7 Types of Kitchen Cabinets With Style and Personality
Whether you’re looking for an impactful update to your current kitchen cabinets or a stylish solution for new construction, here are the latest designer-worthy kitchen cabinet door hardware trends in both form and function.
#1. Lateral Opening Cabinet Doors
Do you have large kitchen cabinet doors in tight corners or in narrow galleys with limited front space? Lateral cabinet doors may be the perfect solution! Lateral cabinet doors allow easy access into cabinets where space to open a traditional cabinet door is limited, such as in a galley kitchen. These doors are designed to function with minimal effort while providing full access to cabinets in places where space may be a challenge. These door hinges feature a unique lateral swing mechanism that decreases the opening radius of large cabinet doors dramatically, requiring less than 10" of front space to open doors from 15" to 20" wide.
A single hinge opens one cabinet door and stops it in any position. Doors pull out slightly and then swing out to one side parallel to the cabinet, wall, or even an appliance such as a dishwasher. Soft-close dampers keep the door from slamming by dampening the last few degrees of closing. Your cabinet doors will silently close flush and have a clean look.
Goodbye Lazy Susan
Traditional hinged corner cabinets can be a thing of the past. Lateral door opening hardware allows corner cabinet doors to swing open sideways and clear of the opening, unlike the traditional Lazy Susan doors, so you can easily access deep corner storage spaces without losing valuable cabinet space.
Easy to set up
Lateral opening door systems can be set up in single or double door configurations for corners, side-by-sides, and kitchen islands. These systems are perfect for both base units and wall cabinets. By utilizing this space-saving door hardware you can replace your traditional swinging doors in a stylish and elegant way!
#2. Revolving Cabinets
Tired of knocking over jars of spices as you search the back of the cabinet for the one you want? A revolving cabinet may be just what you need. This innovative rotating cabinet system allows cabinets to rotate a full 180 degrees, providing more storage space than traditional cabinets by enabling easy access to both sides of the unit. Kitchen essentials won’t disappear into the depths of traditional deep base cabinets. The hardware is constructed with a stainless steel frame that can be cut into custom lengths making it easy to accommodate any cabinet size.
Revolving Cabinet Model Types
Reversible cabinet systems are designed with a 180-degree turning shelf mechanism and comes in three model types:
- Inset Wall Type — Ideal for barware storage, pantry staples, or other kitchen items that lend themselves to shallow-depth storage
- Floor Type — Make ideal bases for kitchen islands or counter-height room dividers
- Floor-to-Ceiling Type — Can be positioned as room dividers or against a wall where a shallow-depth cabinet makes more design sense
#3. Sliding Cabinet Doors
In narrow kitchen spaces, opening cabinet doors into an aisle can seem both awkward and confining. Dual-motion sliding cabinet door hardware enables you to open glass or wooden-door cabinets by sliding their doors laterally to the right or to the left, eliminating any protrusion into a tight space.
Sliding door hardware for cabinets can be utilized in either single or multiple door configurations and have a virtually concealed profile for silent operation. Glass doors on wall cabinets are a sleek way to feature glassware, dishes, or other kitchen collections. Sliding cabinet doors have a crafted look that brings a modern, high-end feel to your kitchen.
Downsides to Sliding Cabinet Door Configurations
- It may not be easy to convert existing cabinets that have a vertical center rail or other obstacles between the doors.
- It can be difficult to access contents in larger cabinets without sliding all door sets left or right.
#4. Folding Cabinet Doors
Folding doors are practical because they eliminate the need for opening multiple cabinet doors. They also offer homeowners a way to reinvent their space with a contemporary layer of sophistication.
Folding doors allow you to open wide cabinets in a single movement without having to open multiple cabinet doors. Overhead cabinet doors can either fold upward or from side to side. Base cabinets accordion from side to side, using half the footprint of traditional swing cabinet doors. Like the lateral opening cabinet doors, these folding doors can be a perfect solution for compromised spaces.
#5. Vertical Opening Cabinets
Overhead kitchen cabinets with hydraulic lift-up mechanisms that raise the cabinet door up and out of the way have been a long-standing trend in Europe because of their sleek, contemporary look. Unlike standard hinged doors, these cabinet doors swing up and out of the way in a smooth motion allowing access to multiple wall cabinets simultaneously- great for when you have a warehouse of groceries to put away.
With the right hardware, these upper cabinet doors effortlessly lift up with just a slight tug of the handle and stay in any position until you close them.
#6. Roller Shutters
If your aesthetic is more of a new age vibe, roller shutters are a modern update on a classic 70’s look. Originally utilized to hide small countertop appliances or loaves of store-bought bread, these doors now replace standard wall cabinet doors for a stylish nod to the appliance garage.
Today’s roller shutters can not only open from top to bottom, but also from side to side thanks to innovations in track technology. Easy to clean and maintain, roller shutters offer an ultramodern, almost space-age feel to a contemporary kitchen when used along an entire wall run of cabinets.
#7. Receding Cabinet Doors
A clever way to disguise small countertop appliances, these upward-opening flap doors retract inside the cabinet allowing other cabinets to be installed on top. Built-in dampers provide for a soft closing, preventing accidental slamming. Pair these with a sliding, pull-out cabinet shelf to add additional kitchen workspace. When closed, these cabinet doors offer sleek, straight lines and a modern feeling.
