Source for simple, shaker-style wood cabinets?

[Nikki]

My new bungalow is going to need a whole new set of kitchen cabinets. Sadly, the originals aren't there anymore, and the 60's plywood ones would be fine with a fresh coat of paint, except that we are planning on changing the layout.

I have visited a few big-box home improvement stores, and a specialty cabinet place. The salesmen at each place can't seem to understand that I am looking for simple, white-painted, shaker-style cabinetry. I don't want a white thermo-foil or melamine finish, but it seems its nearly impossible to find a simple white painted finish. I also don't need fancy drawer glides or any of those other little gadgets. And particle board is a no-no! Basically, I want these cabinets to look like they belong in a nearly 100 year old home. Not sure why this concept is so hard for them to grasp!

Another problem is that my ceilings are nearly 10' high, and I want the cabinets as high as they can go. Hopefully I can find tall cabinets, or I think there is a method of "stacking" different components.

Does anyone have any tips for me, or able to recommend a good cabinetry brand? I have never done a kitchen remodel, so I am clueless here! :eek:

[Lisa S]

Try contacting a local craftsman. I had our kitchen cabinets custome made, (and they're beautiful) for less than it would have cost me at a big box hardware store. Lots of woodworkers are looking for work.

[Breezy]

Nikki - Lisa has a wonderful suggestion - I'd go local and you will no doubt get a better quality product designed to your specifications.

[Evelyn]

I went to the local cabinet shop and selected one of their standard designs. I am very happy with them.

Evelyn

[Katherine]

In our first house, a 1927 Spanish Revival cottage, we were able to find solid wood shaker-style cabinets painted in a whitish color from Home Depot. The brand we used was Kraftmaid. You can see some of the pictures here: http://goodhomeconstruction.blogspot.com/2007/05/kitchen-remodel-from-our-archives.html.

Since then, there are many more cabinet companies coming up with wood shaker style cabinets in a variety of painted colors, including white. Try seeing if you have a local dealer or distributor of DuraSupreme, Medallion and Fieldstone Cabinetry. I know DuraSupreme allows more custom sizes so will work well for you if have odd measurements. Another brand is Diamond Cabinetry that carries this type of cabinet style and Lowe's carries this.

[rubyslippers]

Have you found anything you like yet?

By the way, what a cute blog-post Katherine. I haven't posted my new cottage pictures over here, but I have some revamping to do as well. Lots of stuff is already cute. I'm glad you found our crowd when we "moved" so-to-speak. Thanks again Cottages and Bungalows.

[Evelyn]

Katherine:

You are a visionary! Your kitchen is beautiful and I love the greenware. Are your cabinets off-white or a pale yellow....I couldn't quite tell from the photo.

Beautiful! You must love it.

Evelyn

[Katherine]

Thanks! The cabinets were off-white, with a slight tinge of cream. But when the sun comes in through the windows, the bright yellow walls cast a pale yellowish hue on them.
________
Glass Bubblers (http://glassgallery.tumblr.com)

[Nikki]

In our first house, a 1927 Spanish Revival cottage, we were able to find solid wood shaker-style cabinets painted in a whitish color from Home Depot. The brand we used was Kraftmaid. You can see some of the pictures here: http://goodhomeconstruction.blogspot.com/2007/05/kitchen-remodel-from-our-archives.html.

Since then, there are many more cabinet companies coming up with wood shaker style cabinets in a variety of painted colors, including white. Try seeing if you have a local dealer or distributor of DuraSupreme, Medallion and Fieldstone Cabinetry. I know DuraSupreme allows more custom sizes so will work well for you if have odd measurements. Another brand is Diamond Cabinetry that carries this type of cabinet style and Lowe's carries this.

WOW....love your kitchen! Those are the exact sort of cabinets I'm looking for. I have been out of town for a few weeks, so the kitchen project has been on hold....but I will check out Home Depot. I'm also trying to find some local cabinet makers. Would prefer to go that route (shop local, ya know...).

Katherine, may I ask what yellow paint color you used? It is just gorgeous!

[GvilleAlly]

Nikki, I would also recommend that you look for a local cabinetmaker. It seems counter-intuitive (Home Depot MUST be cheaper than anywhere else, right?), but I was similarly frustrated. A local cabinet shop should send someone to your home, take careful measurements and, above all, LISTEN to what you want. Your cabinets sound very basic, and any cabinet shop should be able to make them for you. Craftsmen understand that solid wood is superior to particle board, and they will want to make you happy, since your referrals mean a lot. I found my cabinetmaker while at HD! I ran into a coworker, told her I was looking at cabinets, and she gave me the name of the person she used. I am so glad I walked out of HD without putting down the $120 fee they wanted to charge me to come take measurements. Ask around. Contractors, interior designers, realtors, and probably a few of your friends can give you the name of someone qualified. You will be glad you did!

[LindaLK]

Hi Nikki, :)


Have you tried looking on E~Bay? I know a lot of people that find what they are looking for there.
Also, a while back, we had a member of CL post that she found her cabinets at IKEA. They were really nice.


I have seen some nice ones at Home Depot, as well as, Lowes. Try looking in the Yellow Pages of your phone book for a master cabinetry maker.
At least if you hire someone to come to your house, they will make the cabinets to your specifications.
They might cost more but, would be well worth the investment. The cabinets will add to the resale value of your house, if you ever decided to sell. Just a thought.


Katherine. I love you new kitchen. Awesome job!


Have a good day everyone!




Hugs,
Linda :)

[singlespeed]

Not really sure if you truly want to go custom or just how unique you want to go, but the cabinets we used are off the shelf ones that I put in with granite. There are a few more in the kitchen that aren't in the picture here.

http://www.cottagesandbungalowsmag.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=25&pictureid=243

Hope that shows up! It's in my photo album under my profile also.

[Scrantonluna]

Hmm. Most cabinets are designed to top out around 83 inches. You have 10 foot ceilings, so that gives you roughly 37 inches above a standard 30 inch wall cabinet. You could stack 30s double high, don't know how that would look. A lot of times when people have higher ceilings, they will stack glass front 15s on top of their 30s, mostly for display purposes, but it sounds as though you have more room than that to fill.

I know that sometimes you can get a better product at a better price with a local craftsman. We wound up going with Home Depot for a couple reasons, one of which is that our house is what I like to call 'organic,' in that there are no plumb or level surfaces. HD and Lowes warranty their work, in that if something doesn't fit, they have to replace it at their expense. I am also not a kitchen designer, and what I think is great may not be what others feel is correct, so just for the sake of fitting in with society, we chose to have a professional draw up our layout and go from there.

In the end, we had to order custom cabinets. This was due to our lovely pantry, a closed in old porch, which could simply not accomodate 24" base cabinets, making us have to buy modified units spec'd out for an 18" depth.

I chose the 'Gettysburg' doorfront, and my wife chose the finish (maple mocha glaze). It's pretty similar to the picture you should be seeing below. I think it really fits well with our home, which has a lot of different style points. It's sort of a shaker style, but keeps the geometric detail of a craftsman style as well. It also adapts itself very well to a farmhouse look, which is what I think we finally decided on my house being. Haha. Don't forget, you want to paint yours, so make sure you tell them that 'paint grade' is just fine. You could save a couple bucks because the wood they use is not as nice as cabinets that require a stain finish.

http://maka10.typepad.com/wow_for_the_home/images/2007/09/04/american_woodmark_gettysburg_maple_.jpg

For hardware, I wanted matte black. I like oil rubbed bronze on a lot of things, but for some reason hardware companies are putting out a rubbed bronze that is more like dirty copper. Luckily, this means they are phasing out the matte black, and you can get great deals at places like Overstock.com, where I got these knobs for $2 each, and pulls for $2.59!

http://cdn.overstock.com/images/products/P11736282.jpg

Countertops. For me, this will unfortunately come down to how much is left in the budget at the end of the kitchen remodel. You may want to consider something like a slate countertop, which I think would look very authentic. There is also a new green product out there, which is made from compressed paper infused with resin, that you may want to look into.

http://www.countertopbusiness.com/uploadedImages/Site1/Articles/0704CTBREC2.jpg

I wanted a farmhouse sink in the worst way, but in the end it just didn't seem like we could make it work. Ikea makes an affordable one, at $185 for a single bowl, but it also has some limitations. The next step up is around $319. I think you should really consider one, it will help make you cabinets look all the more vintage.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OWC2FfPR2k8/SA8yhtEoZ7I/AAAAAAAAA1c/ZGR_tIkxbqE/s320/press_room_cd_owh1.jpg

[Lisa S]

Nikki ~ my cabinet maker can probably make something for you. He works all around the PNW and Hawaii. IM me and I'll give you his contact information. His work is perfection!

[Nikki]

Scrantonluna- Thats pretty much the exact same cabinet I am looking for. I love that style! IKEA also sells something similar, but its hard to find a combo of cabinets that will work with high ceilings. I do like their farmhouse sink, though! I also thought about going with an old vintage sink (the kind with the drain boards) but my kitchen is tiny so I'm not sure it would fit.

That PaperStone countertop material is really neat! Funny thing is, they manufacture that stuff about a half-mile from my house! lol! Talk about the ultimate "green" solution....not only is the stuff made with recycled material, but I could literally carry it home! ;)

Lisa- I'll PM ya right now. I would LOVE to deal with a local craftsman.