To achieve the kitchen of your dreams use a qualified kitchen designer to help you plan it. The kitchen is the most complicated room in the house to design. Even architects and professional interior designers do not always know all the intricacies of putting together a functional, beautiful kitchen. An experienced kitchen designer will know what products to use to achieve the look you desire as well as being able to meet your functional needs.

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Many people think that one big decision they will need to make is whether they want to use custom or modular cabinetry. The fact is, however, that many modular cabinet manufacturers do as much customization and have as many or more options available as a custom shop. There are varying degrees of quality with either type and one is not intrinsically better than the other.

There are two main types of cabinet construction used today. There are framed cabinets, which is the traditional American method of construction, and frameless cabinets, which is a European type of construction.

Framed cabinets have a "face frame" attached to the box of the cabinets from which the doors hang. Less expensive cabinets will have plywood face frames while better cabinets will have solid wood frames. There are many variations of framed cabinets and each has a different character. Standard overlay doors have a very traditional look while full overlay doors are generally more contemporary. Inset doors give an "old world" feeling to cabinets.

Frameless cabinets, as the name implies, do not have a face frame and the doors hang directly on the cabinet box. Frameless cabinets are usually built to a 32 mm system of construction which uses system holes, drilled 32 mm apart, to attach all hardware, shelves, drawers and hinges. Frameless cabinets usually have a more contemporary, clean look but using a traditional door style can give it a very traditional design. Because there is very little space between doors and drawer fronts of frameless cabinets, knobs or pulls are necessary. These close tolerances also make frameless cabinets more difficult to install. This method of construction is usually less expensive than framed cabinets because it uses less material.

Cabinet door materials can vary from solid wood to veneers to medium density fiberboard (MDF). MDF can be painted, wrapped with Rigid Thermo Foil (RTF) or covered with plastic laminate. All of these possibilities are viable options--it just depends on the look you want. There are a multitude of attractive door styles from which to choose. Some of the most common are raised panel, recessed panel, or solid slab type doors. These door styles can be customized with many different options such as arches, flutes, grooves or different edge details.

Along with the door styles, the material selected for your doors can affect the overall style of your kitchen. Woods with strong grain patterns-such as oak, ash, pine or hickory-will have a more rustic, casual look. The finer grained woods like maple, cherry or alder will give a more refined, formal or elegant look. RTF and laminates are available in a wide variety of colors, textures and patterns but generally offer a very contemporary appearance.

The finish on your wood cabinets determines whether your cabinets will keep looking good for years or look old in a short period of time. There are many good, extremely durable finishes available. One of the best finishes used today is conversion varnish. You can't tell how durable a finish is by looking at it, but by running your hand over a cabinet to see how smooth it feels you can determine how well the finish is applied.

In considering the color of your cabinets, keep in mind that light stains and natural finish will show more color and grain variations in the wood, while medium to dark colors tend to even out these variations.

There are many different products used today for cabinet interiors; they are usually some variation of plywood or particle board. Plywood is more expensive and is available with finished wood or with a vinyl or melamine coating. Today's particle board is manufactured to be high density, low in formaldehyde and can be a good choice for cabinet interiors as long as all exposed parts are covered (with melamine, vinyl, veneer, etc.) Extra care must be given to handling cabinets with particle board interiors because they are more easily damaged before installation. The thickness of the material chosen will affect the cost and the quality of the cabinet and will vary from 3/8" to 3/4". Three quarter inch (or thicker) shelving is best for wider cabinets to prevent bowing. It is best for cabinet interiors to be light in color to make items inside easy to see.

Dovetailed drawer boxes are considered very desirable and are a very strong, attractive method of construction. However, with the quality and easy movement of today's drawer guides, other methods of construction can be just as durable.

Besides selecting the right cabinet for you, it is important to choose a good cabinet installer. Using an experienced cabinet installer will make all the difference in the final appearance of your kitchen. An inexperienced installer may be less expensive but he/she can make even the finest cabinets look shoddy. This is not an area to cut corners or "do it yourself" unless you're a very skilled craftsperson. Kitchen cabinets represent a large investment which will enhance the value of your home and you'll want them installed by someone who knows how to work with them. A good installer will also make your life much easier throughout your kitchen project by taking care of a myriad of problems and adjustments which inevitably arise.

The many different construction techniques, materials and styles available make selecting cabinets a challenge. Most options are acceptable and it just depends on what you like. By combining your ideas of what you like and the quality you want with the expertise of a qualified kitchen designer, you can achieve the kitchen you're hoping for.

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