Let’s see where we are with the St. Michael’s kitchen renovation, shall we?
We have a rough idea of our budget: $25,000. If this were in a city, I might scoff at that number, but out here, it just might be possible. (And we’re not buying new appliances, installing new flooring, or doing a tile backsplash; it’s all about the cabinets, countertop, and labor.)
We’ve met with the plumber to make sure the washer and dryer can be moved out of the kitchen. If we couldn’t do that, we couldn’t move the fridge, which means our layout options would be more limited…blah blah blah.
(The washer and dryer ARE new, but they didn’t come out of the kitchen budget. I love those little mind games.)
Then we visited MidSouth Building Supply, my favorite cabinetry showroom, to select the cabinet manufacturer. (My mother-in-law nixed Ikea a while ago. Felt it wasn’t durable enough.)
And then we discussed layout with MidSouth’s sales rep-slash-cabinetry designer.
Hold on. Choose the cabinetry line before determining the layout?
Can’t you just design the layout first, and then press a button on some fancy software to see what different brands of cabinets would cost?
Tragically, it doesn’t work that way.
Let’s say you’ve decided you must have an 18” vertical tray cabinet to the right of the stove. Manufacturer X may have one. Manufacturer Y’s may only be 12” wide. Manufacturer Z may not have a vertical tray cabinet at all.
See the problem?
So my mother-in-law and I marched into MidSouth, which features four brands/manufacturers: KraftMaid, Medallion, Quality Cabinets, and Kahle’s Kitchens.
My mother-in-law announced: “We would like the lowest-priced, best quality wooden cabinets you have.” Pretty clear, actually.
Based on my experience, I assumed the sales representative would steer us to Kraft-Maid, which is very good quality for a decent price.
But no! She said that Medallion Cabinetry has a builder’s line that would be less expensive. It has fewer door style options, fewer wood species, fewer stains, but that was fine with us.
Not only that, but we selected a door style! We disagreed on it, actually, but guess what? The person paying for the project (aka the “client”) prevailed :)
We’re going with Fletcher, a recessed door with a slight bead (above right). It’s pretty; I just think it’s too detailed for this mid-century house.
I would have choosen a slab door – with no detail at all – but in this particular cabinetry line, the slab style has a veneer on the edges. Over time, that will peel. Ix-nay on the ab-slay.
My second choice was the Lancaster, which is a simple recessed panel (below right). Slightly Shaker-ish, but this style is so ubiquitous now that I don’t think of it as Shaker anymore. I just think of it as simple. (I’d say 90% of my clients choose a door style like this.)
As for the wood species and stain…that will depend on the countertop.
Next time, Gentle Readers. Next time.
All of the kitchen shots are from Medallion Cabinetry’s website. The top white kitchen shows the Fletcher door style; the white and wood kitchen shows Avalon, the slab style; and the third and fourth kitchen pictures show Lancaster, the “Shaker” style.
Annie Elliott – aka bossy color – is an interior decorator and design blogger in Washington, D.C. She has been quoted in publications from The Washington Post to The Seattle Times and is considered an expert on color, residential space planning, and telling people what to do in the nicest way possible.