| To glaze or not to glaze. Or paint. Or leave in their | | | | Your kitchen should reflect your unique personality, |
| natural state. Ahh! Selecting kitchen cabinets. It will | | | | carefully-developed design predilections and family |
| arguably be your most pressing design-and budget- | | | | history (however wacky yours might be.). Art and |
| dilemma, coming in a slight second to the drama of | | | | antique collections-hopefully gathered for their |
| selecting your kitchen designer, interior designer, | | | | interesting provenance or sentimentality-should be |
| builder or architect for the project. | | | | proudly displayed so as to infuse this most important |
| In the roughly $23.0 billion U.S. cabinetwork and | | | | room with your individual stamp. You need to enlist |
| countertop manufacturing industry, the inherent angst | | | | the services of a master carpenter who will build |
| of choosing kitchen cabinets is simply the enormous | | | | custom cabinets so that your creativity can be |
| cost in doing just that. For cabinets can eat up at | | | | unleashed-without thought or concern for those |
| least one quarter of your entire kitchen remodel, | | | | standard options commonly chosen by the masses: |
| adding thousands-if not tens of thousands--of dollars | | | | Do you have unique space configurations that can be |
| to your overall kitchen remodeling budget faster than | | | | dealt with in an interesting way? Could a cabinet be |
| you can say | | | | built for this space that would highlight its quirkiness? |
| -with-chocolate-glaze." Add to that the realization that | | | | Do you enjoy open, airy spaces? Why not opt for |
| this decision holds long-term consequences-there is an | | | | open shelving, dramatically increasing your room's |
| almost zero chance that you will rip these boxes out | | | | visual appeal while simultaneously reducing your |
| before the next couple of decades have passed-and | | | | overall budget? |
| you have the perfect storm for what will surely | | | | Do you prefer cherry to particle board? Or pine to |
| become the $64 thousand question in your | | | | maple? Don't let the so-called experts convince you |
| kitchen-remodelers-or-building-household. You are | | | | that your taste buds are less refined than theirs. |
| officially cabinet crazed. | | | | Do you adore painted finishes? Transparent-and good |
| One of the most commonly-held misconceptions | | | | for the earth-milk paint? Hand-rubbed waxes to |
| about the kitchen cabinet purchase is that the lowest | | | | high-gloss polyurethane? |
| cost "stock" cabinet option-or even that | | | | Do you dream in color? Enjoy the palette of |
| middle-of-the-road semi-custom deal-is necessarily | | | | Provence? Or prefer the decades-old tried-and-true |
| your best bet. This is a carefully-contrived trap into | | | | traditional option of all-white? |
| which the unsuspecting homeowner can easily | | | | Do you cook in your kitchen? Or is it your trophy |
| become ensnared! Beware of boring materials, | | | | room? Why not incorporate an antique table with a |
| standard door frame styles, limited paint selections | | | | marble top for rolling out dough? Or a farm table on |
| and size constraints that will-before you even realize | | | | which to chop vegetables, further upping the charm |
| it- zap the creativity gene right out of your right | | | | factor while reducing the dollar drain of adding yet |
| brain! For the "stock" option will practically ensure that | | | | more expensive cabinets? |
| your kitchen cabinets-which present an otherwise | | | | Look at your kitchen as you would any other room in |
| huge opportunity in which to raise your creativity | | | | your home: with eyes wide open. Give yourself |
| quotient-look like every other kitchen cabinet in | | | | plenty of time to let your imagination soar. And move |
| every other home in America. Seriously, can our | | | | out of the despair of being cabinet crazed and into |
| nation handle one more cream-painted maple cabinet | | | | the heights where creativity reigns supreme. |
| with dark mocha glaze? | | | | |