The Art Deco Kitchen or Drab Cabinets

Home Cabinetry is expensive. The two places where you will spend more money per room is a bathroom and then clearly the kitchen.

If you find yourself remodeling to add additional cabinets, or it is new home, you need to know the real value in cabinetry.

When home styling this is one of those items that you want to get right due to how much of the space it impacts. An art deco kitchen is about more than small cute items on a shelf.

Let’s get one number out of the way. The average home spends between $3,000 to $7,000 usd on kitchen cabinets but can be much more. So we know the typical costs involved.

Aside from furniture, cabinetry is one of those features that is overly marked up at the point of sale. We need to look at what our money just bought us.

What Big Box Store Cabinets Miss

Go to Lowes, or if you prefer Home Depot, there is your basic manufactured run of the mill home cabinetry. Short of putting sticks together ourselves this is where most people go.

Look around their displays then the price tags. It makes me choke. Among their better selection the cost to value is still lacking.

Years ago before I came into real woodworking I just accepted what I saw offered. Likewise for most it could be you just do not realize what you are missing.

The cabinets they offer are obviously prefab with lower end being of the mdf or composite variety. They are thin, easily marred, and the lifespan is lacking for what is paid.

No matter how pretty it may look they lack in ways that cannot be made up for.

One of the things I hate the most in these budget models is the cabinet finish. When brand new they can be great.

After a few years they show the wear. It is nearly impossible to refinish them. At some point down the road painting cabinets is considered as a way to hide the wear and tear. There really is no other option when things get bad enough. You cannot touch up the original finish.

Another part I hate is how weak the cabinetry is. The boards are not only thin but they are not secured well. The doors are no different. At the center they are almost veneer thin.

The shelves cannot support much weight and if too much pressure is placed on a door it can strip the screws out that hold the hinge in place. If this happens it is nearly impossible to fix creating a mess with the cabinet door.

For the money paid it feels as if we get very little in return. We begin to step up into the nicer cabinetry where at least real wood is used. I still have many issues with these cabinets.

Among the many above issues still existing the wood itself is not impressive. Clearly the virgin wood they use to build them come from tree farms and are cut before any pretty grains are developed.

Additionally I am not overly impressed with the strength they offer due to design.

One of my favorite features in home cabinetry you will not find in most cabinet shops and never in a Lowes style store. Often wood is processed so that the knots and minor imperfections are removed.

These portions of the wood can be what helps make it so beautiful and stand out. Not all flaws are flaws and character is often missed.

Wood And Grain With Nice Grain Texture

Inside of a less expensive home most opt for function and matching fit. Once you start stepping into the nicer homes I was shocked to see how so many are really a small upgrade in the cabinetry from the cheaper counterparts.

You are missing so much you do not realize. For homes that are smaller and more cozy here again quality cabinetry can define the space giving value in ways you cannot imagine.

Let’s talk a moment about real wood. Forget the farmed wood many use. Wood and grain with nice grain texture is essential for quality.

Wood grain can make or break the beauty of the cabinetry. Not all wood is equal in grain even if of the same species.

If there is a knot in the center of a board that will be used for a door, keep it. If the knot came out and a hole is there, perfect.

Yet select nice wood of a species that will give you the color you want. Allow the wood to display itself while still fitting it to form of being measured and cut.

With this what have you gained at the very beginning? First if this is done by a real cabinetmaker who knows how to create you instantly gain durability and strength.

The cabinetry will be more robust in design. I like thicker boards for cabinets including the doors. This gives you options. Additionally the wood and grain will be finished for longevity allowing for additional long term value in the investment.

In terms of function you an customize the cabinet more easily and readily. No worry about being stuck with whatever prefab parts that must be pieced together.

If you can think it then it can be created. There is less wasted space, additional storage can be utilized, you begin to see what you are paying for in measurable terms. I like being able to see the benefits of what the money buys.

Custom Cabinetry Gains In Finishing

With the lesser cabinets I spoke of how they cannot be retouched or refinished as time goes by. Eventually we look at painting them.

What will custom cabinetry give you? If your wood selection was done well for starters you are getting real wood with beautiful grain. This can be used and refinished time and again if needed.

A solid wood door for example can be sanded down, stained and given new life. Any place that begins to show wear can likewise be done in the same way. If you hate stained cabinets then the benefits in durability still apply. The structural support offered is simply superior.

Staining cabinets may seem like a thing of the past yet it is beginning to come back. The modern trends we see are cultivated based on lower budget items with mass production and pumped by the likes of Ikea.

What is offered today in stain work can fit many needs in terms of color. Most people have heard of white washing or pickling. Yet also consider wood burning as it is a very creative idea. The effects gained from this application can be stunning.

With the last simple paragraph I listed ideas that could never be considered with the typical prefab cabinet. This is especially true with wood burning.

Until you can see how beautiful this process can make wood its difficult to appreciate. No matter what your preference may be there are certain principles I follow in terms of investing within a home.

Proper Investment In Home Styling

The most expensive items are often those that should be expanded in design or function. Cabinets are just one example. If the lower end items are already pricey its worth the added money to gain more options for future growth.

The reasoning is very simple. To later change the cabinetry is once again very expensive. This is why often people settle with painting. To have more options gives you the ability to further customize later in time or to refinish as needed. This is long term value you gain from your money spent. In the end it keeps you from spending twice as much.

The front end cost may be higher and this is what we look at. The odd thing about human nature is that what we want today is not what we want tomorrow.

Certainly what we settle for today we never wanted and begin to immediately look for what we really wanted. In home styling it would be better to reduce costs in other areas in order to place focus on the more important features first.

Later one could return to other aspects to tailor the needs or desires that would be easier to refine. Items such as cabinetry impact large portions of the home space.

Wood flooring would be another of those large features, or tile. Fundamental parts set the overall home theme. They impact the feel of the home beyond serving a purpose. It is worth properly investing in those features.

Wood Art Aspects For Beauty

Imagine a two tone cabinet. Perhaps the body of the cabinet is darker in color while the doors are works of art. Each door unique and tailored for a design of your choice or perhaps for each member of the family.

This is one of the advantages to solid wood design allowing for carved art.

There are two main ways to achieve this. If the door is indeed solid wood it can be removed and taken to a wood artist where the carved art can be applied.

Costs here will be dictated by the complexity of the wood art in its design and carving technique as well as size. Nevertheless it is a next level move to create a unique kitchen space.

Each door could be lighter in color while the artwork itself becomes the main accent against the cabinetry. This two tone effect is a great way to display your art deco kitchen.

Features such as these are often found in more elite homes in other places of the world. It definitely reaches beyond the standard thinking of home styling.

The second way to be unique is with wood inlay art. The wood art would need a place to be set into the wood of the cabinet. This can be done by a carpenter that understands this need. After the material is removed from the portion of the cabinet the wood art is then set into the cabinet.

Communication with the artist will need to be clear concerning dimensions required to utilize the inlay art properly. This method may not allow for an entire door to be used but a section or portion of it.

A medallion for example can be made of another wood species and color to accent the present design.

Alternatively the sides of the cabinets can be utilized if so desired rather than the doors. Be aware of structural strength when using this method on wood panels other than doors.

Transition from Cabinet to Canvas Thinking

Here we have taken a functional piece that is essential within a home and then moved into creating artwork. Here is where wood becomes a superior canvas as compared to other art mediums. Each main or core feature of your home should be thought of in this way.

What will separate your home from others? No matter how much you spend on a home, whether it be a two bedroom starter home or a multi million dollar house, how it is defined will determine its value. This value extends beyond mere value in art. It reaches to both personal value and monetary value of the home.

Mantles and the wood trim of the house can later follow this same thinking. Select doors within the home can become part of this canvas. There are future additional features that could be added to continue accenting and adding beauty.

Much will depend upon individual taste nevertheless your home can become a personal expression rather than just another house fashioned by Kirklands.

Value Defined By Meaning

Home value has often been determined by money rather than meaning. Western culture has allowed for monetary value to be a greater determining factor for many reasons.

This is not necessarily a bad thing yet in this process we lost something. It is not uncommon for a child in the USA to have lived in three different homes before graduating high school.

By contrast in other places of the world often a family will reside at a home for much longer portions of time. Within some places of the world the family will forever reside at one location.

In the West a term was coined being called someones forever home. No matter what house you decide will be that forever home when selected do not be afraid of defining value beyond the money.

As you style the home use ideas that add value in meaning to you and your family. Allow those creative ideas to bring to life the spaces within which you live. It is not to show off but rather creating the ultimate space for you to be at peace and have comfort.

A home was never meant to be a cookie cutter space for marketing. No matter its price or square footage we can begin to define our homes just as we define life.