So much life happens in our kitchens every day – from cooking delicious meals for our families, to learning how to cook from parents and grandparents, to hanging out and sharing snacks and laughs with our children. We want our kitchen to be a warm, welcoming space where we can make lasting memories, but also an efficient workspace to make our time spent there just a little easier. And while appliances and countertops are beautiful and important, it’s the cabinets that draw the most attention, and often lead the design style in your kitchen and throughout other areas of an open-layout home. 

If you’re trying to make a decision about cabinets, there are lots of options to consider. At Regal Homes, our interior designers will expertly guide you through the process to select the cabinets that work best for you. But before you begin browsing selections, consider these two questions:

What are your needs in the kitchen?

What’s your design style?

By thinking about these two questions before starting the design process, you can make your choices more quickly and confidently. Let’s take a look at what to consider when it comes to kitchen needs and style:

What do you need in a kitchen?

Above all else, kitchen cabinets are practical. They provide a space to store your pots, pans, utensils, kitchen appliances, and more. Think about how you move around your kitchen, how you currently access items, and which items you like to store away.

If constant bending or kneeling is an issue now, or could be in the future, pull-out drawers may be a better alternative to doors in your base cabinets. While drawers can be more costly to install and maintain, they are gaining popularity because of how easy it is to access everything in your cabinets. Drawers bring items to you, rather than you having to bend or kneel to find what you need at the back of shelves.

If you have lots of kitchen tools and gadgets, storage may be your number one priority. Opt for upper cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling to maximize storage space. Or, if you have decorative dishware that you want to display, floating shelves look clean and modern, and glass inserts perfectly showcase your favorite dishes. A few cabinetry options we sell often are under cabinet kitchen light cabinet moldings to brighten up the space, a double garbage pullout which is the perfect place to store your trash and recycling, tray dividers for cookie and baking sheets, a wood cabinet hood to add appeal to the space, enlarging the depth of the kitchen island, and adding roll-out trays.

What’s your overall design style?

Before your design appointment, flip through magazines or browse interior design websites and take note of the kitchen styles that you’re drawn to. Kitchen cabinets are a major focal point of your home and should reflect your taste, but there are a few rules of thumb to make the decision easier:

• White or light-colored cabinets will make your kitchen feel more modern, taller, and open. White is extremely versatile to design around and won’t clash with other colors in your space.

• Darker cabinet colors will make your kitchen feel more traditional and cozy. Try woods like cherry or mahogany, or even an exotic material like bamboo to make the design more textured and interesting.

• If you prefer subtle design, choose cabinets that complement the wall color and backsplash.

• If you prefer bold design, choose cabinet colors that stand out from everything else in the room (think painted cabinets in colors like blue or green).

• Two toned cabinetry provides you with an option to mix both a modern and traditional style. We often see two toned white kitchen perimeter cabinetry with either a dark painted or stained kitchen island as a nice accent. Another popular option is white upper kitchen perimeter cabinet color and a darker base kitchen perimeter cabinet color matching the kitchen island. 

One emerging design trend is ditching glossy, glazed cabinets in favor of natural, textured looks that let the wood grain show through. Or, if you’d prefer a style that transcends trends, opt for a simple and traditional style, like Shaker, that will stand the test of time and looks good with just about any décor. Here are a few other popular cabinet styles to consider:

• Shaker
• Slab
• Mullion (glass front)
• Raised-panel
• Recessed-panel

No matter which cabinets you choose, the kitchen in your brand new Regal home will be stylish, functional, fully equipped, and thoughtfully designed. We can’t wait to show you the kitchens in our new homes along the Wasatch Front and Wasatch Back! For more information, or to schedule a private appointment, please contact us at 385-297-8216.