Plain shaker kitchen cabinets will keep your space looking fresh and chic for years to come. When building your dream kitchen, you should look for timeless pieces.
You should also consider creating unique, custom items that perfectly suit your and your family’s needs. How do you do that? With customized plain shaker kitchen cabinets, of course!
Why Choose Shaker Cabinets?
Plain shaker kitchen cabinets are one of the most popular cabinet doors, thanks to their timeless style. Shaker cabinets are very clean and simple, consisting of a five-piece door and a recessed center panel. You can add some detailing to the doors, but typically, they are unfussy and classic.
How to Create a Custom Kitchen Using Plain Shaker Kitchen Cabinets
When customizing your kitchen, start by analyzing what you currently have to see what works for you and your family and what needs changing. You can then make a list of your must-haves, like spacious shaker cabinets for storage, a kitchen island with bar stools, and all the necessary appliances.
Going through your kitchen and creating this list will challenge you to see what your dream kitchen will need and if what you already have can be reused in the new space.
Next, start working on a floor plan. You can work with an architect or other professionals on this or do it yourself.
Create scale drawings of your kitchen’s floor plan, including where your doors and windows are, and start plotting in your cabinets and appliances. You can use this to start to plan the flow of your kitchen.
If you want an open-concept kitchen, for example, you will want to make sure nothing blocks the room or makes it too crowded. You can also find the best layout for your kitchen shape.
For example, a galley kitchen may become crowded with cabinets along all the walls, so you may want to place them on one wall only.
Consider Your Kitchen’s Style
Once you’ve started planning a customized kitchen, you can start thinking about its design. Shaker cabinets are versatile and can work in many styles of home, from modern to farmhouse to traditional. You can choose a kitchen style that complements the rest of your home or stands out.
Start Customizing Your Plain Shaker Kitchen Cabinets
You don’t need to install cabinets straight from the manufacturer, assuming that will cover all your needs. Instead, you can customize your kitchen to perfectly suit your needs by adding extra storage and functionality to your cabinets.
Vertical lower cabinets can be outfitted with rollout drawers to create a food storage cabinet or pantry area. You can also outfit your lower cabinets with pullouts or door mounts to house cleaning supplies or extra cookware, while the doors on higher cabinets can include tool racks for measuring cups, knives, or other utensils.
If you’re opting for a modern kitchen, you should outfit your shaker cabinets with additional storage options. Modern kitchens are typically minimalist and full of clean lines, which means they are clutter-free.
Add an appliance garage to hide your countertop appliances like microwaves and blenders, and install spice racks on the inside of your cabinet doors.
Another custom add-on for your kitchen cabinets that you might want to consider is lighting. Under-cabinet lights can add functional task lighting for countertop food prep and can even work as subtle night lighting if you want to grab a midnight snack. Dimmable lights and LEDs are options.
Your under-cabinets can also be a secret power source. Instead of breaking up your gorgeous backsplash tile with unsightly power outlets, create an outlet strip under your upper cabinets that can be accessed by the countertop.
One of the great things about customizing your kitchen is that you are creating solutions to suit your needs perfectly, whatever they may be.
For example, a baker might want to add storage for their extra mixers and create pantry rollouts for easy access to flour and sugar. In contrast, sommeliers can add a stemware rack or wine bottle organizer under a wall cabinet.
Choose the Right Materials for Your Pieces
Once you have an idea of the look and layout of your kitchen, you can start selecting your items and finishes. For your plain shaker kitchen cabinets, you should opt for hardwood as it’s the most durable.
However, if budget is an issue, you can opt for the slightly cheaper plywood option. Doors in wood veneers are not recommended, as they can peel and chip over time.
You also have many options for the color of your plain shaker kitchen cabinets. Keeping them in a plain wood finish is timeless, and wood is neutral and works in any home style. With the right styling and design details, like hardware and countertops, wood can look modern, traditional, or even industrial.
If you choose to paint your cabinets, white, off-white, and grey are all popular choices as they are classic and versatile.
In addition to your cabinets, you will need to choose the best materials for your kitchen countertops and floors. These can be dictated by your budget and needs.
For example, laminate countertops are often cheaper and fairly low-maintenance. In contrast, wood countertops are typically a little more expensive and require more care.
Stone countertops, like quartz or marble, can become a show-stopping focal point in your kitchen. They require sealing, which makes them a little more high maintenance, but they are still incredibly durable.
Similarly, the best kitchen flooring will be durable and hard-wearing, able to withstand splashes and spills. You can opt for ceramic tile, laminate, or vinyl, which are water-resistant and easy to clean.
