Can my kitchen cabinets be different from the rest of my house?

Most newer homes have matching kitchen, bathroom and laundry room cabinets mainly because making all of the cabinets the same is the most cost effective method. Each time materials, finish and paint colors are changed, it adds complexity and time to the job which also increases costs.

The fact that most homes have matching cabinets throughout does not mean this is the most appealing or best method. Some people actually think having the same cabinets throughout can look boring, “matchy” and cookie cutter. Professional designers regularly mix both cabinet materials and colors. This is really a matter of personal taste.

Changing materials and colors can create a more custom, high-end look if done right, meaning colors and styles compliment each other. You do need to be careful not to create a cluttered, mismatched or half finished look, especially where baseboards and crown molding meet cabinets and in transitional areas where you can see cabinets from more than one room.

The same design guidelines that are true for wall colors, furnishings, accessories and flooring are true for cabinets and countertops. You don’t need to match every piece of wood furniture in your home or make every wall the same color, and you don’t need to do so for your cabinets either. However mixing styles and color palettes should be done with care, and there should be some elements of color and style that tie everything together.

Using 2 Different Cabinet Colors or Paint and Stain in the Kitchen

One way to safely add variety to a home’s cabinets while tying everything together is to use a different material, style or paint color on the kitchen island and use that same material, cabinet door style or paint color in the bathroom or other rooms.

It’s very common for the kitchen island to be different color from the surrounding cabinets and common for the kitchen to have a custom, built in hutch made by the cabinetmaker that is a different color than the rest of the kitchen cabinets.

Another option is to use the same cabinet door style throughout the home and change the paint or stain color, or use the same wood species throughout the home and change up the cabinet door styles. We also have customers who use knotty alder or knotty cherry wood cabinets in one room and select alder or select cherry wood cabinets in others to add variety.

As far as door style goes, many customers create variety by using raised panel cabinet doors on lower cabinets and flat panel cabinet doors on uppers or raised panels in the kitchen and flat panels in the rest of the home.

Our good friend who is also a cabinetmaker, made the cabinets different in every room of his house, all in different wood species and cabinet door styles because he loves the beauty of natural wood and wanted to use many different, complimentary door styles. They were all traditional and all had a rustic look. He coordinated his cabinets with clear-finish wood floors and base moldings that were the same throughout the house. He also used beautiful, earthy reds, creams and tans that tied everything together.

Homeowners want their home to be a representation of their taste and personality and changing cabinet designs and colors is a great way to express personal style.

Here are a few more examples of beautiful cabinets with cabinet doors by TaylorCraft Cabinet Door Company, that use different colors and materials in close proximity for design inspiration: