Types of Cabinets: 9 Kitchen and Bathroom Cabinet Styles

Cabinets serve several purposes in modern kitchens:

• Store equipment: The primary function of cabinets, whether kitchen cabinets or bathroom cabinets, is to offer adequate storage places for dishes, utensils, cookware, and toiletries.
• Solidify design style: Along with countertops, cabinets are the largest unifying piece of furniture in the kitchen and bathroom, which means that they are the anchor of kitchen design and bathroom decorating. The cabinet style in a kitchen or bathroom is a vital choice for an attractive, cohesive room.
• Conceal clutter: Cabinets were designed to conceal clutter in the kitchen or bathroom, which are often two of the busiest rooms in a house. From cookware to junk drawers, cabinets offer enclosed or semi-enclosed hiding places for a variety of items. Learn about decluttering in our complete guide.

There are four main types of cabinets on the market:

1. 1. Custom cabinets: Custom cabinetry is built from scratch by a designer, using custom specifications based on your space and design style. Custom cabinets are the most expensive type of cabinet.
2. 2. Semi-stock cabinets: Semi-stock cabinets allow you to mix and match a few specific style options to create semi-custom cabinets, usually in a few predetermined sizes. They’re in the middle of cabinet price ranges.
3. 3. Stock cabinets: Stock cabinets come entirely pre-made, allowing you to select a specific cabinet online and install it in your home. Stock cabinets are some of the most inexpensive cabinet options.
4. 4. Ready-to-assemble cabinets: Ready-to-assemble cabinets (or RTA cabinets) are premade kits, allowing you to select a particular cabinet online, then assemble and install them yourself. RTA cabinets are the most inexpensive cabinet option.

Bathroom and kitchen cabinet styles go hand-in-hand with many different interior design styles:

1. 1. Contemporary or modern: In a contemporary kitchen, cabinets follow a minimalist approach, minimizing ornamentation, molding, or trim and opting for sleek, simple, straight lines. Slab cabinets are especially popular since they’re one piece of wood without paneling. Neutral colors are the most popular for contemporary or modern designs, predominantly white, cream, and gray.
2. 2. Country: Country cabinets feature more ornamentation than other styles, often characterized by multi-panel doors, beadboard cabinet fronts, and decorative knobs. Country cabinets often feature stronger colors, like yellow, light blue, or mint green.
3. 3. Craftsman: Craftsman-style cabinet designs emphasize clean lines, durability, craftsmanship, and sturdy, high-end materials. They are almost always unpainted natural wood.
4. 4. French country: One of the most ornamental styles, French country cabinets often feature arches, decorative molding, and multiple panels. Ornate hardware and distressed paint or stain are also standard.
5. 5. Mid-century modern: Mid-century modern style is a vintage or retro approach characterized by angular lines and geometric shapes. Mid-century modern cabinets often have no molding or trim, instead featuring slab doors or flat-panel doors to look simple, sleek, and angular. Mid-century contemporary styles often incorporate brighter colors, like blues and oranges.
   
6. 6. Mission-style: Mission-style cabinets draw on designs from the American southwest, emphasizing straight lines, flat-panel panel doors, and natural oak wood. Mission-style wood is often a warm brown hue, ornamented with black hardware.
7. 7. Rustic: Rustic designs aim to look durable and natural, so rustic cabinetry often focuses on the materials, using pine or oak wood, usually with dark finishes or natural stains.
8. 8. Shaker: Shaker-style cabinets, named after the designs of colonial America in the 1770s, borrow from contemporary designs in that they aim for simplicity, functionality, and minimalism. Shaker cabinets usually feature simple rail frames and flat-panel or simple single-panel doors.
9. 9. Tuscan: With its inspiration in Italy, Tuscan designs feature ornamentation, like molding and trim, often with richly stained wood and ornate accents.

Bathroom or kitchen cabinetry is incredibly customizable, which means there are many factors to consider when looking for the right bathroom or kitchen cabinet designs for your home:

1. 1. Color: Cabinets come in a range of colors, from bright green to distressed white to unpainted wood. Some homeowners want their cabinets to blend in with the rest of the house, opting for neutral or matching colors, while others prefer their cabinets to be the centerpiece of the particular room, opting for brighter or bolder paint colors.
2. 2. Edge: The edge profile of a cabinet can have a significant impact on its look and feel. A straight edge will look minimal and angular, while a beveled edge will have a more ornate, classic look, like more traditional cabinets.
3. 3. Finish: The finish is the final protective coat that goes on a cabinet—the most common finishes are glossy (which leaves your cabinets looking sleek and shiny) or matte (which gives your cabinets a more natural appearance). Leave your cabinets unfinished for the most rugged look.
4. 4. Frame: You can choose from two major frame options during cabinet construction: framed cabinets (which have an additional face frame) or frameless cabinets (which have full overlay doors attached to the cabinet box). Framed cabinets are more customizable, while frameless cabinets can look cleaner and offer slightly more storage space.
5. 5. Hardware: In addition to the cabinets themselves, also consider hardware, like the handles, knobs, and hinges. Hardware can look especially ornate or smooth and simple for a more minimalist feel.
6. 6. Location: There are many different cabinet shapes and sizes depending on location and your needs. Base cabinets (or lower cabinets) sit near the floor, while wall cabinets (upper cabinets) are mounted to the wall at eye level or higher. Tall cabinets (full-wall cabinets) run close to the length of the entire wall, while kitchen island cabinets are installed in the middle of the room. Cabinet drawers pull out from the cabinet and are usually hip-level or lower. Consider your storage needs and ease of movement to determine which kinds of cabinets work best for your kitchen.
7. 7. Materials: Cabinets can be made from many different materials. The most popular cabinet material is solid wood (which can also be the most expensive); other materials include wood veneer, laminate or thermofoil, melamine, polyester, and medium-density fiberboard (MDF). Some homeowners have glass-front cabinets in parts of their kitchens, as well. Cabinet hardware also comes in different materials—standard options include brass, bronze, copper, and iron.
8. 8. Overlay: The overlay is a construction term for the profile of your cabinet doors. There are three overlay options in popular cabinet door styles: full overlay and partial overlay doors sit on top of the cabinet frame, while inset doors are built flush with the frame. Overlay cabinets offer a bit more space, while inset cabinet doors can look more streamlined.
9. 9. Paneling and molding: The type of kitchen cabinet doors you choose will significantly influence the look and feel of your cabinets and drawer fronts. Flat-panel cabinet doors are flush and smooth without any ornamentation. In contrast, recessed panel, raised-panel, and multi-panel cabinet doors have at least one center panel and can feature molding. Louvered cabinets are another option, with several horizontal slats that draw the eye.

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