Finish, Color and Material

• The choice of color and material for your cabinets is important because it affects the look of the whole kitchen. You can choose a solid color or a wood finish, or you can mix it up. Choose one type of wood for the top cabinets and a different wood or a painted look for the bottom ones. Or pick one section and paint it a different color than the rest of the kitchen. Or give the cabinets a two-toned look by painting the trim around the doors one color and the recessed part a different shade. You can also choose stainless steel cabinets or glass shelves. Customize your kitchen further by picking a countertop color: either a similar color to blend in for a unified look or a contrasting color to make it stand out.
  
  

Style

• Another big decision is the style of your cabinets. This should fit the overall style of your kitchen. You can choose a classical look, with dark wood, or a natural look with oak coated with clear varnish. Or opt for a contemporary look that has clean lines and minimal detail. Maybe you want the bright, timeless look of white cabinets.
  
  

Type of Door

• There are many different styles of doors. Traditional cabinets have doors that have a raised trim and a recessed panel in the middle, or they may have a raised panel in the middle. The trim can be plain or beveled in several decorative ways. The top of the panel can be squared off or rounded. Doors can have plain glass panels or decorative colored glass. Upper cabinets can have crown molding on the top, and lower cabinets can have accents that mimic the look of table legs. And your choice of hardware for handles can give your kitchen a distinctive look. Pick stainless steel for a modern look, or decorative brass for an old-fashioned style.
  
  

Storage

• Cabinets are a major design element, but their real purpose is for storage. Today's cabinets and drawers are marvels of modern ingenuity, giving you convenient options for storing pots, pans, plates and food items. Choose pull-out shelves so you can reach things in the back, or special platforms that pivot into place to hold your stand mixer. Look for slide-out pantry sections for food storage, special shelves built onto the inside of the doors to hold your spice collection. Get an appliance garage to hold your small appliances. Look for drawer organizers to make your drawers a more useful place to store things. The selection of options is the detail that will set one brand of cabinets above the rest and give you a kitchen that is functional and organized.