Cabinet Series – Part IV: Timeless Design

Now that we have laid the foundation for cabinet basics in Part I, II, and III, let’s look at cabinetry through a lens of aesthetics.

Trends in cabinet design come and go. Look at these examples below and see if you can tell in which decade they were installed.

: 1930s – metal (varmint proof) cabinets became the rage

: 1940s – white and red inset solid panel with sharp angles

: 1950s – metal cabinets on trend, now in neon colors

: 1960s – partial overlay with trendy edging details on doors

: 1960s – wood grain shiplap-like paneling

: 1970s – partial overlay wood grain with fancy raised panels

: 1980s – white laminate over wood solid panels

: 1980s – more white laminate full overlay solid panel

: 1990s – arched details in raised panel partial overlay oak doors

: 1990s – more arched raised panel on partial overlay

: 2000s – cherry stained full overlay paired with shiny accents

: 2010s – two-toned cabinets

: 2010s – contemporary shiny flat panel full overlay

Now, let’s look at century old cabinets from 1900-1920 (the time when built-in kitchen cabinets first became common).

: Circa 1905

: Early 1900s kitchen

: Circa 1910

: Circa 1911

: Circa 1912

: Circa 1919

: Circa 1920

: Circa 1921

What is it about the very first built-in kitchen cabinets of the early 1900s that make them still stylish today?

Look closely for these timeless details:

Five-piece Shaker style doors
Stained wood or painted white/cream finishes
Straight lines – no arched or scalloped detailing
Inset style construction
Glass upper cabinet doors
Classic hardware: bin pulls, drawer pulls, knobs, cupboard latches
Notice also, before around 1920, built-in cabinets did not have a toe kick feature. For the sake of ergonomics, the toe kick was soon introduced and widely accepted.

Now, look at these examples below and see if you figure out when they were installed. These examples feature timeless details as listed above.

: White shaker style with glass uppers, classic mix of hardware

: Inset shaker style with bin pulls and simple knob hardware

: Inset shaker style, glass uppers, cupboard latch and bin pull hardware

: “Something’s Gotta Give” kitchen with timeless details

: Barefoot Contessa’s first kitchen

For your next kitchen remodel or new construction Forever Home, consider incorporating these original built-in cabinet design features. Your kitchen will still look just as great in another 50 years as it does today.