Is two-tone still a good idea?

It works when the two finishes have a clear job, typically a darker island or base run under lighter uppers. It looks arbitrary when the split follows nothing.

What is the difference between framed and frameless?

Framed cabinets have a visible face frame around each opening. Frameless, or European style, drops it so doors sit edge to edge and openings are wider.

Can I see samples before committing?

Yes. We bring samples to your kitchen during the free consultation so you can judge them in your own light.

Cabinet styles and what they cost

Dave TitusOwner, Advanced Kitchen ConceptsUpdated August 2026 · 7 minute read

Cabinet style is decided by the door. Everything else, the boxes, the hardware, the finish, follows from that one choice, and it is the choice you will still be looking at in fifteen years.

Cream kitchen with an island and seating

The door styles

Nearly every kitchen door is a variation on four ideas. The names change between manufacturers, the shapes do not.

01ShakerA flat center panel inside a square frame. It has outlasted every trend cycle since it appeared because it reads as neither traditional nor modern, which means it never reads as dated.

02Flat or slabOne uninterrupted surface, no frame and no panel. The cleanest look available and the easiest to wipe down, which is why it dominates contemporary kitchens.

03Raised panelA center panel that steps forward from the frame, usually with a profiled edge. Traditional, formal, and at home in older houses.

04Glass front and openUsed sparingly for the pieces worth showing. A wall of glass fronts turns everything you own into decor, so most kitchens use two or three at most.

Finishes and materials

The finish decides how the kitchen wears. Our catalog runs from standard wood doors through custom wood to modern foil and Parapan, which covers the full span from warm and grained to smooth and modern.

Finish	Character	Practical note
Standard wood	Visible grain, warm, traditional	Moves slightly with humidity, which is normal.
Custom wood	Species and stain chosen to match the room	Longest lead time of the four.
Modern foil	Smooth, uniform, no grain	Smooth edges and easy to clean.
Parapan	High-gloss solid acrylic, color through the material	Chips do not reveal a different color underneath.

Over 100 design, style and finishing combinations means there is usually a way to hit a look and a number you are comfortable with, rather than choosing between the two.

Overlay and frame

Two construction choices change the kitchen’s proportions more than most people expect. Framed cabinets have a visible face frame around each opening and a traditional look. Frameless, sometimes called European style, drops the frame so the doors sit edge to edge and the openings are wider.

Overlay describes how much of the frame the door covers. Partial overlay leaves frame showing between doors, which looks older. Full overlay covers almost all of it, so the doors form a nearly continuous surface. Frameless full overlay is the tightest, most modern of the combinations.

Pick the door for the house, not for the year. The kitchens that still look right after fifteen years were never chasing anything.
Dave Titus

Choosing for your house

Look at what the rest of the house is telling you. A 1940s farmhouse in Mechanicsville and a new build in Lexington Park are asking for different doors, and a kitchen that argues with the trim and floors around it never quite settles, no matter how well it is built.

Then judge the samples in your own kitchen. Showroom lighting is designed to flatter, and a finish that looked warm under it can go flat under your north-facing window.

Common questions

Shaker and flat-panel are the two that have proven least tied to a particular decade.

See the doors before you decide

We bring samples to your kitchen so you can judge them in your own light, next to your own floor.

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