December 2021 Kitchen Cabinetry

How to help clients choose cabinets for the most important room in the house

You may think of kitchen cabinet projects the same way as any other renovation job, but there’s more to it than that. Most clients put a lot of importance on their kitchen, and this makes all the difference. This difference is both emotional and practical. You’ll get more work and better profits if you prepare yourself to lead clients through the rather complicated cabinet selection process. Learn the essentials of cabinet design and you’ll inspire the kind of confidence that leads to more work and better money.

Kitchens cost big bucks, and the reason homeowners routinely spend five figures and up on a kitchen reno is because this area is the center of most home life. This is even more important now as kitchens become the focal point for more than just eating. Entertainment, school, work, home office activities and just a space to relax – these are all things that 21st century kitchens need to be good at. Here are four steps to help your clients get their best possible kitchen:

Start by talking to your client to get a sense of how the kitchen is used now and how it could be used in the future. Be especially sure to learn what works about the current kitchen and what doesn’t. What features are on the wish list? This is the time when you start impressing clients by introducing them to great cabinet hardware and design features that make the best modern kitchens so successful. 

Key questions to ask during the design phase include:

1.    Traditional, casual, modern, shaker or solid wood cabinets? 
       •    Before meeting with the client ask that they collect images of the kind of kitchens they like so you can discuss them together. 
2.    What type of cookware and supplies are in the kitchen now? 
       •    You need to know what needs to be stored.
3.    Will the kitchen be used for more than eating? 
       •    Does significant paperwork need to happen there? Will computers be used for school work or when working from home?
4.    What timeline does your client have in mind for completion? 
5.    Will the cabinet replacement be part of a major renovation of the space, including new wiring, plumbing, walls and flooring? 
6.    What broad budget figure does your client have in mind?

Depending on your level of experience and your client’s level of interest, consider bringing an experienced kitchen designer into the process. The best designers will look at the entire space, including floor coverings, walls, light fixtures, and plumbing elements. Digital planning tools create 3D renderings that make it easy for homeowners to visualize the overall plan and feel. Never forget that most people cannot visualize things in three dimensions without help.

• ​Wide-rail Shaker doors: Similar to standard Shaker styling, but with wider-than-usual horizontal and vertical frame members. This creates a beefier looking cabinet with the option of more pronounced edge details.

• Raised panel doors: These have the same vertical and horizontal frame members as Shaker doors, but the panel they surround is not flat but has beveled edges. This traditional detail creates more shadow lines on the doors as light falls on them, creating greater visual interest. 

• ​Beaded panel door: This style includes narrow strips of semi-circular trim extending out from the outer edges of the door or, in some cases, surrounding the edges of the panel area of the door. Beaded designs are a hallmark of the farmhouse kitchen approach and can sometimes be used to create a single door that stands out in a kitchen with other styles elsewhere.