Cabinet door styles that were staples just a decade ago have recently been on the decline so much that some have gone the way of the names Ethel and Waldo, and disappeared from showrooms and websites completely.

The cabinet door styles we predict won’t return to popularity any time soon, include double arched doors (shown below), some single arched doors, especially flat-top arch and bell arch (shown below), and back panel doors with heavy face-applied molding.

As far as cabinet materials go, ash (shown below) stands out as a wood species that was fairly popular in the 90’s. We no longer sell ash cabinet doors, due to pest issues, (most U.S. woodworking companies don’t want to risk bringing the Emerald Ash Borer into their shops), and most of the cabinetmakers and designers we work with want more subtle grain patterns and not the coarse, heavy grain found in Ash.

For customers looking for a light-in-color and very hard, durable wood species, hard maple (shown below) is one of our top sellers and is a great alternative to ash. Beech is another good ash alternative.

Several cabinet door styles and materials have seen declines in popularity, but are still sold in niche markets and may make their way back to the mainstream in the coming decade or two. These include ornate applied molding and rope molding (examples shown below).

From around 2005 through 2025 heavily cathedraled grain pattern Red Oak cabinets of the 80s, 90’s and early 200s were considered outdated by many in the kitchen and cabinet design industry.

However today red oak cabinet doors and cabinets are gaining in popularity in Europe and the USA especially in kitchen islands and base cabinets where dent resistance and a forgiving surface are priorities. When red oak and white oak are used in modern kitchens the door style typically is flat panel, not arched and has minimal inside and outside edge detail to offset the heavier grain pattern. Recently there has been more demand for very hard, durable wood species like red oak, rift white oak and white oak, and nods to traditional, furniture-style design elements.

At the other end of the spectrum, contemporary, modern edgebanded cabinet door design with little ornamentation is a top trend in cabinet door styles.

If we missed any trends you’re seeing in your area, let us know. We’d love to hear your feedback.

At TaylorCraft Cabinet Door Company, we offer a wide variety of door designs, from traditional to modern and our dozens of profiles include offerings that reflect the latest cabinet door trends. Visit our Door Profiles page to view our selection.