If you’re looking for authenticity, then you should aim for the door styles, finishes, and trim to work together. But if you’re looking for a more casual look, then you can mix the styles a bit. Trends are a bit more toward the authentic and formal than in the past.
Popular products include pullout tables, fancier cabinet trims, recycle stations, and unusual colors and finishes. The pullout table extends 5 feet from the cabinets and folds back up into it. You can use whatever wood top you want. We’ve installed it coming off the end of an island or out the back side of a peninsula in the dining area. It looks like a regular cabinet. Pullout recycle areas are also very important in the Seattle area. We install pullout baskets and bins that can be removed for emptying. We’re installing these in lieu of a trash compactor; people are more concerned about recycling than smashing their trash.
Glazing is popular now. It was popular in the ’50s and ’60s when it was called antiquing. We’ll do a cherry with a black glaze; or maple or pine with a light or dark glaze over a light stain. We can do the glaze over a natural wood or one stained a sunshine color. A darker glaze gives an older look. We’re also doing cottage finishes—painted finishes that have been rubbed off and banged up to appear worn. It’s popular with women but the men don’t understand why you’d pay for something to look old and beat up! Taupes and sages are popular colors.
By Pat Allen, Co-owner
Rainier Cabinetry & Design
Seattle, Washington
www.rainiercabinetry.com