Are You Cabinet Conscious?

Lately it seems, even in St. Louis, where we always seem to be the last to jump on the current trends, that the choices available for kitchen cabinetry have grown from white, light and dark to a wide range of wood species, colors, and finish options. Walking into a design center and trying to determine what makes a raised panel more desirable than a flat panel can be overwhelming. Adding in cabinet structure, functionality and price considerations can lead you to a point where you just settle for any decision.

Understanding the history of this very integral part of the home can help to justify the importance of selecting the proper cabinet. At the beginning of the 20th century, the kitchen was a separate room devoted solely to food preparation. In the later part of the century the introduction of appliances gave kitchens their own identities and but they remained closed from the rest of the home because of the fumes and clutter that would accumulate. Additionally, at this point kitchens weren’t aesthetically pleasing, as they still were only used for food preparation.

Today, the kitchen has become the most important room of the house. This is the place where families not only congregate to eat, but also to entertain, work and relax. Eating habits have changed; families need the flexibility of frequent snacking and individual meals. Floorplans have opened and the kitchen is now the gateway to the rest of the home. Kitchen cabinets have emerged from a closed-off room in the corner of the home. More money is spent on kitchens than any other room in the home. It’s makes perfect sense that choosing cabinetry can possibly be the most important decision you make about your house and spending proper time educating yourself about the function, style and costs can be one of the most important financial decisions you make.

“Today’s kitchen is command central; everything that is happening in the family originates in the kitchen. This is the room that houses all the information that keeps the family organized. Calendars, telephones, homework, all integral components in daily life need to be kept in the kitchen,” says Jenny Raush, president of Karr-Bick Kitchen and Bath. “Needs are very specialized for each family. That’s why it’s important to design a kitchen around your lifestyle rather than trying to work within someone else’s framework.”

Stay tuned next month as we dive deep into the styles that are in demand and the differences seen in a high end cabinetry.