Cabinets Set Tone for Kitchen

design center 4When you start planning your new Fulton Home, it may seem like the kitchen is the most challenging part of the process. But once you make a couple of choices, your other options will begin to fall into place.

The best way to attack your overall kitchen design is with your cabinet style and finish. Do you want a contemporary look? Then consider the Shaker style for your cabinetry. This sleek style, shown on the bottom middle in the photo above, works well with the sleek lines of a contemporary home.

If you prefer a more country or rustic look, why not consider a glazed finish such as the cabinet door shown on the lower right? The darker tone and contrast provided by the black glaze makes that cabinet feel more homey and inviting, a fitting style to give that farmhouse appeal.

Perhaps you want to go solidly traditional. The dark cabinet door on the upper right would work well with any traditional decor. A light and bright kitchen would work well with the middle cabinet door to the left of the photo. The good news is that the Fulton Design Center has a rich selection of choices in cabinetry, and all of them in a standard of quality designed for you to enjoy in your new kitchen for years to come.

We encourage you to visit the Fulton Design Center to see our choices of kitchen cabinets in person, to start the process of designing the Fulton Home of your dreams.

Choosing Your Cabinet Style

Fulton CabinetsWhen you select cabinets for your new Fulton Home, you have more decisions than the wood tone or color. Simple style changes really affect the look of a kitchen. Let’s visit the Fulton Design Center to take a look at some cabinet door choices.

Do you want a curved molding at the top of your cabinets? You can see this look if you check out door visible in the middle cabinet on the second shelf. This traditional approach lends softness to your cabinetry, and some people feel it adds warmth.

Perhaps you like things simple. If so, consider the Shaker style. The door on the top left in the first display cabinet shows the Shaker style in light maple. While this demonstrates some personality – more than flat-surface doors – it creates a relatively undemanding background allowing you to exhibit some splash in other areas.

If you want your cabinets to be front-and-center in your kitchen, how about choosing the door on the bottom of the middle display? The variations in molding create a light-and-shadow look that draws the eye. If you add a glaze the variations will pop even more.

Don’t stop with the cabinet doors. Take a look at your choices of knobs and pulls. You may prefer stainless to coordinate with appliances, or how about the oil-rubbed bronze finish to add some old-world warmth? Be sure to touch as well as look. You will be using your choice for many years on a daily basis!

One last suggestion: take a look at the kitchens in the models and the Fulton Design Center. They can help you decide which style would work best for you in your own Fulton Home.

Exploring the Fulton Design Center: Kitchen Start-up

Bertazonni KitchenReady to plan your kitchen? The Fulton Design Center offers such a variety of styles and options that it may be challenging to narrow down your choices. These suggestions may help you with the process.

Choose your overall style: Do you love the richness of the traditional Tuscan look? Features such as the carved columns on the island above can help recreate that mood. If you lean toward a simpler option, take a look at the Shaker-style cabinets and start from there. However, do not feel obliged to be entirely consistent with your style choices. Take a look at the lighting in this kitchen. The contemporary pendants have a strong impact and help sharpen the more traditional look of this space.

Choose your cabinets: As you can see from the photo above, cabinetry makes the biggest design statement in this room. Your choice of cabinets affects every other decision you make, so make your cabinet choice the foundation of your kitchen’s design.Cabinet Display Design Center 034

The Fulton Design Center has a rich selection of styles and finishes, with sample doors that you can take throughout the Center to coordinate your total space.

Consider cabinet style and tone: You have two important choices with your cabinets. The first – style – provides the framework for the entire kitchen design. The second choice – cabinet tone – affects every other option you select.

A dark cabinet choice may lead to a lighter countertop and flooring selection. Painted cabinets can create a farmhouse feeling and a bright kitchen space. Light cabinets have a younger, more contemporary style, particularly when paired with a dark countertop and exciting backsplash.

So when you make that first decision – your cabinets –you’re well on your way to creating the perfect kitchen for you and your family.

Choosing the Right Cabinets

Cabinet choice has the strongest impact on the look of your kitchen. It’s worthwhile to spend some time before you choose your cabinets looking at kitchen photos on a website such as Home and Garden Television’s to see how different cabinet styles and finishes affect the look of the final kitchen. We have several kitchen vignettes in our Design Center and sample kitchens in the models. These can all help you determine what you want your kitchen to look like.

Here are a few tips when you’re choosing your cabinets. This photo is from our Design Center, showing some of the cabinet options available to you.

Cabinet style affects the feel of your kitchen: If you want a more traditional kitchen, choose a cabinet with a more patterned door. The door at the top left in the photo above is a good example of a more traditional look. Take a look at the doors showing on the second rows of the next two displays. Those are also good choices for a more traditional appearance.

If you’re looking for a country feel, consider cabinet styles such as the one fronting the second row in the first display cabinet. The bead-board style in the center reflects a country mood. The painted cabinet door in the top row of the second display also provides a country look with a touch of shabby chic thanks to the style of the finish.

For a modern kitchen, choose as simple a cabinet as possible. You may want to consider a door with no molding or a Shaker style with a very simple look.

When you’re selecting your finish, remember that darker cabinets tend to create a formal look and lighter wood has a casual feel. Also some stains, such as cherry, will change color slightly over time. Remember too that your cabinet choice will have an impact on every other kitchen decision, so if you want a dark countertop or floor you may want to think twice about dark cabinets.

Be sure to experiment with cabinet choices, countertops and flooring together, to find the right combination. Our designers can help create the perfect kitchen for you.