How To Make Raised Panel Cabinets Look Modern?
Raised panel cabinets are a classic. They’re huge space savers and have the ability to turn a compact kitchen into one with a lot of stockrooms. But the point still stands — they’re a classic. Is it then even possible to give them a modern look?
Of course! But how to make raised panel cabinets look modern?
Simple tweaks and adjustments can take raised panel cabinets to a whole new level. Consider adding a raised panel doorless cabinet in the midding and putting some contemporary art and showpieces there.
For people who want a larger kitchen makeover, choosing the right color on the walls can make or break it for the kitchen’s aesthetic too.
There’s a solution for everyone, and anyone can have a more modern cooking arena today. We’ll go over how.
What Kitchen Style Works Best With Raised Panel Cabinets?
Although it’s entirely possible to take a contemporary take on raised panel cabinets, they’re originally a true classic. But are raised panel cabinets outdated?
They were popularized back in the 1920s when having a built-in kitchen was getting common for middle-class households. For this reason, they best suit the nostalgic and classic wooden styles of kitchens.
Picture the quintessential American household from the 20th century. A simple layout with only one oven, sink, a few stoves, and the new addition — raised panel cabinets. They’re best paired up with simplistic designed wooden kitchenware and that brown and silver pair up with utensils and an oven-stove combination.
But like anything, style and fashion evolve over time. The days for these cabinets aren’t over yet. You can very well take a contemporary, modern look on them in your kitchen today. Here’s how. But how do you modernize a raised panel cabinet door?
How To Make Raised Panel Cabinets Look Modern?
We’ve gathered some brilliant, easy-to-implement ideas for you to play around with in your kitchen today to give it a more modern feel. Let’s go over them.
Commit To One Color
Nothing screams modern these days than solid color, and abstract designs. However, committing to one single color can take your kitchen aesthetic up a few levels.
The most popular color choices for contemporary looks are, for example, black, white, gray, or blue. The color of marble countertops is important too. Any light-toned, mildly vibrant color work really.
If you feel like the simplistic design defines you, we’d recommend going for it. Make sure other facades of kitchen appliances, for example, the oven, stove, and countertops, match the base color.
You might need to swap out a few utensils here and there to match colors too, but in the end, these trendy and modern designs are all worth it.
Make Use Of Optical Illusions
Raised panel cabinets add extra space to a kitchen. You can use this to give an illusion of depth and space in your kitchen. Give your kitchen a more sophisticated look by leaving calculated spaces between cabinets and placing meaningful utensils or show pieces or rugs for added effect.
If you can succeed in giving off the illusion of a more thoughtful and well-built setup, it’ll give off auras of contemporary kitchens on its own.
Play Around With Color Combinations
A single solid color doesn’t define a lot of people. For them, we recommend playing around with opposing gradients and giving their kitchen more color.
However, a crucial thing to note, though, for a contemporary style, is sticking to only light-toned color. Bright ones work, but we recommend lighter shades. These sort of raised panel kitchens look the most contemporary.
A grayish black and white are the classic modern take, but other pair-ups like a muted green and thick shade of white can really give off an aesthetic vibe.
For more color pair-ups of your choice, take a color swatch and try matching colors with their exact opposite on the color spectrum. Usually, these are the ones that pair up the best.
Add Contemporary Art & Showpieces!
Abstract artwork and showpieces scream contemporary — they give a thoughtful depth and make people think when they look at a certain part of the room. Apply this to your kitchen with raised panel cabinets and you’ve got yourself a modern-looking kitchen!
We recommend setting at least one or more doorless and painted raised panel kitchen cabinets inside your kitchen. Allocate it either on the side or to the middle, depending on which is best for you and won’t come in the way of getting actual work done in the kitchen.
Dedicate the shelf to only keeping small abstract art pieces. Hang a few contemporary arts too, if you please.
With these implemented, you should see the difference almost immediately.
Your Best Friend: Wood
Raised panel cabinets and a wooden architecture go hand in hand. A lot of modern kitchen designs incorporate wood into the mix. They give the best result when paired with a wooden aesthetic. Now we know what you’re thinking, how can simple wood give a modern design.
Well, modern wooden finishes are well polished and glossy. They’re not the same as traditional wood and aren’t damaged by the occasional water splash from regular kitchen work.
Focus on those types of wood, play around with the brown color and what you have in hand, and you should be able to pull off a rustic yet modern look with wooden kitchen cabinets.
Things To Consider When Modernizing Raised Panel Cabinets
We’d like to educate you on three crucial things to keep in mind when modernizing your current kitchen setup.
Don’t Go Overboard
For starters, don’t go too overboard. Firstly you should ensure whether the rest of your home will go well with the contemporary look you’re after. If not, it’s best to make a few changes here and there.
Besides an essential kitchen remodel, a redo will cost a lot of money and might make your kitchen stand out in a negative way in contrast to the rest of your home.
Try Multiple Changes
Next, we recommend not fixating on a single change. You already have a working kitchen aesthetic.
The point of modernizing is to make small, incremental changes over time, ensuring the contemporary look is blended in properly with the rest of your home. So don’t entirely commit to one single tip and go all-in on them.
Consider Pairing With Other Cabinet Types
You could also try pairing your raised panel cabinets with a shaker or flat options. A good competitive duo are shaker vs flat panel cabinets,
For shakers, you should pay close attention to what size pulls for shaker cabinets you are using.
To sum it up, have a humble mindset and play with them, seeing which complements the kitchen at your home the best. Some people ask, are raised panel cabinets timeless? We like to think yes.
Over time, you’ll be left with a more modern and better-looking kitchen on your own.
Final Words
Hopefully, now you know how to make raised panel cabinets look modern. But, always remember to have an open mind and play around with different strategies at the time to see which fits best for your current lifestyle. That’s the meaning of being contemporary in this day and age after all.
In conclusion, we like to leave you with a final note: pay attention to the color of your raised panel cabinets. Ensure they’re neutral-toned and you can work with them well. For owners with a kitchen remodeling option, try to pick a color and aesthetic based on the tips we’ve shared here. Good luck!
