your cabinets with earthy tones and sanding or glazing for a distressed look can add to the Old World style.
• Romantic Kitchen: Fancy, feminine, flourishes--these words call to mind what a romantic kitchen is all about. To create this kitchen style, choose cabinet doors and drawer fronts with soft, intricate details carved into them. To really capture the romantic look, install cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling and paint them a soft white or cream color. Any floral, ornamental detailing adds to this look.

Refacing your kitchen cabinets takes preparation and planning, so make sure you do the homework ahead of time. If you do, you're more likely to end up with a kitchen style you love.

About the Author

Melissa Bullard earned a Bachelor's degree in English Literature, then a Master's Degree in Spanish Language and Literatures from the University of Nevada, Reno. She has taught writing, literature, and Spanish classes, and is currently working as a fre