Everything You Need to Know: Custom Kitchen Cabinets in your New Build

It’s time to design your custom kitchen! Do you dream of rustic kitchens with white cabinets? Are you overwhelmed by the options pullouts present? Whether you have a specific vision in mind or need an introductory primer course on all things cabinets, our guide to custom cabinets ensures the kitchen in your new home meets your needs and its full potential.

Conklin Construction Co builds custom homes in Cottage Grove, Deforest, Windsor, Waunakee, Sun Prairie, and the surrounding areas of Greater Madison, WI. We love nurturing new neighborhoods and adding brand-new homes to thriving communities. Our attention to detail and craftsmanship create truly unique homes built to your specifications and preferences. 

We love dreaming up new solutions to everyday problems, and bringing them to life during our build, and kitchens are some of our favorite examples of this process.  Cabinets can make or break your kitchen experience, and they are divine when done well. 

How Do I Choose Cabinets for My New Home?

Cabinets are an essential kitchen design element. You select your cabinets during the design and materials selection process. The cabinets you choose will depend on your layout and the size of your kitchen.

Here are some questions to ask yourself as you design the cabinets to include in your custom kitchen:

• What do you need to store?
• What do you need to keep handy?
• How do you plan to use your kitchen?
• How do you plan to organize your kitchen?
• How do you plan to leave room to grow?
  
  

Kitchen Layout

Your floorplan will set the backdrop for your kitchen cabinet options. Are you planning an island or two? Are there cabinets in your butler’s pantry? What are you planning to place in the corners? All these will depend on the kitchen layout you’re planning and will impact the placement, dimensions, and style of cabinets you select. 

Types of Kitchen Cabinets

There are several styles of kitchen cabinets, providing distinct aesthetics with different merits.

Cabinet Door Vocabulary

• Craftsman Cabinets- Simple lines and handmade care feature in craftsman cabinets.
• Shaker Kitchen Cabinets- Shaker cabinets have been stylish for over 200 years. Their classic shape frames a recessed panel.
• Glass Kitchen Cabinets- Showcase style and organization with glass panel kitchen cabinet doors.
• Louvered Kitchen Cabinets- Louvered doors are stacked slats installed at an angle, as in mini-blinds.
• European Cabinet Doors- These are flat panel doors with no hardware or embellishment.
• Square Panel Kitchen Cabinet- These cabinet doors feature squares and rectangles.
• Mullions- Cabinets sometimes feature latticework called mullions.
• Arched or Catherdral Panel Cabinets- These cabinet panels are embellished with arches and more ornate curves.
• Slab Kitchen Cabinets- Slab cabinets come in many of the styles discussed above. A slab cabinet door is one piece of wood with no trim or other seam.

Ways to Mount Kitchen Cabinet Doors

Once you have placed your cabinets and selected your doors, you still have to decide how to mount them. The same doors and drawers look very different depending on how you set them. You have two choices when hanging your cabinet doors.

Inset Doors- Inset doors sit flush against the frame.

Overlay Doors- Overlay doors sit on top of the frame. 

Cabinet Placement

Base Cabinet- These cabinets sit on the floor, usually topped by another cabinet or a countertop.

Wall Cabinet- This cabinet is mounted to the wall and doesn’t need to be supported from below.

Tall and Speciality Cabinets- We can build any height or depth with custom cabinets.

Kitchen Cabinet Colors

Choosing colors for your kitchen cabinet can be challenging or a chance to explore. Either way you feel is completely normal! Are you interested in a wood finish? Are you in the market for a two-toned motif? Here are some shades to consider if you need some kitchen cabinet paint color inspiration:

• Classic White- Sherwin Williams and Valspar make gorgeous classic white cabinet paint that consistently merits rave reviews.
• Trendy Blue- From muted coastal palettes to deep, moody blues, blue kitchen cabinet paint is an underappreciated option.
• Green Cabinets- Green cabinets are trending for 2022. Bring in earthy botanical vibes with green kitchen cabinets.
• Grey Cabinets- Chose deep slate or integrate just a touch of grey for a sophisticated vibe. 

Kitchen Cabinet Hardware

Your cabinet hardware sets the final aesthetic of your kitchen cabinets. Crown your thoughtful custom cabinets with just the right jewels by picking the perfect cabinet hardware.

Hardware Shape

Don’t be afraid to mix finishes and hardware shapes. You don’t have to pick only one kind of hardware. Consider accent hardware like an especially playful shape for featured cabinets.

• Pulls- Cabinet pulls have two points of contact. Many describe them as handles.
• Knob- Kitchen cabinet knobs have one point of contact that secures them to the cabinet.
  
  

Hardware Finish

There are so many types of metals and ways to finish them.

Metal Tone

This is not a comprehensive list, but it does include the most common.

• Gold
• Silver
• Brass
• Bronze
• Black

Hardware Finish

Oil-rubbed bronze looks distinctly different than brushed bronze. A quick image search will help you compare the differences to select the perfect tone and finish. Here are some of the most common finishes for kitchen cabinet hardware:

• Brushed
• Oil-rubbed
• Matte
• Satin 
• Gloss

Hardware Style

Your hardware style should amplify your design and accentuate the shapes and lines you’ve already established. For example, chose sleek modern pulls for modern slab cabinets, or add contrast rustic and angular shaker cabinets with hefty found knob pulls. Here are some cabinet pull hardware styles to get you started:

• Farmhouse- Rustic and ample pulls in various shapes.
• Modern- Sleek and simple hardware.
• Statement- Unusual shapes and designs abound.
• Vintage- Reclaim old hardware or borrow vintage style for inspiration. 

Average Cost of a Set of Kitchen Cabinets

Not every set of cabinets is custom. Pre-made cabinets cost considerably less but offer fewer variables to personalize.  Custom cabinets add between $500 and $1200 per linear foot to your custom home budget.

Let’s Build Your Dream Kitchen in The Greater Madison, Wisconsin Area

Conklin Construction Co would love to build your dream home in Cottage Grove, Deforest, Windsor, Waunakee, Sun Prairie, and the surrounding areas of Greater Madison, WI. Custom cabinet perfection is only the beginning! Reach out today to tell us more about your project!