custom kitchen cabinets Archives

Comparing Custom Cabinets – Shaker versus Raised Panel

By Inspired Remodels / custom cabinets, Kitchen Remodel / Comments Off

When it comes to renovating Orange County kitchens, most homeowners split their preference for custom cabinets. Shaker door fronts remain popular, but raised panel custom cabinets are popular as well.

Let’s compare the two custom cabinet styles.

Shaker Custom Cabinets

Shaker cabinets date back to the early 1800’s. The cabinet aesthetic grew from the Shaker’s commitment to designs that exhibited their belief in simplicity. The clean lines represent the purity that the Shakers sought in all corners of their lives – including their cabinets and furniture.

A simple center recessed panel sets Shaker cabinets apart from all others. At a glance, you recognize the Shaker style.

On the plus side

Shaker custom cabinets offer the opportunity to customize by adding ornamental hardware. You can swap the look of the door by simply swapping out the hardware.

In addition, Shaker-style cabinets have a timeless appeal that won’t go out of style and will be a draw when selling the house.

On the negative side

Let’s face it, Shaker-style cabinets are popular. Really popular. Really, really popular. That means if you want your kitchen to stand out or you are a fan of Avant Garde design, stay away from these cabinets. While Shaker custom cabinets can be finished in amazing colors, that recessed panel will still be an obvious design element.

Raised Panel Cabinets

Where Shaker cabinets feature a center recessed panel, raised panel cabinets veer into the more ornate. Think shaped, raised center panels accentuated by grooves and additional molding. They instantly add a more formal feel to any kitchen.

Raised panel-style cabinetry is newer than Shaker-style cabinetry. It only gained popularity at the beginning of the 21^st century, when the modern kitchen was born. Artisans carefully routed and carved doors to create the iconic raised panels we treasure today.

On the plus side

Raised panel custom cabinets certainly elevate the look and feel of any kitchen. They provide an avenue for creating a posh, upscale feel to the room. In addition, you get the ultimate in customization. Bespoke panels and molding make your cabinets like no other.

On the negative side

All that ornamentation adds to the cost of materials and labor that go into the custom cabinets. That makes the price for raised panel cabinets generally higher than their Shaker counterparts. In addition, the nooks and crannies created by the ornamentation capture grease, dust, and food particles. This means they are slightly more difficult to clean.

Custom Cabinet Pop Quiz

Inspired Remodels works with all types of custom cabinets. Take a look at these kitchens and see if you can identify the Shaker cabinets from the raised panel cabinets.

Orange County Remodeling Contractors Kitchen Trends 2023

By Inspired Remodels / Kitchen Remodel / Comments Off

It’s that time of year. As 2022 winds down the predictions for 2023 spin up. Want to know the latest kitchen remodeling trends? Here top kitchen trends for 2024 by Inspired Remodels, the inspired Orange County remodeling contractors.

Simplicity of Form

Shaker-style cabinets started trending several years ago. Now the love of simplicity inspired by those cabinets is finding its way into every kitchen element.

Notice the slim, clean lines of the hardware on the kitchen cabinets and doors. Functional and simple and simply marvelous! There’s nothing fussy at all about this Coto de Caza kitchen remodel.

In this Mission Viejo kitchen remodel, the remodeling contractors went for simplicity in all things. From the smoothness of the stainless steel to the coolness of the marble, to the sleek lines of the kitchen faucet. Even the lighting remains simple.

Kitchen Furniture

That’s right, not kitchen cabinets but kitchen furniture. With the kitchen central to modern life, kitchen furniture becomes more and more important in the design of the kitchen.

This kitchen remodel brings back the true eat-in kitchen. For many years, the island provided the eating space in the kitchen. With this kitchen remodel, the sit-down table and chairs return and remind everyone of the importance of breaking bread together.

This remodel combines simplicity with stunning kitchen furniture. Ample countertop space provides all the workroom you need. No island required

Connected Kitchens

In 2024, kitchens get more connected than ever before. The high-tech dream kitchen of the Jetsons is a reality in Orange County.

Start with the GE Kitchen Hub Convertible Hood.

This ventilation hood doubles as the hub for your connected kitchen. Stream while you steam and become the star of your own show. Includes over 5,000 recipes plus an app to store your own recipes. Control your entire house with U+ Connect technology. So, adjust your Nest thermostat while boiling pasta nests.

Even if you opt to keep the rest of the house off the wi-fi, you can still control your refrigerator and dishwasher from your phone. Sure, it sounds crazy. But when you are at the store and wonder if you have milk, that camera inside the fridge comes in handy!

Brands like Samsung and LG lead the way in connectivity in the kitchen.

Outdoor Kitchens

Sometimes the most marvelous kitchens aren’t in the house at all. Savvy Orange County remodeling contractors build kitchens inside and out.

Beat the heat in the summer and cook outside. You save on cooling costs when you cook and dine al fresco. No matter how simple or lavish, Inspired Remodels makes your outdoor kitchen dreams a reality.

Trusted Orange County Remodeling Contractors

From the latest trends to timeless designs, turn to Inspired Remodels for kitchen and bathroom remodeling in 2023.

Schedule a consultation today.

5 Enduring Custom Kitchen Remodeling Trends for 2022

By Inspired Remodels / custom cabinets, Kitchen Remodel / Comments Off

Custom kitchen remodeling trends come crashing in like waves pounding the Pacific shoreline. Many ebb quickly and return to the sea of flash in the pan trends but others endure. Get the most of your remodeling budget and skip those ebbing trends. Incorporate these five enduring kitchen remodel trends for a dream kitchen in 2022 that will still be stylish in 2032.

Full Backsplashes

Remember when backsplashes were just a few rows high? Literally just enough to stop the splashing water or food? Not only are those days gone, but they also aren’t coming back any time soon.

Modern kitchens use the backsplash as a full design element. That’s why in 2022 and beyond, you’ll find no matter the material you pick, in custom kitchens the backsplash is full.

Backsplashes cover from countertop to the ceiling in this recent Mission Viejo custom kitchen remodeling project completed by Inspired Remodels.

The chevron tile design will also endure. Chevron patterns date back to ancient Greek pottery and textiles but the word didn’t appear in the English language until the 14th century. If a pattern has endured seven centuries, there’s a good chance it will endure in your kitchen another 30 years.

Minimalist Design

Less continues to be more in the kitchen. Fussy decor is as out-of-date as avocado green cabinets or appliances. Today’s focus is on functionality and easy-to-clean surfaces. Neutral tones set the stage

Modern kitchens work hard, and they get dirty. Minimalist design creates kitchens that work hard and look stunning in the process.

Recessed lighting continues to play a starring role in lighting. Lighting installed under the upper cabinets adds task lighting with invisible fixtures. It’s the quintessential touch of minimal design and it is here to stay.

Even kitchen islands are minimalist. They will continue to serve dual purposes by providing prep and work areas as well as functioning as a dining space.

Appliances are carefully tucked away until needed. No more toaster on the counter, but instead ample cabinet space to store toasters and air fryers. Only the coffee pot or Keurig stays in sight.

Shaker Cabinets

Since the shaking Quakers arrived in the American colonies in 1774, they’ve set the design standard for simple, practical, and beautiful furniture and cabinets.

The religious sect may have only lasted about 150 years, but the simple recessed panel door that they designed endures in kitchens to this day.

Shaker cabinets aren’t going anywhere. And with so many semi-custom cabinet makers like Decora and Waypoint offering Shaker panel doors, there’s a reason Shaker panel cabinets show up in Orange County kitchen remodels on a regular basis.

Whether you prefer the modern, minimalist design or like living elements like flowers and fruit on display, Shaker cabinets will always be the perfect match.

Color Blocking

Just because kitchens are less fussy, doesn’t mean they are less interesting. Creating blocks of colors with islands and cabinetry is no longer just a passing fad. It’s an enduring trend that creates a timeless kitchen. In Orange County, custom kitchen remodeling projects have featured contrasting colors in the color blocking. In other areas of the country, color blocks are tone-on-tone.

No matter what approach you take, color blocking with tile or cabinet colors adds interest and is an enduring trend in kitchen remodeling. Use tile to create a color block on a wall or use the kitchen island to create a color block in the middle of the room.

Drawers Over Doors

A successful kitchen remodeling project makes the most of every inch of the room a kitchen has to give. Then it goes out and looks for more.

A trend that is certainly going to stay in 2022 is a preference for drawers over doors for cabinet storage. It just makes better use of the available space.

Deeper drawers for storing pots and pans make access easy and retrieving and storing cookware a breeze. Drawers hold kitchen and table linens, utensils, cutlery, and flatware.

This drawer provides storage space for pantry supplies and spices. And of course, because it is a drawer with a Shaker front, it gets two points for enduring.

Orange County Custom Kitchen Remodeling Pros

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