9 Ways to Customize a Kitchen With CabinetCorp

Remodeling your kitchen doesn’t need to be a drawn-out, painful undertaking, despite horror stories you might have heard. Believe it or not, it can be exciting and even enjoyable to plan and launch your kitchen remodel – and end up with a brand new kitchen customized for you and your family to enjoy for years to come.

When you first dive into the kitchen design process, it can be overwhelming … choices, choices, and more choices to make: cabinets, flooring, countertop, appliances, and fixtures, right down to every last piece of hardware.

Before you start, however, get a fix on the layout, you want. Your layout will drive every other big decision you make about your new kitchen. If you’re looking for ways to save money – and most of us are – stay with the current footprint if at all possible. This means the actual placement of your appliances and kitchen cabinets stays the same. Still, you replace them with updated or upgraded versions or otherwise transform them to breathe new life into your kitchen.

Here are 9 ways to customize a kitchen

Customizing a kitchen

  1.) Kitchen layout –

Your kitchen layout determines the number and type of cabinets you’ll need. Cabinets are usually the largest line item in the budget for a kitchen remodel. If, however, you change your kitchen layout in a way that involves moving plumbing, electrical, or ducting, you will add substantially to your total cost.

If your existing layout makes sense, you can focus on improving both storage capacity and overall function. You can arrive at a new look with the addition of taller kitchen cabinets to give your room a more spacious feel and provide more storage. Changing the layout can be done, but be aware that when you move plumbing fixtures, electrical and ducting, the costs will add up.

  2) Cabinet style –

All kitchen cabinets start with one of two types of base: either a framed look, like Shaker-style cabinets or a frameless look, like you’ll see with modern-style cabinets. Framed cabinets can include additional embellishment on the doors and drawers to express different styles, from contemporary to transitional or traditional and everything in between.

  3) Cabinet color –

Now kitchen cabinets come in more than woodgrain finishes. You can choose from a variety of colors – white, light gray, dark gray, black, antique white, blue, purple – and of course, every wood stain available on the market. Another option would be to buy unfinished cabinets and finish them in any color your heart desires.

You can make a significant change to your kitchen space with cabinet colors- White kitchen cabinets automatically add light to a kitchen, along with an airy and open feeling. White makes an especially good choice for smaller kitchens because of how well it reflects light.

  4) Cabinet hardware – Many homeowners opt to personalize their kitchen with interesting or unique hardware, which is easy enough to change if they want a new look down the road. You can bring a lot of personality into the kitchen with decorative hardware in bold patterns, colors, and styles, making it an easy way to customize kitchen cabinets.

Sleek, streamlined hardware can add to the minimal look – or you may even choose to have no hardware on the cabinet. Modern frameless cabinets often have no handles; however, you can add a touch of elegance to a modern kitchen with hardware in the form of small gleaming bars.

  5) Cabinet accessories – You can customize kitchen cabinets by adding different internal cabinet accessories. Roll-out shelving makes access to stored items a breeze. With roll-out shelving, you can open up upper cabinets for pantry items or spice storage. You can add peg systems inside drawers to secure dishware and cookware. You can customize your accessories for storage or cooking deepening on the cabinet location in your kitchen.

Hidden pullouts maximize small spaces. With 3-, 6-, or 9-inch pullout shelving units tucked into extra space between a stove or at the end of a cabinet run, you now have pantry storage, a spice shelf, or concealed storage for kitchen utensils.

Customizing kitchen countertops

  6) Countertop materials – Kitchen countertops come in choices ranging from butcher block to granite, quartz, marble, and laminate. Be aware that each material has its pros and cons. For example, marble can scratch, stain, and is susceptible to damage from high heat. Granite needs to be sealed as it can chip and crack. Quartz offers good heat resistance except for the highest heats (such as? Higher than?), while laminate can be permanently damaged if cut. Butcher block needs regular maintenance, especially if it gets used as a cutting surface.

For a brand-new countertop look, consider the trend that features countertops in a color that contrasts with the color for cabinets and flooring. This adds personality, and an exciting pattern or veining could add life to the kitchen.

  7) Countertop Color – White, gray, black, or brown countertop colors can be subtle and blend into the overall kitchen look, allowing the cabinets or appliances to be the focal point. Or choose a countertop color to make a big statement and add a defining style to the room. A contrasting countertop is on-trend; if you don’t want it to stand out, choose a color that blends or go monochrome. Your color selection for the kitchen countertop is a crucial element to customize your kitchen’s style.

Customizing kitchen flooring

  8) Flooring materials –

Kitchen flooring needs to be about function, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be stylish and help you customize your kitchen look. You’ll want to pick a flooring material that supports your lifestyle. Popular flooring materials include porcelain or ceramic tile, laminate, resilient-vinyl tile, hardwood, and marble.

If you have children or pets, something durable and easy to maintain is best. If you love to entertain, you may want a material that looks luxurious.

With all due respect to our grandmother’s kitchens, resilient-vinyl tile is not even the same class as original sheet vinyl and makes a logical choice for the children-and-pets crowd. Resilient-vinyl tile is durable, moisture and stain-resistant but is manufactured to resemble stone or wood and other attractive and unique patterns.

  9) Flooring color – When it comes to choosing flooring, pay attention to the color family. For example, you want to avoid mixing flooring with red tones with honey oak cabinets with orange undertones; in the other direction, flooring with a mix of grey or brown look beautiful against mid-tone brown, grey, white or black cabinets.

To add style with flooring, if you have darker cabinets, consider installing even darker color flooring – or mix in a darker color pattern to bring out natural dark wood grains.

How can I update my kitchen without spending a lot of money? 

Here’s the good news: You don’t need to spend a lot of money to update your kitchen. In terms of kitchen cabinets, you’ll find the best quality for the most reasonable price with semi-custom, ready-to-assemble (RTA) cabinets. You can purchase kitchen cabinets online at wholesale prices through companies like CabinetCorp. These cabinets ship directly to you, including everything you need for assembly and installation, and typically cost 40% less than stock cabinets at a big box home improvement store. And there’s more good news – your order usually ships 48 hours after it’s placed.

For countertops, a very economical choice is quartz. It is almost indestructible and looks similar to granite in coloring and pattern, but your cost will be considerably less than granite.

In terms of budget-friendly flooring, you can find gorgeous and inexpensive vinyl-resilient flooring to help keep you within your renovation budget. Vinyl-resilient flooring comes in stone and wood patterns but has the durability and price of vinyl.

CabinetCorp knows how to customize a kitchen with a 4-step design process, either virtual or in-person.

1. Measure your kitchen layout. Whether you visit the showroom or customize a kitchen online, you start with your kitchen measurements. You can use our measurement guide to help you accurately measure your kitchen layout.
2. Visit with one of our professional kitchen designers to discuss the types of cabinets you like, taking both style and function into account. The designer will help you choose the cabinets that will work best in your kitchen.
3. The designer will take your cabinet choices and create a 3D rendering of your kitchen for you to review and approve.
4. The designer then places your order for kitchen cabinets. They’ll be shipped right to your home, ready for installation.

Customizing your kitchen can be easy when you do a little research to understand your options. Online wholesale kitchen cabinet companies like CabinetCorp offer free design services for every customer. Their expert designers are certified in interior design. They can help you make sound choices for your layout, cabinets, accessories, countertops, and flooring – choices that meet your practical needs and add style and personality to your kitchen. Check out cabinetcorp.com today to begin your kitchen customization project.