House of Questions

Beautifully designed cabinetry can go a long way towards making our lives organized and efficient. Having the tools we need at our fingertips can make cooking in the kitchen a joy, working in home offices more productive, and help to streamline family life.

Installing cabinetry that is well designed can also end the frustration of searching for places to store the things we use on a routine basis, or having to randomly stash away seasonal necessities.

But with so many cabinets and configurations out there, where do we get started? The key to success is a well-thought-out plan, and a manufacturer and installer who can do it right.

To find answers and get some helpful advice, we checked with two of our Network's cabinetry manufacturers, experts Troy Doolittle of Doolittle Design Co. in Campbell and Nathan Hartman of Kerf Design, based in Seattle.

What is the best way for a homeowner to get started on a cabinetry project?

Doolittle: "I've found that having a clear picture of what doesn't work, what your vision is for a space, and how you want to feel when you're using it, to be really important. Those kinds of insights help us, and then I can guide people to how to achieve that. Tell me what you are going to use the cabinet for, and I'll design the best cabinet for it."

Hartman: "As a cabinetry manufacturer, we work directly with the homeowner, their contractor, and architect. Every project is custom designed from the ground up. Our estimates are based on the quotes that are requested online, so the best way to get started is to fill out the form on our website. That gives us an excellent starting point."

What types of cabinetry are available? Styles, materials, finishes?

Doolittle: "I insist on using high-quality, multi-ply birch plywood with maple veneer because it's super strong. I was frustrated with what I saw in the marketplace, there's so much MDF and particleboard. Designing for the user is critically important. We want the cabinetry to essentially become effortless—the term they use a lot now is 'invisible'—you don't notice it because it's designed so well there's no friction. That's my goal."

Hartman: "Our cabinetry has no visible hardware. Handles are all notches cut away from the cabinetry as part of our design language. We strive for simplicity, eliminating an element by making one of our parts a little differently. They're still pretty playful, and have a lot of character, but each one speaks individually to the client. We're also 'green,' and committed to creating an environmentally sustainable product."