Like countertops, redoing your kitchen cabinets can cost as little or as much as you want to spend. At the cheapest level, you can simplify, sand down, and repaint the doors and frames. Another option would be to simply repaint the framing and buy new doors. This is slightly more expensive, but can update the look and feel of the space without the huge expense or the time that comes with a full scale remodel.
However, if you are ready to take the jump and completely replace your kitchen cabinets, there are many options and issues to consider.
Modern vs. Rustic
The biggest decision you make is related to the style of your new cabinets. Once you have decided on an aesthetic, all of your other choices will flow from that. Broadly, there are two popular styles: Rustic and Modern. A rustic kitchen incorporates raw or unfinished wood and muted hardware. For example, instead of painting or veneering wood, the cabinetry is stained with lacquer in order to highlight the natural features of the wood. You can pair with that light colored stone countertops and bronzed or brass fixtures.
Modern style cabinets take a different approach, the doors and drawers are going to be made from metal or wood painted to hide the nature features of the wood. Hardware will have a modern design and made from stainless steel. The goal is to the keep the lines as clean and simple as possible.
At the end of the day, your options are almost endless. Any material or design you think of can be used.
Those Special Features
When designing kitchen cabinets from scratch, you can integrate any number of special features into the design. Drawers or built-ins can be made to hold specialized tools, like a mixer or spice racks, can be integrated in to the back of a door. As with the overall style, working with a designer will help you walk through the specifics of the kitchen layout.
When redesigning your kitchen cabinets, it is important to think about how you use your kitchen. Is it an eat-in kitchen? Are you also replacing your dishwasher or fridge? What sort of sink do you want?
