What Makes A Cabinet Shaker Style

If you're in the midst of a kitchen remodel and you find yourself thumbing through cabinet style options in home design magazines, you've most likely come across what's called a shaker kitchen — even if you originally overlooked it. You can spot minimalistic shaker-style cabinets with their signature understated minimalism, consisting of a shallow recessed shaker cabinet door, surrounded by a shaker panel border laid with straight, perpendicular seams. Because of its straight edges and no-frills nature, installing this cabinet style in your kitchen will result in a clean look that's undeniably versatile and ready to be paired with a variety of backsplashes, lighting fixtures, countertop materials, and other design elements.

The shaker cabinet style was designed to be understated and a symbol of refined simplicity by the Shaker religious group, which diverged from its origins with the Quakers and was popular in 1700s England and North America. The Shakers' self-made home craftsmanship, with its sleek lines and simple geometric patterns, spoke to the group's emphasis on peace, self-reliance, and purity of mind and physical spaces. Though the shaker cabinet style spans back centuries, it has remained a popular choice for kitchens far and wide due to its flexible use in a variety of kitchen styles over the years, from chic modern looks to farmhouse to boho style elements.

While shaker cabinets can be a seamless kitchen addition, it's best to determine your desired kitchen style before installing them. You should always choose your cabinets before your countertops to set a mood for your kitchen, then build from there. Luckily, shaker cabinets are like a refined blank slate to work with and blend in seamlessly with a plethora of matching kitchen design elements, from marble countertops to wood embellishments. This can come with a downside, too — as shaker cabinets tend to look a little plain in simple kitchens. So, if you don't want to put much effort into other styling elements, you may opt for carved wood cabinets, which speak for themselves. Or go with open shelving, which can be cheaper than cabinets.

While shaker cabinets were designed for simplicity, purposefully lacking much pattern or zest, the cabinet style does offer ample room for creativity when it comes to accents like doorknobs or finishing. For example, choose regal golden handles or paint the simple doors brightly to amp up shaker cabinets. Though they typically feature a shaker border of around two and a half square inches, you can customize the border size to suit your own taste. Or choose a glass center instead of wood so you can show off visually appealing bowls and dinnerware beyond the cabinet door. Just remember, when installing simple shaker cabinets, spacing matters. For balanced kitchen cabinets, be sure to follow this measuring rule.