Modern Kitchen Cabinet Doors: 5 Top Design Choices for Homeowners

When planning your dream kitchen, pick the cabinet doors first. Kitchen cabinet doors have a big effect on how your space looks and works. It’s important to decide on door styles early as you think about what you want your kitchen to be.

When it comes to kitchen style, cabinet doors can make or break the look. Upgrading standard kitchen storage cabinets to extraordinary requires thoughtful consideration of the many stylish cabinet door options available today. Below we list the top on-trend kitchen and bathroom cabinet door styles. We describe each door type and give tips on how to use these doors to freshen up your kitchen space.

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5 Popular Kitchen Cabinet Door Designs

Don’t settle for boredom when evaluating door styles. Rather than accept basic cabinet doors in your next kitchen remodel, explore the many stylish and budget-friendly designs that are trending right now. Several kitchen cabinet door styles offer homeowners elegant simplicity with clean lines suited to both contemporary and more classic kitchens.

1. Shaker-style Kitchen Cabinets

Known for uncomplicated styling featuring a center recessed panel with a simple frame, Shaker cabinets provide understated elegance perfect for cottage, country, or transitional spaces. The iconic Shaker style offers a clean, versatile look that fits nicely in kitchens that lean both traditional and contemporary.

Widely available and budget-friendly, Shaker cabinets pair beautifully with a wide range of counters, backsplashes, hardware, and flooring. Homeowners appreciate the charming simplicity of the Shaker door’s square flat center panel and subtle framing. The lightly ornate grooves carve out delineated spaces to showcase glazing and contrasting paints for added dimension. Shaker cabinets feel at home in an array of color schemes from crisp whites to soothing grays to rich stains. Their fuss-free styling allows richer materials like granite and even bold backsplashes to shine.

2. Beadboard Cabinets

Timeless beadboard cabinet doors add a laidback, coastal personality through rows of vertical grooved wood panels. The defined lines and recessed profiles create charming dimensions perfect for laundry rooms, country kitchens, and seaside cottages. Playing up a contrast with darker stains over light wood beadboard makes the texture pop.

While beadboard famously serves cottage style, contemporary spaces can also benefit from beadboard’s informal visual warmth. Pairing crisp white paint over natural wood evokes beach house chic. Or mix white cabinet boxes with unexpected pops of color just on beadboard doors. Coastal blue, grassy green, and coral instantly introduce personality. Beadboard offers affordability compared to pricier paneling so don’t limit its possibilities. With endless paint color options, you can customize uniquely textured statement spaces that feel budget-friendly.

3. Flat-panel (Slab) Kitchen Cabinets

Slab cabinet doors deliver streamlined sophistication through simplicity for more modern and minimalist kitchen aesthetics. Devoid of any framing surrounding the recessed panel, slab cabinetry makes a smooth, spacious statement allowing the wood grain and color to take center stage. The ultra-clean sight lines create a lighter, airier feel perfect for contemporary spaces craving a sleek upgrade.

Homeowners often use slab cabinetry on both lower and upper cabinets to maximize visual continuity. Pairing slab drawer fronts with concealed hinges and integrating handles into cabinetry enhances the seamless modern appeal. Using drawer pulls and handles sparingly or opting for grooved cabinets maintains focus on the subtle wooden richness. The slab door’s neutral look allows bolder choices with counters, flooring, and backsplashes from quartz and stainless steel to patterned tile and concrete. Crisp whites and grays keep the focus on ultra-modern shapes and materials.

4. Glass-front Kitchen Cabinet Doors

Glass-front cabinet doors help even the smallest, darkest kitchens feel open, bright, and spacious. Strategically mixing glass door cabinets amongst solid wood cabinets allows displayed dinnerware, glassware, or decorative colorful ingredients to add personalized palettes of texture and tones. The transparency of a single door also enables continued sightlines, enlarging rooms visually.

Glass fronts easily mix and match within singular cabinets as well. Homeowners can select glass fronts just for upper cabinets to curate collected items not intended for everyday access. Glass bases provide discreet visibility to deeper lower cabinet interiors. Choices like smoked glass or patterned glass infuse more privacy while retaining an airy ambiance. DIYers and contractors can also opt for cost-effective acrylic fronts versus pricier glass. When backlit with interior lighting, the crystalline shine feels downright glamorous.

5. Inset Kitchen Cabinet Doors

Also called full-overlay doors, inset cabinet doors and drawers fit inside the cabinet front frame creating clean lines and uniformity for spaces favoring contemporary style. The recessed doors deliver a polished, flush kitchen composition optimal for modern sights. Compared to more ornately crafted and embellished cabinets, simple inset doors place emphasis on gorgeous grains and materials.

The seamless outfitted appearance provides fewer visible hardware pieces for a tidier aesthetic. Inset cabinetry also makes smaller kitchens appear marginally bigger through simplicity and streamlining. Easy-grip rounded edges ensure functionality and safety when opening doors and accessing contents. Finally, inset cabinetry lends itself perfectly to an integrated sink and counter design where cabinetry, countertop, and basin blend harmoniously.

Custom Kitchen Cabinet Door

For homeowners wishing to splurge, customize kitchen cabinetry for a tailored high-end appearance. Fully customized cabinetry offers made-to-order sizing, storage solutions, materials, and hardware not provided by stock cabinet providers. Collaborate one-on-one with designers to hand-select finishes, drawer inserts, handles, and more based on your specific storage needs and style preferences.

Beyond functionality, custom cabinetry introduces more unique aesthetics from color combinations to material mixes. Blend metal and wood tones like brass shelving atop walnut cabinets for an eclectic edge. Or combine wood types for open and closed storage with special built-ins ideal for cookbooks, stemware, and servingware. Incorporate specialty organizational solutions like recipe card racks, cutlery dividers, and lazy susans. Then specify special finishes like crackled paint or hammered metals. Custom cabinetry guarantees completely personalized kitchen functionality and styling.

How To Choose The Right Kitchen Cabinet Contractor

Cabinet doors are crucial in kitchen design, offering functionality and style. Invest in high-quality custom cabinet doors for a unique and long-lasting solution. Don’t forget to think about installation and maintenance to ensure your cabinet doors continue to look their best.

Do your research to discover local designers who are familiar with the latest offerings and trends. Ask for customer references and follow up to gain insight into the communication process, timeliness, service, and value. Finally, check sites like Yelp, Google, and Houzz to read customer reviews based on firsthand cabinetry experiences.

Contact us today for your free design consultation, walkthrough measurements, and competitive pricing. Together we’ll determine the perfect cabinet solutions to maximize both aesthetics in your exciting new kitchen!