STYLES OF CABINETS

Face Frame. The face frame style uses a hardwood frame fastened to the front of the "box" which forms the sides, top and bottom of the cabinet. This style is characterized by large spaces between cabinet doors and drawer fronts. These cabinets are typically, though not necessarily, built in larger sections. When cabinets were first built in shops and delivered to building sites this is the way they were constructed. While this type of cabinet is still used it is giving way to frameless or European (Euro) style cabinetry.

Euro Style. Revolutionary hardware made this type of cabinet possible. The hinges mount on the sides of the "box" rather than on the front of the face frame and the action of the hinge is such that the doors can be very close or even against an adjacent door and still open without binding. This type of cabinet is more modular in nature. That is to say it is built in smaller sections. The edges of the "box" are capped with glued on tape or hardwood nosings. This type of cabinet is characterized by door and drawer elements being close together separated by narrow shadow lines or "reveals" of an eighth of an inch plus or minus. They are most often "flush overlay", that is, they cover the edges of the "box" rather than inset in the opening created by the box. The less common (though possible) variation is the "flush inset" wherein the door and drawer fronts set into the opening of the box.

Variations. Face frame cabinets can be flush inset too. This is often the case in the "craftsman" style cabinetry. Typically the "reveal"(shadow line) in this case is less than in flush overlay ---an inset door usually has only a sixteenth of an inch clearance around the door. It's important to note that quality cabinet installations usually are a combination of these two styles. In order to achieve a convincing "built-in" look it is usually necessary to use face frames in certain areas even if the predominant style is Euro. This is a common aesthetic deficiency in shops that do one or the other style exclusively, usually a result of a factory "economy of scale" attitude.

It gets complicated to combine these styles, e.g., a book case may look better with a face frame and the Euro cabinet may be a better look for a typical kitchen cabinet, so if you want these two elements next to one another it requires more than a standard layout to convincingly wed them. Perhaps a face frame around a refrigerator gives a more stylish look than the three quarters of an inch edge of a typical Euro cabinet, again this is a variation that requires an exception to a standard layout and a large shop may not accommodate such a variation. These are elements of a higher level of style that are indicative of careful design specific to a particular house or office.

While these differences are subtle they are important. I can think of a few high end homes that were designed to sell where these corners were cut and in most cases they waited a long time for a buyer. People simply expect more than cookie cutter sameness in the appointments of an expensive home. Conversely, I can think of houses that were very modest architecturally that sold quickly because of an uncompromising attention to detail.