Cabinetmaking

4 Popular Cabinet Styles You’ll Work With after Cabinetmaking School

December 25, 2018

In a versatile field like cabinetmaking, there are many different tasks that go into the creation of your final product—from preparing the layout for wood articles, interpreting blueprints and specifications, and designing templates for furniture production, to installing the cabinets themselves.

Cabinetmakers work with a variety of styles and materials to meet the demands of their clientele. In order to be able to do this correctly, you’ll need to know the benefits and features of the designs you want to use, and how these designs and styles can help your clients achieve the appearance they want to feature in their homes.

Read on to learn about a few of the most common cabinet styles you’ll work with once you start your career.

1. Slab or Flat Cabinets are In-Demand for Cabinetmakers

One of the more recent trends in modern and contemporary kitchen design is a sleek, simplified and almost minimalistic appearance. This means that a popular corresponding cabinet style is slab or flat cabinets. These are the bare bones of cabinets, and as their name suggests, are flat panels typically made of wood or laminate, without much additional decoration.

Once you graduate from cabinetmaking school, some of your clients may request textured doors, which use ripples or other effects to add a little bit of flair to their slab or flat cabinets. Even with the extra design elements, this style requires minimal labor and material to create.

2. You’ll See the Shaker Style Often after Cabinetmaking School

Shaker cabinet doors are among the most common and popular styles of cabinets, and draw their name from Shaker-style furniture, which is primarily known for its minimal and elegant design. This style of cabinet is a classic because it focuses on practicality and utility without much extra fuss.

Shaker-style cabinets are often comprised of five pieces of flat-panel wood, with four creating a frame around the fifth flat door panel. These cabinets are very versatile, and cabinetmakers can use many different types of materials and wood to add their own unique personalization to the Shaker style.

3. Glass Panels and Inserts are on the Rise in Cabinet Design

Glass inserts are generally used in upper cabinets, and serve as a kitchen’s focal point, adding more depth to smaller kitchens. Their decorative capabilities make them a popular option for clients, since they can showcase special items and features instead of hiding them behind a solid cabinet door. These types of cabinets tend to be more expensive than other styles because they are more labor-intensive to craft, and require professionals with cabinetmaking training to fit glass of a certain quality inside an existing frame.

4. Using Cabinetmaking Training to Craft Country and Rustic Style Cabinets

Country and rustic-style cabinets draw from traditional designs to give a kitchen a cozy, comfortable aesthetic. Although this style of cabinet inspires an unpolished, unrefined appearance, cabinetmakers do a lot of behind the scenes work to stain, treat and paint the materials they use. Common building materials you may work with includes knotty wood or hardwood and copper or iron features.

Some clients may request a distressed look, which can be achieved by purposefully rubbing the material of the cabinet or applying milk paint to make it look aged or antique.

Are you interested in learning more about cabinet design, style, and aesthetics?

Contact the North American Trade School for more information about our cabinetmaking courses.

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