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What Is A Shaker Style Kitchen Cabinet?

white shaker cabinets

Shaker cabinets are wildly popular in today’s kitchens and baths, and for good reason. Shaker cabinetry is simple, durable, versatile, and widely available in a range of budgets & styles. You may be asking, what defines shaker style cabinets? How many distinct types of shaker cabinets are there? Most importantly, should you use shaker cabinets for your bath or kitchen remodel project?

What Do Shaker Cabinets Look Like?

Shaker cabinetry is inspired by Shaker furniture, created by the Shakers in the 18th century. Shakers thrived on a simple, minimalist lifestyle. This lifestyle translated into the design of their furniture, which focused on quality craftsmanship and minimal ornamentation. While not many Shaker communities exist in the 21st century, their enduring style of furniture has had a lasting impact in kitchen & bath design.

Shaker Style Cabinets vs. Flat Panel Cabinets

Shaker cabinet doors are characterized by their overall simplicity & clean lines appearance. Like a picture frame, the doors feature a recessed center panel, framed by 4 long pieces of wood. These long pieces of wood are known in the industry as “rails” and “stiles.” Shaker style cabinet doors are also known in the industry as flat panel doors.

raised panel cabinet doorRaised Panel

shaker cabinet doorShaker/Flat Panel

slab cabinet door with a horizontal grainSlab Door

Shaker Style Cabinets vs. Traditional Cabinets

The difference depends on what you mean by “traditional.” In industry terms, traditional cabinets are best summarized as decorative, rich, & elegant as opposed to shaker cabinetry. Many traditional kitchen designs offer a raised panel cabinet door, elaborate decorative hardware & furniture-like embellishments. You may have seen a traditional kitchen in your parents’ or grandparents’ homes. Since many homeowners still like elements of the traditional cabinet style, the raised panel cabinet has waned in popularity compared to the shaker style cabinet.

Are All Shaker Style Cabinets The Same?

While standard shaker cabinets are still simplistic in nature, not all shaker cabinets are the same. Cabinet manufacturers use a variety of construction methods & techniques to make their shaker cabinets, resulting in differences in frame thickness, joinery & finish quality. Many cabinets are also available with either 5-piece or slab drawer fronts.

 

slab drawer header vs 5-piece drawer header

The shaker cabinet style has evolved over the years to include decorative options typically found in more traditional designs, such as: crown molding, furniture legs or even glass doors. Many manufacturers also offer shaker cabinet doors with added detailing, for visual interest. When clients come into one of our design showrooms asking for shaker cabinets, or even white shaker cabinets, they are stunned at the sheer variety of options there are to choose from.

grey bath vanity

Above, this bathroom vanity highlights a shaker door with slight detailing around the stiles & rails, and a decorative shaped toe kick molding. This gives the cabinet a high-end look without deviating too much from the traditional shaker look. Different manufacturers offer different cabinet detailing options.

white base cabinets with decorative molding around the sink

This white kitchen design features a more traditional shaker door, using inset cabinet construction & added furniture moldings around the sink for an upscale look.

Popular Shaker Cabinet Colors & Wood Options

Shaker cabinets can be made using any wood species, most often made using maple or particleboard. Quality shaker kitchen cabinets are made with solid wood frames and either a solid wood or “paint grade” cabinet door, depending on the chosen finish. Paint-grade is another name for a high-quality material often used for painted cabinets, giving them a grain-free, smooth finish. Stained shaker cabinet doors are made using the same wood as the frame, such as maple, cherry, oak, alder, hickory, birch, walnut & more.

modern shaker bath vanity with grey stain

While shaker cabinetry can come in almost any color, whites and greys tend to be today’s most popular shaker cabinet colors. Can’t choose between the two? Consider choosing both for a spectacular two-tone shaker kitchen design.

Shaker Cabinetry Construction Options

In addition to wood species options, those remodeling their kitchen or bath can also choose from a variety of cabinet construction options for their shaker cabinets. These options include overlay, inset & frameless construction.

Overlay Shaker Cabinets

overlay cabinet construction drawing

Framed overlay cabinetry is when the cabinet doors & drawer headers are made slightly larger than the cabinet door opening, causing them to overlay the cabinet face frame. In some cases, you have the choice of a partial or full overlay. Full-overlay shaker cabinets are the most popular construction choice in today’s homes.

Inset Shaker Cabinets

inset cabinet construction

If you really like the built-in look of certain cabinetry, you may consider an inset cabinet construction. Doors & drawer headers are fitted inside of the cabinet face frame, giving the front of your cabinets a smooth, clean look. This style of cabinet construction matches well with the simplicity of a true shaker style.

Frameless Shaker Cabinets

frameless cabinet construction drawing
 

Also known as “full-access” or European cabinetry, these cabinets are constructed without the use of a face frame and is found in many contemporary designs. This construction style is popular because of its innate ability to show off a design’s “clean lines.” While some manufactures offer frameless cabinets in a shaker door style, clients who choose this type of construction tend to gravitate towards even simpler styles, such as a slab door. A slab cabinet door is a totally flat door without any stiles or rails.

Most Popular Shaker Style Cabinet Designs

Now that you know what a shaker cabinet is, you may be wondering what style of kitchen matches with shaker cabinets. The quick answer is any kitchen style! One of the best parts about shaker kitchen cabinets is their versatility. A white shaker kitchen can be placed into almost any home without feeling out of place. Here are ways that shaker cabinetry fits in with some of today’s popular kitchen styles.

Transitional Kitchen Design

Transitional design is blending some traditional design elements with contemporary ones, in “transition” from the old to the new. Although it seems contradictory, shaker cabinets can be blended with traditional elements without feeling out of place.

white and black kitchen remodel

These white shaker cabinets in modern black and white finishes are perfectly complemented by a blend of traditional moldings, gothic mullion glass doors, granite countertops and traditional red oak floors. An extra rail was also added on the taller wall cabinets. While these decorative elements may make the Shakers roll in their graves, we think the simplicity of the cabinets allows these extra elements to stand out.

Modern Farmhouse Style

white shaker farmhouse kitchen

This kitchen design uses an inset shaker cabinet with lots of wood & natural elements, such as the decorative wood hood, island & shelving. Paired with the rustic looking stools and natural hickory wood floors, this kitchen practically screams modern farmhouse design.

Contemporary Style

While many contemporary designs trend towards slab/flat cabinetry, the emergence of slim shaker cabinet doors has opened the door for usage in contemporary style kitchens.

contemporary kitchen with white cabinets and quartz countertops

This kitchen features slim style white shaker cabinets, using other design elements to give it a contemporary feel, including quartz countertops with dramatic veining, modern elongated hardware, and grey tile flooring. Matching cabinet panels help with concealing major appliances, giving the kitchen a contemporary, “clean lines’ look and feel.

Craftsman Style Kitchen

craftsman kitchen design

Looking for that warm simplicity of a craftsman kitchen? These shaker cabinets are finished in a medium wood stain with minimal ornamentation. Although there is crown molding, it is very simple style molding without any ornate details, in keeping with the original shaker style. Additionally, the glass doors are clear without mullions and the wood hood over the cooking space matches the rest of the cabinetry, rather than standing out as a decorative accent.

Should You Put Shaker Cabinets In Your Home?

While the answer to this question mostly depends on preference, we think that shaker cabinets are an excellent choice for any home for many reasons. If you are looking to remodel on a budget, shaker cabinets are easy to find in any price point. Finally, if you are looking to sell your home soon, simple cabinetry appeals to most today’s home buyers. Best of all, shaker cabinets can match with any décor or design style, creating your perfect dream kitchen.

Design Your Dream Kitchen or Bath With Norfolk

Norfolk Kitchen & Bath is New England’s largest family-owned kitchen showroom, with 6 locations in Massachusetts & New Hampshire. Norfolk offers expert design & delivery services, quality home cabinetry, remodeling services & more!

All of our kitchen design showrooms have hundreds of cabinet style and finish combinations to choose from, with many of today’s top trends on display, including all styles of shaker cabinetry. Whether you are looking for shaker kitchen cabinets, traditional kitchen cabinets, or something in between, we are your one stop shop for all things bath and kitchen remodeling. Stop by a showroom to browse or request your free design consultation online today.