How We Choose the Best Cabinets for Your Space

 Choosing the right cabinetry is an essential step to designing a functional and beautiful space. Cabinets are vital storage solutions, especially in the kitchen, bathroom, mudroom, home office, or even as a built-in feature in your family room. 

However, cabinets offer more than just functional storage in a space. They set the tone for the whole design aesthetic. You may think that traditional-style cabinets and modern-style cabinets wouldn’t make much of a difference visually, but they have a loud voice in the overall design. That’s why choosing suitable cabinets when upgrading a room isn’t a decision you should take lightly. 

Selecting cabinets is more personal and nuanced than you might think. Most homeowners don’t know where to start and feel overwhelmed by the vast amount of options available. This is where we come in, narrowing down the selections only to what is best for your lifestyle and design goals.

To help show you all that is involved behind the scenes and in-person with our team, I’m sharing the 5 steps we use to help you choose the best cabinets for your home. They are:

Evaluate your needs

Determine your style

See real options

Finalize the details

Order and install

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Step 1: Evaluate your Needs

Before we can suggest the right cabinets for you, you will need to evaluate your storage needs. The space you are designing (kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, etc.) will determine the kinds of cabinets you will need. For example, the functionality of the cabinets we choose for your kitchen will likely be more intricate than when designing a mudroom with cabinets to store sports equipment.

Below are several things we take into consideration when evaluating your cabinetry needs…

ASSESSING THE FUNCTION OF YOUR SPACE

How will your space be used? We always focus on the function of your room first, because a pretty area that doesn’t serve you well isn’t a good design. 

We determine how you will use your cabinets based on your current habits. For example, think about where you like to cook in the kitchen and where you spend the most time. Do you like to bake, sit and visit at the bar, or host family dinners? These are details we’ll consider when planning your space. 

PRIMARY FEATURES YOU WANT TO INCLUDE 

Now that we know how you want your space to function, we can decide on the specific features we want to include. We can incorporate tons of options like roll-out shelves, lazy susans, tray dividers, spice pullouts, wood paneling, and docking drawers.

DETERMINE THE QUALITY LEVEL 

There are three levels of cabinet quality. The first level includes stock cabinets, which are ready-made and pre-manufactured. The next level up includes semi-custom cabinet options, which are also stock cabinets, but they have extra features and additions you can select. The highest quality level includes fully custom cabinets built according to your specifications. 

Fully custom cabinets will naturally have the highest durability and longevity, and they will also be built according to your unique needs. Naturally, these three quality levels require different investments, so we will work with you to find the best solution for your needs and budget.

PLAN LEAD TIME

When do you need your cabinets to be ready for installation? Lead times on cabinets can take at minimum 4 weeks for stock cabinets up to 14 weeks for custom designs. When you share your desired timeline with us, we will have a better idea of what to expect and plan for. If we need your cabinets sooner than later, stock or semi-custom may be the best option. 

NOTE: Lead times have significantly increased due to Covid-19 and the wait, even for stock cabinets, is much longer than pre-pandemic timelines. Again, we will have a general idea for lead time… and we’ll be sure to keep your existing cabinets in place until the new ones arrive!

SET A BUDGET

Lastly, we will help you set a budget for your cabinets based on your overall project investment. Like any design feature, having them as a line item keeps your budget on track and allows us to select the best option when it comes to your needs and wishlist. Again, we will help you find the best marriage between quality, functionality, and price