The kitchen is a room of great importance in a family home. People spend a great deal of money on it, purchasing costly appliances, expensive ledges, and high-quality cupboards. So, if you’re planning a renovation, making long-lasting choices is vital.
When it comes to technology, you can’t do much to ensure it’ll stand the test of time. Furniture is a different story.
Some people see shaker cabinets as pieces that never go out of style, while others would argue they do, and they already did. Let’s explore this topic in a bit more depth to help you determine where you stand.
What Are Shaker Cabinets?
Shaker cabinets are a cupboard build type with five-piece doors and flat, recessed panels without frame inclination. The construction is simple, clean, and sleek.
The name stems from a religious community in early American history, the Shakers. This group held utility, simplicity, and craftsmanship as essential traits for all aspects of their life, including their homes. They were also the first to incorporate wide-scale built-in cabinetry in house architecture.
All their furniture designs reflect these values, and people tend to consider such builds timeless.
Shaker Cabinet Features
These pieces are all about practicality, distinguishing themselves through:
- Moderate proportions
- High-quality hardwood for durability
- Sustainability and a minimal amount of material
- Simple five-piece doors and drawers
- Straight lines and squared edges
As such, they fit well in modern, minimalistic kitchens even today.
Shaker vs. Raised
Raised cabinets are a strong contender to the Shaker style.
The former has a more three-dimensional look, which some people prefer to add depth to their kitchens. Another common feature is the intricate decorative outer frame, compared to a more Spartan design the Shakers approved.
Shaker Cabinets: Pros and Cons
Let’s discuss the positive and negative aspects of going Shaker.
The Advantages
Notably, the uncluttered look of these cabinets guarantees a solid foundation for a long-lasting kitchen remodel. The style transcends fickle trends – it’s easy to repaint them or do a hardware upgrade after five years, and they’ll look as good as new.
Moreover, they can be a great blank canvas for you to express yourself. While the original Shakers might’ve disliked embellishments, you can go crazy with other design elements.
Finally, there’s the low-maintenance factor. The square edges are easy to clean, while the lack of bells and whistles makes DIY a breeze.
The Disadvantages
These cabinets’ traditional aesthetic might be quite minimalist and functional, but they can still seem out of place in a modern kitchen. Modern stainless steel appliances don’t go as well with these pieces of furniture.
Plus, although they require a simple wipe-down to clean, the square edges could gather dust and start looking shabby.
What About White?
White is a tricky color to pick for any piece of furniture, especially in a room where there’s a lot of chance for spillage and mess. On the other hand, color psychology tells us that white creates a sense of spaciousness, often necessary for rooms that quickly get cluttered.
If you’re ready to be careful while cooking and often wipe them to avoid permanent stains, there are multiple benefits to choosing this color.
- Not reliant on trends. While kitchen trends are short-living, white tends to transcend fads.
- If your favorite color is a vivid, loud one, it’s usually not the best choice for furniture. Still, you can add details, and they’ll pop against an unobtrusive background.
- Color impact. White represents purity and reflects natural and artificial light. There’s a feel-good effect about a pure, bright cooking space.
Multitude of Options
The Internet took the popularity of white Shaker kitchen cabinets to the next level. They became a go-to choice for many because they’re well-known and trusted. After all, there’s a certain degree of uncertainty with every online order, and this popular style eliminates it, at least in part.
Plus, nowadays, you can easily bypass traditional stores’ limitations and eliminate all the drawbacks you see in this style. E-commerce websites give you endless options for making the cabinetry fit your exact needs.
Multiple online providers followed the lead of they got cool stuff best online cabinets, manufacturing extensive door alternatives. Variety is the keyword here, letting you make the room as traditional or modern as you want while still maintaining the basic, much-loved design.
When you combine the familiar basic build with customizable, ready-to-assemble components, it becomes much easier to ensure that your kitchen looks stylish even many years down the line.
So – Evergreen or Outdated?
The answer to this question still depends on preference. Trends are cyclical, and no furniture piece truly becomes outdated.
However, customizability and flexibility do make a difference. As a result, white Shaker kitchen cabinets stay evergreen.