These Are the 4 Most Popular Kitchen Cabinet Styles

The biggest design component in every kitchen remodel is the cabinetry, but with so many options available—and so many covetable color choices—deciding on style and color can be completely overwhelming. To help with some of the guesswork, here's a quick explanation of the most popular kitchen cabinet styles. Plus, we're sharing the best coordinating colors in order to make creating a flawless kitchen a little bit easier.

Traditional

Inspired by the golden age of Europe, traditional is the most formal cabinetry style, often embellished with ornately carved details. The doors often have raised panels, sometimes featuring an arched design. Traditional cabinets are often found in rich color woods, but carved details might be treated with an antiquing or glazing effect.

Shaker

Shaker is the most stylistically versatile cabinet design. Thanks to its simple frame and panel structure, these cabinets blend in with either atraditional or a contemporary look. The style originates from the Shaker religious group that fled to the American colonies in the 1780s; the group became known for their simple, utilitarian, and smart design, including thefamouspeg rail.

Shaker cabinets are made from a five-panel door, which comprises a four-piece frame with a flat panel in the center. These cabinets are traditionally made from high-quality American wood, but it's now fairly common to see them painted in pretty much any color under the sun. For a more modern look, some homeowners will paint the upper cabinets one color, then use a different paint or wood stain for the lowers.

Country or Farmhouse

Country and farmhouse cabinets are essentially the same thing, and both styles are a more casual version of traditional cabinetry. There is often an introduction of more relaxed materials, such as beadboard, shiplap, tin metal, reclaimed wood, and sometimes glass doors or open shelving to enhance that charming feel. Country or farmhouse cabinets are almost always painted, and the most popular color is white, but other hues such as yellow, red, charcoal gray, and black are becoming more popular, too. There might be some mixing and matching of colors and cabinet styles throughout the space, but the overall color concept is driven by casual comfort.

Modern

Modern cabinetry is the least detailed of all the styles. Doors are usually flat panels with a full overlay and little to no molding or trim, which creates an unfussy, clean look. Naturally stained wood with very little grain, such as maple, is very common for this style of cabinetry. If painted, the most popular colors range from deep blues to black, white, and gray, but almost anything would work. Bright yellow or orange can easily be at home in a modern kitchen, and cabinets might also be painted in high-gloss or lacquered for an ultra-sleek effect.