White Cape Cottage: All About Cabinetry

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!