Two Hammers

Styling and warmth on the outside; convenience and function on the inside.  Soft closing door and drawer hardware is a must for any new kitchen, ending door slams and utensil crashes.  Pullouts and rollouts are a great way to store and access those larger pots and pans.  To accommodate the bulky Costco items there is nothing better than a pullout pantry, or a pantry loaded with rollouts.  And drawers still rein king for ergonomic access instead of large door cabinets.  Then of course, there is the required deep lazy susan in the blind corner and the recycling trash pullouts.

Hot door styles are the wide stile and rail shaker look; or a classical raised panel profile for timeless elegance.  Bucking the popular trend with the rustic look, stay away from the heavily grained and charactered species, such as, hickory, alder, birch, pine, and oak.  Unless it is a vacation home, then definitely use the local wood species.  The beautiful grain of cherry or clear maple underneath a semi transparent stain can not be beat. Medium light to medium brown stain colors (shifting more green than red with just a touch of black pigment) is a good choice.  The slight grey cast from the black pigment yields the coffee, espresso or mink looks.  A burnt umber or raw sienna glaze can give credit to detailed door styles while adding some warmth.  Black and chocolate should be used sparingly as accents.  If it has to be white, a cream or amaretto with a glaze can not be beat.  Decora Cabinets new Honeycomb on maple would be wonderful in a sunlight starved kitchen or bath.

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