Whether you’re renovating your existing kitchen or installing a kitchen in a brand new home, choosing your cabinets is a big decision!
Your choice of kitchen cabinetry establishes the style and mood of the space. It’s a big investment, so it’s vital to get it right.
We all spend a lot of time in our kitchens, and we want them to look and feel good. We also need our kitchens to be organised, functional and constructed out of durable materials, so they can withstand the pressures of meal preparation and traffic.
At Riviera Kitchens and Joinery, we help you choose the kitchen cabinetry to best complement the style and layout of your kitchen. As the range of options can be overwhelming, we simplify the selection process by helping you to clarify your vision for the space, whilst working within your allocated budget.
First step: select your kitchen style
Generally, a home’s architecture and décor will dictate the style of the kitchen, but it is possible to add elements that reflect your personality and taste. At Riviera, we manufacture doors and cabinetry in all styles from poly to shaker, recessed panel hand painted and specialists in Farmers Doors to bring your kitchen style to life.
There are many kitchen styles to choose from, but let’s look at the most popular and how they inform the choice of cabinet designs and colours:
Country Style Kitchens
A country style kitchen highlights the comfort and ease of country living. To achieve the relaxed, warm and inviting nature of this style, raised-panel timber cabinets are a must. Distressed finishes highlighting the wood grain and colours – muted blues, greens, greys and creams – enhance the look and feel of the space.
French Provincial Kitchens
A French Provincial kitchen adds character and elegance to a home. The style is sophisticated yet rustic and features hand-painted finishes and intricate carvings. The cabinetry is generally constructed with a timber frame around a recessed centre panel, which displays the wood grain. Cabinets are then finished in cream-based colours.
Hamptons Kitchens
Inspired by The Hamptons on Long Island New York, this style reflects peaceful, seaside living. Hamptons kitchens feature shaker cabinets in painted or polyurethane finish, with a frame and panel profile. White is the dominant colour, but light blue, teal green and mist grey also complement the style. Tall overhead cupboards with glass displays add interest and provide an opportunity to showcase special pieces.
Modern Kitchens
Modern kitchens reflect mid 20th century design and furniture and incorporate bold angles and curves and man-made materials. Cabinetry may be made out of frosted glass, laminate or wood veneer. Splashbacks of slate or granite, with some featuring geometric patterns, complete the look.
Contemporary Kitchens
Contemporary kitchens are characterised by simple, clean lines and cabinetry with smooth and polished surfaces and few embellishments. Popular colours are white, beige, black or grey.
Next step: fit out your cabinet interiors
Your choice of drawer systems and other accessories can elevate your kitchen from lovely to luxurious.
We supply fittings and storage solutions from Blum, Hettich, Lincoln Sentry and Hafele.
At Riviera Kitchens and Joinery, we are experts in creating functional and efficient kitchens. We advise our customers on how to make use of all available space and help them to consider options to make your kitchen easier to use. These include:
- Soft-close drawers
- Vertical pull-out drawers
- Cabinet-moulded racks inside the pantry
- Hidden wine bars
- Unique swivel shelves to provide easy access to corner cabinets
- Touch-activated trash pull-outs, which use an electric motion support system
- Shelf lift-ups, which allow bulky and heavy appliances to be concealed in cupboards and mechanically lifted to counter height when you need to use them
- Charging drawers containing powerpoints and USB outlets to charge your devices and keep your countertops clear.
Final step: select the handles
Once you’ve settled on the cabinets to suit the kitchen style you’ve chosen, it’s time to dress them up with handles.
We supply handles from Furnware Dorset and Blum. There are loads to choose from in many different shapes, styles and finishes.
Handles add the final touch to a beautiful new kitchen, so there are a few things to consider when making your selections:
- Decide whether you want knobs or pulls. Pulls tend to be more decorative, so if you want your cabinetry to be the focus, knobs may be the way to go. However, pulls are great for heavy drawers containing pots and pans.
- Make sure the colour of the handles works well with the colour of the cabinetry.
- Consider the look of your light fixtures, appliances and sink. The handles should not clash with any of these; everything should work together to create a beautiful, cohesive look.
- Handles will get a lot of use, so it is important they are strong and hard wearing. They should also function to protect the cabinetry from greasy fingers!
Overarching rule: make sure it feels right for you
The most important factor when designing your kitchen is to create a space you love to be in, which suits the way you live. Our processes will help you to get this right.
Let’s get started!
Grant and Mel would love to help make your kitchen dreams a reality. Make an appointment to visit the showroom in Bowral to begin the design process with a one-on-one consultation.
