Three Cabinetry Door Styles To Know

When I am designing a kitchen or bathroom for a client, they are usually surprised at how many decisions are involved, sometimes small ones they never dreamed of. So many details are hiding around every bend in the remodel road, and one of the things that most people have never had to notice or think about is the style of cabinetry they want. Sure, people know they want something simple and modern, or something ornate and traditional. But there is a level beyond that we always need to explore.

The most popular door and drawer styles now are called "inset" and "full overlay."

An inset door and drawer is one that is, as the name suggests, inset into the frame of the cabinet. The front of the door or drawer is flush with the face of the cabinet, as you can see below in a recent kitchen I did for a client (previously here). The result is a sleeker, cleaner look even while using traditional Shaker doors as illustrated here.

Photo by Rick Pharoah

Photo by Rick Pharoah

Photo by Rick Pharoah

Photo by Rick Pharoah

This inset style is currently very popular, but every now and then I hear feedback from a client who thinks the look seems a little busy. They don't like being able to see not only the lines around the door or drawer but then also the face which they perceive as making more visual lines. In this case, I recommend the full overlay door style. This is where all the doors and drawers meet, so one cannot see the face frame of the cabinet at all. This style looks great with more modern slab front doors and drawers. I designed two bathrooms, seen below, that show this off beautifully.

The warm wood of the Walk In The Forest bathroom, previously here, adds a beautifully organic feeling to the minimalist slab doors and drawers, allowing the horizontal wood grain to become the feature. The full overlay doors and drawers here make the vanity feel neat and composed.

Photo by Genia Barnes

Photo by Genia Barnes

Photo by Genia Barnes

The next bathroom, which I called Dramatic (see it here) because of the deep plum wall, features a vanity with full overlay doors and drawers.

Photo by Bernardo Grijalva

Photo by Bernardo Grijalva

Photo by Bernardo Grijalva

But you don't have to use slab doors to achieve a nice effect with full overlay doors. A more traditional door profile, as seen below in the Light and Airy  Kitchen, here, I designed for some clients, shows this off nicely. A Shaker door modified with a slender bead looks wonderful in this configuration.

Photo by Bernardo Grijalva

Photo by Bernardo Grijalva

Photo by Bernardo Grijalva

The third option is one that most people now avoid because it gives your newly remodeled space a dated appearance. The "standard" or "partial overlay" is one where the doors and drawers are neither inset into the cabinet box nor do they meet to hide the face of the box...they are just small enough to allow about a half inch of the frame to be seen. This is called the "reveal" and to my eye is not only dated but also has the look of a piece of cabinetry from a big box store...and such pieces tend to be poorly made. Not to put too fine a point on it, but standard or partial overlay doors and drawers make the piece of cabinetry look like the least expensive thing a landlord could buy to put into a rental unit. If you stick with full overlay or inset doors and drawers, you will have a space that looks well designed.

Happy designing!

Happy Holidays and Happy Solstice 2021: A Celebration of Wreaths!

As we wrap up 2021, I send warm Holiday Greetings to all my clients present and past, followers, and regular readers. And Happy Winter Solstice which takes place next Tuesday, December 21 at 7:58 AM.

Let's celebrate with a selection of lovely Holiday wreaths!

Happy Holidays!

Your Front Door Is A First Impression

Your front door offers to the world a glimpse of who lives inside. Don't be afraid to try a bold color!

Happy designing!

You Only Get One Chance To Make A First Impression

It's a cliché but clichés are based in truth: you only get one chance to make a first impression. When someone approaches your home, the first thing they see is, of course, the exterior. And the focal point of most home façades is the front door.

The easiest way to announce your style to visitors is an alluring color choice and an intriguing door handle. Handles can be like jewelry for your door and if you are looking for a little pick-me-up for your entry, Rejuvenation has some lovely modern door sets.

The Tumalo handle comes in a variety of finishes with either a round knob or a lever. A beautiful option is a walnut addition for the interior side of this door set. It's sleek and architectural...and could compliment a modern interior, an eclectic style, or even a traditional home.

The Titan door set has a marvelous starburst pattern that beautifully evokes a Mid-Century Modern style.

And the Samba door set bridges Mid-Century Modern with a Hollywood Regency sensibility.

Happy designing!

The Elegance of a Portiere

I love using portieres in my designs. Originating in Europe in the 4th century, this interior fabric treatment is used at doorways, or entrances to passageways and other rooms to prevent cold air or drafts from flowing throughout large manor houses, chateaus, or even country houses. The word itself is derived from the French porte which means "door." The peak of popularity for portieres was undoubtedly during the Victorian era where the panels were almost always made of heavy brocade or velvet, and trimmed with even heavier passamenterie like long fringes, beads, and tassels.

But today, they lend a sense of elegance. They add additional softness to a space, and serve as a great way to separate functions in adjacent spaces. And they can still provide additional air cushioning in colder months!

The portieres seen below in soft blue (to coordinate with the nearby chairs) separate a dining room from a sitting area. The view of the next room from the sitting space is beautifully framed.

Below is a great example of a portiere used to shield a hall from drafts... but really, it just makes this sumptuous space look even more grand. Imagine the doorway without the fabric panel, and it feels a little plain.

You don't have to have a large space to add a sense of grandeur. The end of this hallway grandly yet simply announces the living room beyond. The result is a design element that feels both cozy and refined.

The gold of these panels and the tortoise shell treatment on the door casing and pediment looks spectacular against the blue of the walls. (Yellow and blue are complimentary colors, as you may recall from my introduction to color posting here, and they look good together in many shades and tints.)

Here, the portieres separate the entry from the rest of the house. Placed as they are, they could provide some temperature insulation from heat as well as cold...

Many times contemporary homes have open spaces in master bedrooms, whether it is a bathroom suite or a dressing area. A nice way to provide some privacy as well as providing softness (and another opportunity for color, pattern, and texture) is to add portieres!

Again, we see a fabric panel at a doorway...this one is a bit reminiscent of a Victorian portiere with its burgundy velvet and thick corded fringe. It looks right at home next to the intricately carved stone fireplace surround.

Portieres can have a rustic sense as well... conjuring up an English hunting lodge, as seen in the example below. A wooden rod and wooden rings provide an organic note that suggests a cabin in the forest. The woodland color scheme and thick vegetation of the fabric print finishes off the ambiance.

Here is a nice example of a portiere in a style of home familiar to most of us. It elevates this walkway between the entry to a sitting area, making it something special. The finials of the hardware are wonderful and add tremendous visual interest to an otherwise blank spot.

And if you think that portieres can only look "old-fashioned," "fancy," or "fussy," just look at this fantastic, ultra-modern space. The slight shimmer of the portiere fabric has an almost Art Deco sense of glamour. The furnishings are modern as is the wall art and objects. The portieres soften but keep things sleek and sexy.

No matter what style of home you have, and no matter the size, you might want to consider the unique touch of a portiere.
Happy designing!