Selecting the Perfect Kitchen Cabinet Brand: A Foundation for Your Remodel

Kitchen cabinets typically represent a substantial portion of any remodeling budget, and unlike paint colors or decor, they aren’t something you’ll likely change again for many years. This makes the decision of choosing the right cabinet brand paramount—and often, quite overwhelming! A highly effective first step, even before you begin browsing, is to establish a clear budget for your cabinets. This will help you determine whether you should focus on stock cabinets (readily available off-the-shelf at home improvement stores), semi-custom cabinets (offering more options in sizes, finishes, and features), or fully custom cabinets (tailored precisely to your specifications). Additionally, compile a detailed list of features that are most important to you, whether it’s specific storage solutions, material quality, or aesthetic choices.

My primary cabinet priorities were a semi-custom line that offered the option for all-plywood construction, providing superior durability compared to standard particle board. I also sought excellent interior cabinet organization and storage solutions to maximize efficiency, along with a diverse palette of beautiful color stains and paints to achieve the desired aesthetic. My old kitchen was notoriously dysfunctional, so features like an integrated paper towel cabinet, designed to house not only a pull-out bin for trash but also one for recycling, AND a dedicated spot for a paper towel roll, truly captivated me with their practicality!

Diamond Cabinets: Base Paper Towel Cabinet

Once I had a clear understanding of my requirements, I began actively soliciting recommendations for cabinet brands from everyone “in the know.” While advice from friends is always valuable, it’s truly essential to consult with professionals—contractors who frequently undertake kitchen remodels, and interior or kitchen designers who have extensive experience with various brands. I was fortunate to attend a conference early last year with several interior design friends, and I certainly took the opportunity to pick their brains not just about cabinets, but also countertops and appliances! Interestingly, I discovered that several highly recommended brand names, including KitchenCraft, Decorá, and Diamond, all trace back to the same esteemed parent company: MasterBrand Cabinets. My contractor also strongly recommended Schrock cabinets, a brand he had chosen for his own home due to his positive experience, leading me right back to MasterBrand’s comprehensive website once again.

With this valuable input, I delved into exploring MasterBrand Cabinet’s diverse lines, utilizing their online tool to compare features and align choices with my budget. Their Diamond cabinets emerged as the ideal choice, perfectly meeting all my essential criteria without including expensive extras I didn’t need. After confirming my decision to proceed with Diamond cabinets, I reached out to MasterBrand to propose a partnership for my kitchen remodel. I was absolutely thrilled when they enthusiastically embraced the idea of collaborating on this exciting project.

My crucial next step was to engage a professional kitchen designer, a service often provided through the store where you plan to purchase your cabinets. Some of my friends, and even my husband, expressed surprise that I, with my own design background, would work with a kitchen designer. However, designing a kitchen is fundamentally different from decorating a room. Kitchen design involves intricate considerations of ergonomics, workflow, and spatial planning. Mistakes in this stage can lead to significant additional costs and delays. I wouldn’t dream of undertaking a major kitchen remodel without the expertise of an experienced kitchen designer. Their role isn’t to override your preferences, but rather to translate your vision into a practical, beautiful, and highly functional cabinet design optimized for your specific space. Working directly with one of MasterBrand’s talented kitchen designers was an incredible experience, and I was beyond excited to see the ingenious plans she developed!

Mastering Your Palette: Choosing the Perfect Cabinet Colors

Just as with selecting paint colors for your walls, I discovered that the most critical step in choosing finishes for my cabinets was to obtain actual finish samples and view them within the natural light and existing decor of my own home. For stain finishes, it’s particularly important to remember that the same stain can appear remarkably different on various types of wood; for instance, I personally preferred all the stains on maple and oak. Entering the selection process, I was certain that I wanted white cabinets for the perimeter of my kitchen. This wasn’t merely a preference for the clean, timeless aesthetic; it was also a strategic decision to choose a color that wouldn’t be too taste-specific, keeping future resale value in mind (and truly, who doesn’t appreciate a classic white kitchen?). While there are countless shades of white available, I found no need to pursue a custom option because Diamond’s white color is absolutely perfect – it strikes an ideal balance, being neither too cool nor too warm.

The decision for the kitchen island, however, proved to be far more challenging, primarily because there were so many stunning options that would have been excellent choices. I deeply appreciate the look of a rich wood island and initially considered a wood stain. However, given that our new flooring would also be wood, I decided against it to avoid an “overkill” of wood tones in the space. Among the wood stain options, Diamond’s Seal (a sophisticated gray stain), Morel (a warm mid-tone wood stain with a subtle hint of gray), and Storm (a dramatic charcoal gray/black stain) all struck me as absolutely gorgeous. If you’re seeking a beautiful wood cabinet finish, I highly recommend exploring these options. For paint finishes, I was particularly drawn to Moonstone (a deep, rich gray), Cloud (a beautiful, airy light gray), Egret (a versatile light taupe-neutral), and Maritime (a luxurious dark blue). The ultimate winner for our island was… Moonstone! I absolutely adore this color, and as a devoted fan of gray, I knew it would seamlessly integrate with the existing color palette throughout the rest of our home, creating a cohesive and sophisticated look.

Defining Your Style: Choosing the Perfect Cabinet Door Style

Once the brand and colors were decided, the next exciting step was selecting the cabinet door style. This phase can often feel overwhelming, given the sheer multitude of options available, from traditional raised panels to sleek modern slabs. However, this is precisely where my kitchen designer proved to be an invaluable asset. After I articulated my general vision and preferences, she masterfully narrowed down the extensive choices to just four or five styles that she believed would best suit my aesthetic. To help visualize the final contenders and make an informed decision, I extensively utilized the online visualizer for Diamond cabinets {here}. My goal was a simple, elegant Shaker design, renowned for its clean lines and timeless appeal—a style that would gracefully withstand the test of time and fleeting trends. The Montgomery door style perfectly encapsulated this vision:

Crafting Your Dream Space: The Kitchen Design and Layout

Now that you’re acquainted with the intricate backstory of my cabinet choices—from selecting the brand to finalizing colors and door styles—let’s delve into the truly exciting part: the actual kitchen design plans and layout! Our primary focus began with reimagining the long wall that previously housed our sink and dishwasher.

The transformation of this wall resulted in a highly efficient and aesthetically pleasing layout, envisioned as:

In this dynamic new design, the space formerly occupied by a bulky double wall oven was intelligently converted into much-needed pantry storage (allowing us to demo the old, less efficient pantry across the room). Our new range was strategically placed in the former location of the sink, creating a more centralized cooking zone. Furthermore, the cabinetry was extended seamlessly all the way down to the far wall of the kitchen, a possibility opened up by the removal of the old fireplace. Above, we planned a thoughtful combination of closed storage cabinets, perfect for concealing clutter, and stylish open shelving options (a fantastic feature from Diamond, which offers open shelving that perfectly matches their cabinet colors and stains, ensuring a cohesive look).

I was absolutely thrilled with the new layout, particularly the significant increase in usable counter and storage space thanks to the fireplace’s removal. But what truly had me envisioning culinary bliss were all the ingenious, hidden features integrated within the cabinets. To the left of the stove, we incorporated a tiered wood cutlery divider, effectively doubling our silverware storage capacity and making organization effortless. The base cabinet directly to the right of the range was designed with convenient tray dividers, providing dedicated, easy-access storage for baking sheets and cutting boards, eliminating the previous struggle to retrieve them.

In a masterstroke of design, we tackled the often-awkward kitchen corner by adding base cabinets equipped with {these clever pull-out corner drawers}. How brilliant is that for maximizing every inch of space? This innovative solution offers quick and easy access to items typically relegated to the hard-to-reach depths of a traditional lazy Susan, transforming a challenging corner into a highly functional storage zone.

Diamond Cabinets: Three Drawer Corner Cabinet

Our attention then turned to the window wall, which previously presented a sparse appearance with no cabinetry other than a narrow, somewhat isolated row to the right.

The new design ingeniously extended the cabinets to wrap around, running the entire length of the wall, with our sink now beautifully centered beneath a newly installed, larger window, dramatically enhancing both light and view:

I cannot adequately express my excitement about the changing view while doing dishes – transforming from looking at a blank wall to enjoying a beautiful vista out our front window truly elevates a mundane task. And much like the other side of my kitchen, our Diamond cabinets on this wall are packed with super cool, thoughtful features. Beyond the aforementioned built-in paper towel holder ingeniously positioned above the pull-out trash and recycling bins, we’ve integrated {this innovative outlet directly in the drawer} to the right of our dishwasher. This feature is absolutely perfect for establishing a dedicated, clutter-free charging station for our family’s phones and iPads, keeping them neatly tucked away and powered up:

Diamond Cabinets: PowerGlide Cabinet Drawer Outlet

Additional thoughtful touches include a protective Cabmat lining the bottom of the cabinet under the sink, designed to safeguard it from potential spills and leaks—a small detail that offers significant peace of mind. Moreover, battery-sensor lighting illuminates the interior of our cabinets automatically when the doors are opened. This eliminates the frustrating experience of reaching into a dark ‘black hole’ when searching for cleaning supplies or rarely used items, making every corner of our kitchen functional and easily accessible.

Speaking of ‘black holes,’ our old kitchen island was a prime example. It was a chaotic space where pots and pans were precariously stacked Jenga-style at the front, while others disappeared into the dark, unreachable depths at the back. Retrieving anything often meant pulling out half the contents of the cabinet first:

Inspired by invaluable advice, my new kitchen island was designed to be entirely composed of drawers, and the result is nothing short of heavenly. The ability to simply pull out a drawer and effortlessly access exactly what I need, without rummaging or unstacking, has revolutionized our kitchen efficiency and joy.

Initially, I harbored a slight concern about losing the long, shallow top drawer in my old island, which I frequently used as a de-facto “desk drawer” for papers, coupons, pens, and other small household items. However, Diamond cabinets offered the perfect, ingenious solution: {this two-drawer base cabinet} features a cleverly nested shallow roll tray within the top drawer, providing organized, accessible storage for all those essentials without sacrificing prime drawer space:

Diamond Cabinets: Two Drawer Base Cabinet with Roll Tray

Furthermore, I was absolutely thrilled by the opportunity to maximize virtually every square inch of our island by integrating some incredibly smart features into its toekick. Beneath the central stack of drawers, we added {this innovative toekick drawer}. It opens with a gentle tap of your foot, making it perfect for discretely storing long, shallow trays, platters, or even extra cutting boards, utilizing previously wasted space in an exceptionally clever way:

Diamond Cabinets: Toekick Drawer

And beneath the stack of drawers on the right, we installed a true game-changer: {this built-in Toekick Vacuum}! Imagine the convenience: you simply use your foot to activate it, and then effortlessly sweep any crumbs, dust, or debris on your kitchen floor directly into the powerful suction port. No more wrestling with dustpans or pulling out a heavy vacuum for small messes.

Diamond Cabinets: Toekick Vacuum Cabinet

The best part is that this innovative feature doesn’t require a central vacuum system or any complex installation beyond a standard power source. It’s a simple yet incredibly effective solution for maintaining a perpetually clean kitchen floor. How sweet is that for modern living?