Disadvantages Of Shaker-Style Cabinets People Don't Talk About Enough

At their best, Shaker-style cabinets lend depth and dimensionality to a kitchen space. Contrary to popular belief, you can mix multiple design styles in one kitchen. To that end, Shaker-style cabinets are a subtle, versatile way to imbue modern spaces with a warm, traditional touch. For the unacquainted, Shaker-style cabinets are characterized by a shallow, recessed center panel. Raised, square stiles border a central sunken panel to create an understated, minimal design element. At their worst, however, this cabinet style can create a shocking amount of extra hassle for home cooks and undermine any cosmetic value.

For starters, dust and grime can settle along the edges of those recessed panels — every edge. Multiply that by every single cabinet door throughout your entire kitchen, and the result is a lot of cleaning work. Unless you're okay with tracing a Q-Tip or moist towel along those ridges to clean out gunk and grease as part of your regular chore routine, installing Shaker-style cabinets may not be for you. Aesthetically, Shaker doors can offer a clean, streamlined look, but actually keeping them grime free is another story completely. This can be particularly true for high-traffic households, where stray dirt and dust may accumulate quickly along those center panels.

Another major (and potentially more devastating) disadvantage of Shaker-style cabinets is their increased susceptibility to water damage. Those raised borders may create an eye-catching impression, but the horizontal lip along the lower panel of the doors can hold onto water. Especially for cabinets located under the kitchen sink, or in any cooking zone where stray splashes, leaks, and sprays are common, the wood is liable to swell and distort when exposed to excess moisture for prolonged periods.

All in all, opting for Shaker-style doors may be a design mistake to avoid when renovating your kitchen cabinets. Unless they're outfitted with updated, on-trend hardware, this timeless design has the potential to look outdated and tired. Happily, for folks who prefer a traditional design scheme in the kitchen, there's no need to despair — or to relent to the contemporary look of plain, flat-back cabinetry. Try painting your cabinet doors with an unexpected color to give the kitchen personality, like warm yet understated butter yellow. A well-placed pop of color can go a lot further than decorative paneling when it comes to customizing your home kitchen. Plus, you'll never have to reach for the cotton swabs on cleaning day.