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Guide to Building Shaker-Style Cabinets

The Shakers were a religious sect that settled in the Eastern United States from the early 19th century. Although they were insular, their elegantly functional design, furniture, handicrafts and cabinetry had a wide appeal, and even today, contractors pursue contemporary cabinet designs that echo the aesthetic workmanship and priorities of the Shaker style.

The Shaker Style

The furniture and cabinetry built by Shakers adopted a design aesthetic that focused on utility and simplicity as opposed to ornamentation or frivolity. Modern Shaker-style cabinets adhere to this basic premise even if they don’t just copy authentic Shaker designs. Shaker-style cabinets use clean lines and straightforward forms to achieve an understated design that does not overpower the plan of this kitchen. They frequently are finished with organic stains.

Wood Choices

Normally, Shakers used fine hardwoods like maple, birch or chestnut for their crafts, and contemporary upscale Shaker-style cabinets commonly are made of hardwoods like maple and cherry. In modern cabinets, but the definition of this style often lies in the design of their cabinets rather than from the wood used to build them, so almost any sort of wood — including pine, oak or poplar — can legitimately be employed to build cabinets that are identified as Shaker style.

Fundamental Door Design

A traditional Shaker cabinet door is made up of flat center panel floating at a frame made from plain horizontal rails and vertical stiles. The rails have brief tenons that fit into a groove from the stiles, and both the rails and stiles are grooved to take the center panel. The edges of the rails and stiles are square, without any beveling or beading. The panel in a traditional door is flat, but some cabinetmakers bevel the panel to give it a raised central place.

Hardware

The simplicity of Shaker cabinet layout extends into the hardware used on the cabinets. Knobs, handles and pulls typically are wood or metal, and they may be painted a colour that contrasts with the cabinet shade. They’re arranged symmetrically, and they are free of any elaborate finishes or designs.