We revealed the kitchen at White Cape Cottage here and have gotten so many questions about our cabinets! We’re back to share everything about the process of using Kraftmaid cabinetry from Lowe’s, the exact cabinets we selected, and how we used every inch to maximize functionality in this kitchen.
This post is sponsored by Lowe’s.
We’re so happy with how the White Cape Cottage kitchen turned out, and a big part of it is because of the cabinetry. Let’s chat details.
THE COST
We ordered Kraftmaid cabinets through Lowe’s and had a great experience. Lowe’s had a 30% off custom cabinetry sale going on (they do it a few times a year), so our cabinet total came to about $11k after taxes. This included all of the trim pieces, end panel upgrades, and special base cabinet storage upgrades (we’ll show you what’s inside each of them – keep scrolling). We’re really happy with the quality of these cabinets for the price. They’re made in the USA and built to last.
THE color + STYLE
We were deciding between two Kraftmaid colors — Bonsai, a greenish grayish color, and Canvas, a creamy white/putty color. My parents loved the idea of lighter cabinetry, especially in this smaller space with limited light, so we chose Canvas. It was the right decision! The color is really warm and contrasts a bit with our white walls (SW Shoji White). For door style, we were looking for something interesting, but not too interesting. This is a small kitchen and we didn’t want the cabinets to take over the space. We chose the Sonata, which is very close to the classic shaker design with an extra detail on the top and bottom panels. It’s beautiful!
HIGH-IMPACT CABINETRY details
There are a few details we considered that elevated the whole feel of this kitchen. The biggest one is furniture end panels. Having some dimension on the ends of the cabinets really does make them feel more like furniture pieces, and hiding the toe kick depth difference gives them a clean, finished look. It was a small upgrade over the regular flat end panels that we’ll 100% do again.
Next, we opted for a panel-ready dishwasher to blend in with cabinetry. We were able to pull up the dishwasher specs during our design process and our Lowe’s kitchen designer helped us select the exact one we needed. It looks just like another cabinet and really elevates the feel of the kitchen, while also giving it a cleaner look from the adjoining dining room. If we had an extra $3-4k (at least!) in our budget, we would have done a panel-ready fridge too, but felt okay skipping it because the fridge in the back and not too visible.
Last, we chose the Sonata door style – a twist on the classic shaker design. Here’s a close up of a sample door at our local Lowe’s store (note: the coloring is different because of the cooler florescent lighting at the store). The little detail gives the whole kitchen a custom feel without being too busy.
ORGANIZATION
We were extra intentional with each cabinet selection during our design process and tried to make the most of every inch of space. Before we got started designing the kitchen, I asked my mom to take inventory of everything she had in her old kitchen so we could make sure we created a spot for it. Here are a few of our favorite cabinet configurations we took advantage of.
XL DRAWERS
We installed two 30″ 3-tier drawer banks – one on each side of the galley. The one on the sink wall holds cutlery, dishes/bowls, and serving dishes (everything needed to serve a meal). The ones on the range wall hold cooking utensils on top, pots/pans in the middle, and large baking dishes on the bottom (everything needed for cooking). Having one wide 30″ drawer as opposed to two smaller ones allows for more flexibility when organizing larger things.
PULL-OUT TRASH BIN
This trash bin has a push-to-open feature as well, so if your hands are dirty and you need to throw something out, you can open it with your foot! You can’t see well from this angle, but right in back of the trash can is a little cubby for trash bag storage. Little things make a big difference.
KITCHENAID CABINET
This cabinet is probably my favorite of them all, especially for someone who is older. The mixer is stored on a shelf that pulls out smoothly and easily. No heavy lifting!
Once it pops out, it locks into place so you can use it without moving it. Once you’re done, you pull a latch to release it, and it slowly glides back into place inside the cabinet. It’s genius.
Pull-out cookie sheet drawer
My mom mentioned she had a hard time storing cookie sheets, cutting boards and other flat things, so we incorporated a 9″ pull-out cabinet next to the range. This little cabinet makes it so easy to access all of these things without having to bend down.
PULL-OUT PANTRY
The storage space in this pantry cabinet is impressive! It’s only 15″ wide (24″ deep), but is full height so it holds a ton. My mom loves that she only has to pull it out once to see everything she has, instead of pulling out one drawer at a time to find what she’s looking for. Having access on both sides of the cabinet is ideal.
Questions? Comments? Leave them below!
These are the cabinets I want in my next kitchen!
They’re such a great choice!
We’re in the midst of planning our kitchen remodel and we’re planning on almost all of these things for the cabinets! I’m getting lots of inspiration from this kitchen – the shaker type cabinet, tile, counters….it’s really such a great kitchen! I really appreciate you spelling out where to put what (cooking/baking on oven side and serving dishes/utensils on sink site) – that’s really helpful and I’m off to check my cabinet layout now!
I would love to know more about the drawer knobs, pulls, and latches! Are they Lowe’s as well?
They’re all Emtek (French Antique finish) and they are SOLID. We have the latches and knobs in our own kitchen, too. Here are the links:
1. Spindle Pull
2. Latches
3. Knobs
I hope this helps!
Was it easy working with the Lowe’s Designer? Not having done anything like this myself before makes the idea a bit intimidating. Who did you work with and would you recommend? (I’m also in the Columbus area).
Yes! We did have a pretty specific design plan going into our meeting with the Lowe’s designer though. I would recommend this to anyone – work with a designer first to really hash out your layout and design details, and then once you have a good foundation, you can bring that into Lowe’s and they’ll help you figure out exactly which cabinet options fit your plan. They were super helpful in working through the specifics of the cabinetry (i.e., these are your options for pantry cabinets, sink base cabinets, etc) and informing us of extra touches available, like furniture end panels and trim pieces.
What are your thoughts on kraftmaid vs ikea? We are about to do a quality remodel on a budget!
Love both for different reasons. These Kraftmaid cabinets are probably the nicest we’ve used on a kitchen. They come pre-assembled, the frames are solid plywood with dovetail joints, and there are tons of door styles to choose from (many are more traditional). That said, we have Ikea frames / Semihandmade doors in our kitchen and we love those too! Ikea gives you a ton of options to customize storage and configurations on a budget, and I love that you can go to the store and pick everything up without having to wait a few months lead time. I think it all comes down to budget and what the use of the house is. If it’s your forever home and you have the budget, you may want to go with the highest quality you can get. If you’re looking for a way to save a bit without giving up customization options, I’d definitely suggest Ikea cabinets w/Semihandmade doors.
This looks amazing!! We are looking in to Lowe’s for our kitchen cabinets as well. How long did it take from the time you placed the order to when everything was installed? Does the $11,000 include installation? If not how much was that charge?
Thank you! We installed ourselves so it’s hard to say what it would have cost, but the cabinets do come pre-assembled.
I love the Kitchenaid pullout. Wish I had one – then I wouldn’t have to leave my mixer out on the counter.
It’s such a smartly designed cabinet, right?! We want one, too!
This just gave me some amazing ideas – I was sold on IKEA + semihandmade doors and had never considered the big box stores, but the price looks comparable so I will definitely check this out. Wondering if there is a microwave in this kitchen and if it’s hidden somewhere? Finding a way to hide the microwave, coffeemaker, toaster, etc. have been my biggest design challenge so far within the constraints of my kitchen….
There isn’t a microwave (parents don’t really use it). If it was an issue, we would have made upper cabinets deeper ((15″ instead of 12) and added an outlet inside one, or incorporated an appliance cabinet.
Will you tell me about the painting? Source? Love it!
-Lisa
It’s a print from BFF Print Shop.
I am going back and forth between Lowes and IKEA/semihandmade and I am curious to know how you felt about putting together the IKEA cabinets vs. Lowes being preassembled. How much labor went into putting the IKEA boxes together?