How to Use Shaker-Style Cabinet Doors

Shaker-style cabinets started years ago with furniture design by the Shakers, who earned a reputation as skilled craftspeople and laborers. Breaking away from the control of a religious group, they moved to America, where they started to handcraft their high-quality furniture throughout New England. The Shakers took great pride in their work, and chose durable materials to ensure that their products would last a long time and look flawless from every angle. 

Today, Shaker-style cabinetry is arguably the most popular style of cabinet doors and drawer fronts available. Most Shaker cabinet doors and drawer fronts feature clean and simple lines. Others could have a "beadboard" design or decorative edge detailing on the rails and stiles to give you a completely different look. 

What Are Shaker-Style Cabinets?

Shaker cabinets have five-piece doors with a recessed center panel. Simplistic and clean, these cabinet door styles are becoming more prevalent in American homes today. These Shaker-style doors take a spin on kitchen design by avoiding flashy statement cabinets in favor of a streamlined, functional look. These styles allow for more creativity and options elsewhere in the room.

Matching Shaker drawer styles offer straight lines and sharp corners perfect for any interior update. Shaker cabinet drawer fronts can also vary. Many homeowners opt for slab Shaker drawer fronts for more modern or contemporary designs, while five-piece drawer fronts are popular for more transitional kitchen designs. You have many options for incorporating the Shaker style into your home, depending on your preferences. 

Features That Define the Shaker Design

The Shaker design is famous for features such as:

• A minimal amount of materials
• Best hardwoods available
• A five-piece door
• Straight lines and square edges
• Moderate proportions

Is This Design Only for the Kitchen?

When thinking about cabinets, go beyond your kitchen. Shaker-style cabinets are a simple, staple cabinet design for multiple areas. Here are a few places in your home where Shaker cabinet designs could be a good fit:

• Kitchen cabinets
• Bathroom vanities
• Bedroom vanities
• Garage/storage areas
• Laundry room 

Depending on the functionality and design you are trying to achieve, you can add this cabinet style anywhere you like.

What Makes Shaker Cabinets So Versatile?

There are several reasons Shaker cabinetry works with any design or look.

• Take paint or stain well:Whether you have chosen a solid wood, paint-grade or medium-density fiberboard cabinet door to recreate your kitchen or bath, these doors will come ready for you to stain or paint. If you choose to paint, follow a few recommendations to make it easier. Prime each Shaker cabinet door, sand the primer to eliminate any brushstrokes, then finish with a final coat. These steps will ensure the paint goes on smoothly. The wide panels of Shaker cabinet doors catch your eye and serve to enhance the wood grains, so stains are a popular finish choice as well.
• Timeless styling:Whether your Shaker cabinet doors and drawer fronts look modern or traditional, their simplicity is a significant part of their appeal. Their clean design can take on a unique feel and look with changes to door material, finish and the hardware you choose.
• Easy to maintain:Shaker-style cabinets are incredibly low-maintenance if you choose rigid thermofoil as your material. Rigid thermofoil doors feature seamless construction and a smooth finish, so they are a breeze to take care of. Solid wood cabinet doors and drawer fronts with unique or complex cabinet door edges and framing bead profiles can trap dust and cooking residue. In contrast, Shaker cabinet doors and drawer fronts take minimal effort to clean, thanks to their simple recessed panel design.

As you now know, you can use Shaker cabinets in almost any room and for any function. Though Shaker cabinetry may seem simple, there are many styles, wood options and colors to choose from, which might feel overwhelming when making your selection. But don’t worry, here are the design aspects of these cabinets to help walk you through the decision-making process!

Types of Shaker Cabinet Doors

Some Shaker cabinets are minimalist, while others have decorative details for a bit of extra flair.

• Basic Shaker kitchen cabinet doors have framed aspects, called slabs, which give the cabinet doors depth. There are many options for slab thickness and door styles to suit your style. This option is the simplest of the Shaker cabinets, but still creates a beautiful impact on any room.
• Beadboard doors with panels are very similar, but offer one more design element. These doors include beaded edging inside their frames. Also called cottage styling, these doors are popular in many homes. Beadboard doors will take your kitchen cabinets a step up in design complexity, but it's all about preference!
• The Shaker style also offers options with customizable frames. You might find these open-framed styles paired with glass for a transparent look. The glass lends an airy feel, and also lets you show off some of the dishes in your cabinets.

When looking into Shaker cabinet door styles, remember that the design offers many possibilities. If you decide to go with the Shaker style, make sure there is repetition, and a lot of it. These designs and styles complement each other, so all the cabinets and drawers should match. Keeping this in mind will help you get a Shaker design you'll love.

Cabinet Material Choices

At Cabinet Doors ‘N’ More, we offer all our natural wood cabinetry in plain, unfinished wood that you can paint or stain after purchasing them. You can fully customize your look to match your existing home decor or even make a fresh start. We also offer a finished material called rigid thermofoil that allows you to get colored cabinetry.

Materials for these base cabinet doors include:

• Hard maple
• Paint-grade hard maple
• Red oak
• Cherry
• Rigid thermofoil (finished)
• Medium-density fiberboard 

Choose your material based on your desired look and durability. Some wood species can take paint better than others, so that's something to keep in mind. 

Medium-density fiberboard consists of wooden fibers engineered to be as durable as natural wood. MDF can be an ideal choice for cabinets because the material is easier to paint and seal.

If you are considering updating your home's cabinets and plan on painting, MDF cabinet doors are a perfect, lower-cost option than traditional solid-wood cabinet doors and drawer fronts. Unlike natural wood, MDF resists natural expansion and contraction from humidity, weather and temperature changes. Since it is resistant to these fluctuations, it is less likely to become distorted, warped or bow over time. MDF's consistent production process results in a dependably smooth, blemish-free surface that allows for uniform paint coverage.

Finished options are also available for these cabinet door styles. Rigid thermofoil is the material we use to create finished cabinet doors that come ready to install. We make these Shaker-style cabinet doors from MDF and finish them with a durable, made-to-last vinyl coating. Color options for these doors include hues of white and gray.

Overall Room Design With Shaker Cabinets

After picking the style and material for cabinets, it is time to move on to the design aspect and the coherent look you desire when replacing cabinets. Since the cabinets are such a crucial part of a kitchen, plan the entire room's design around them to ensure a cohesive flow. Cabinets are also a significant investment, and should be a top priority for design.

When redesigning a room, you might find it challenging to visualize how everything will come together, how the colors will complement each other and so on. You can find many ideas online to spark your creativity with various color and material combinations. Since the Shaker style is so versatile, there are no right or wrong answers. Make your design choices with confidence. 

1. Natural Wood Finish With a Traditional-Style Kitchen

Traditional Shaker-style cabinets are a staple way to bring wood's warm tones into your home, creating a unique design with a welcoming effect.

Warm-toned cabinets pair well with traditional hardware. Matching knobs and drawer pulls to the other elements and lighting in the room can keep consistent results with a fresh design. 

Shaker-style kitchen cabinets have straight lines and a simple look. To pair with this minimalism, consider tapered-leg furniture to enhance your cabinetry. Also, it is common for traditional kitchens to have beadboard accents within the cabinet door's frame.

2. White and Gray With a Modern-Style Kitchen

If you're dreaming of a more modern look when replacing cabinet doors, white cabinets can open up any area for a loftier feel. Modern hardware is subtle, yet matches the lighting and other appliances in the room. Lastly, stainless steel appliances keep the room looking fresh and new.

White and gray remain enduringly popular colors in modern interior design. They effortlessly match with other neutral tones, which gives you more decorating options. Lighter colors in the kitchen are also a design trend because they make any area appear brighter. 

When going for a modern look, it's best to keep things simple and clean, with a few carefully chosen statement pieces for emphasis. Contemporary kitchen hardware should be simplistic, chic and impact the room's overall design. These are usually new and trendy pieces. 

You can pair modern kitchens with any appliance style you see fit. Most people prefer to add stainless steel appliances when creating their contemporary kitchen design, but if you prefer an all-white kitchen, that's entirely up to you. 

3. Custom Color With a Contemporary Look

If wooden styles and neutral colors are not for you, don’t worry! You can paint or stain Shaker cabinet doors to your heart's content to create the look and mood you're envisioning. A pop of color in the kitchen can balance the room, and show off your creativity.

Don't be afraid to bring bold colors into your kitchen to express your personality. For example, many people are turning toward blue-toned Shaker cabinets. These cabinets are full of style, yet simple for the kitchen. Some psychologists believe colors can subconsciously impact your mood and play a significant role in how you feel each day. Most of us find blue has a calming, relaxing effect, but it is still versatile enough to match many other shades, including sunny yellow and tranquil green.

Think about how you can wear a pair of blue jeans with any color shirt. The same quality is true of blue colors elsewhere. Since blue is a neutral color in our everyday lives, it can be a perfect choice for cabinet design if you are looking for a pop of color. Blue cabinets can also come in many different shades, any of which could be an option for your home. Whether you prefer baby blue, bright blue or royal blue, the choices are virtually endless. Playing with colors in your home lets you flex your creative muscles and allows your personality to shine through in any room. 

If you feel white cabinetry looks too stark or sterile, you may find you'd much rather have black instead of white cabinets in your kitchen. While it may seem nontraditional, many people also choose to paint their Shaker cabinets black. Black is a neutral color you can readily dress up or down, depending on your preferences. For example, if you have a flair for the dramatic, ornate silver hardware can lend an elegant look to black cabinets. Using black cabinets gives you nearly endless opportunities for other design aspects in the room, which lets you experiment with other pieces that pull the room together. Try pairing black with stainless steel appliances, then add pops of bright color with decor and accessories.

Due to the kitchen's role as the heart of your home, you may deal with frequent spills and messes. Luckily, black is a very forgiving color, since it hides dirt and stains. If you have been busy and haven't had time to clean your home, black cabinets will make it less noticeable that your kitchen is a little untidy. 

Since you can customize Shaker cabinets to many colors and designs, you can use your imagination and liven up your home's decor with eye-catching Shaker-style cabinetry in your kitchen or almost any other room. If you have a dream redecorating plan in mind, our Shaker-style cabinets can make your vision a reality. 

Order Your Shaker Cabinets From Cabinet Doors 'N' More

There are many benefits to having Shaker cabinets in your home, including their timeless appeal. These cabinets can complement any traditional or modern look and offer an uncluttered, sleek look. Also, because of the wide variety of options to choose from, these cabinet designs are an ideal way to express yourself through your home decorating choices. Feel confident and empowered to design your living space the way you want. 

Shaker kitchen and bath cabinet doors and drawer fronts provide ultimate flexibility. This classic collection pays tribute to back-to-basics styling, with clean lines and square corners lending themselves to nearly any décor. 

Ready to start renovating? Trust Cabinet Doors ‘N’ More to fulfill all your home improvement needs. We offer an extensive selection of high-quality cabinet doors, drawer fronts and drawer boxes for DIY remodelers. You can buy only one cabinet door front for a quick repair, or a full complement of cabinet components for a more substantial project. Start configuring your custom cabinets with our user-friendly online tool today!

Learn More About Shaker Style

• Belmont Beaded Shaker Cabinet Doors
• Belmont Beaded Shaker Drawer Fronts