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Mar 15 2023

Guide to Cabinet Materials and Trends 2023 -2024

There is a huge demand for organized and functional living spaces. These include kitchens, bathrooms, living and dining rooms, play zones, home offices, basements, and laundry areas. In fact, as I write this, I am currently designing custom storage units and benches for a couple of mudrooms and entryways.

Guide to cabinet materials and trends 2023 -2024

Frankly, getting clutter out of the way once and for all is the only road to creating flow for a busy family that needs a soul-nurturing home, not one that contributes to frenzied and panicked searches for lost items as people dash out the door.

Guide to cabinet materials and trends 2023 -2024

Naturally, in every interior design project, we are requested to design and integrate storage solutions that tick off all the boxes. These include different types of modules and cabinets that divide and conquer the clutter. Designing the functional components is one thing.

The next step involves selecting the materials for the units. There are so many options out there, that I decided to create a document I could share with my clients who are in the designing and selections phase. They appreciated it so much that I decided to share it with the public.
In this article, I have ordered the cabinet materials according to price range (lower to higher) and I have separated the description of the core material to the surface material. Nobody seems to go this far in the explaining process, yet it’s very important.
Here, then, is my helpful and detailed guide through the world of cabinetry.

Melamine Cabinets

Price Range: $

Durability: Medium

Core material: Press-wood (also known as particle or chip board). Press wood is inexpensive because it is made with sawmill shavings and wood chips. High quality press wood can be sturdy and durable. In addition to the facades of doors and drawers, it is often used for the interiors of cabinets in more expensive projects, because it is lightweight and sturdy.

Melamine Cabinets - Guide to cabinet materials and trends 2023 -2024
Photo credit: Uniboard

Surface material: A single layer of decorative paper veneer pressed-glued to the core with a resin layer for protection.
Styles: Not your laminate from the 80s. This is a new and evolved better looking product. Many styles to choose from including imitation wood, high gloss or matte finishes, multiple patterns, and textures, as well as solid colours and neutrals.

European Melamine (or Euro-laminate) Cabinets

Price Range: $$

Durability: Good

Core & surface material: Engineered and imported from Europe it is composed of many layers of decorative paper saturated in melamine resin. The multiple layers are fused together to create a highly durable cabinet. Much more robust than regular melamine.

European Melamine - Guide to cabinet materials and trends 2023 -2024

Styles: Wide variety of colours and textures. Only available in modern profile (Flat-panel doors). Imitation woods look very realistic – textured. High gloss/ matte finishes available. This material can look high-end and is commonly used in commercial settings.

Polyester Melamine

Price Range: $$

Durability: High

Core material: MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) is very high quality and environmentally friendly. It is composed of a mix of compressed pine fibers, sawdust, resin, and wax that is formed into sheets by applying a high temperature and pressure. Light weight but very smooth and very strong.

Polyester Melamine - Guide to cabinet materials and trends 2023 -2024

Surface material: Composed of melamine enveloped with a highly durable polyester film. More robust than regular melamine.
Styles: Variety of door profiles, realistic imitation wood as well as solid colours, various textures and neutrals

Thermofoil

Also known as Thermally Fused Laminate (TFL) or Thermally Fused Melamine (TFM)

Price Range: $$$

Durability: High

Core material: MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) is very high quality and environmentally friendly. It is composed of a mix of compressed pine fibers, sawdust, resin and wax that is formed into sheets by applying a high temperature and pressure.

Thermofoil - Guide to cabinet materials and trends 2023 -2024

Surface material: A film of PVC plastic is thermo-fused; involves heat-bonding and vacuum-forming onto the core. Easy to clean. Extremely durable and resistant to dents, heat, steam, moisture.
Styles: Wide variety of solid colors or neutrals, imitation wood, and many door profile models.

Acrylic Cabinets

Price Range: $$$

Durability: High

Core material: MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) is very high quality and environmentally friendly. It is composed of a mix of compressed pine fibers, sawdust, resin, and wax that is formed into sheets by applying a high temperature and pressure. Very light weight and very strong.

Acrylic Cabinets - Guide to cabinet materials and trends 2023 -2024

Surface material: Acrylic is a glass-like high gloss acrylic sheet. The surface is perfect and texture-free. There is no ‘orange-peel’ effect on these high-gloss doors. It also has a UV protection agent preserving the tone long-term regardless of sun exposure.
Styles: Acrylic cabinets are minimalist and sleek, and very modern. Available in a multitude of solid colours or neutrals.

Painted Lacquer

Price Range: $$$$

Durability: High

Core material: MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) is very high quality and environmentally friendly. It is composed of a mix of compressed pine fibers, sawdust, resin, and wax and is formed into sheets by applying a high temperature and pressure. Very light weight yet strong.

Painted Lacquer - Guide to cabinet materials and trends 2023 -2024

Surface material: High-quality 2-pot spray-paint system with a multiple step process; layers upon layers of Polyurethane finish, polished between coats. Lacquer finishes are super tough, and highly durable and they do not flake. Lacquer surfaces are chip-resistant and moisture-resistant.
Styles: Paint colour choices are unlimited and 100% customisable with either matte, satin, or high-gloss finishes.

Natural Hard Wood

Price Range: $$$$$

Durability: High

Core material: Hardwood species that are available include Birch, Pine, White or Red Oak, Ash, Cherry, Hickory, and Hard Maple. Should be kiln dried.

Natural Hard Wood - Guide to cabinet materials and trends 2023 -2024

Natural trees move, twist or warp with the changing climate during summer and winter months.
Wood is very heavy and expensive. Consider using solid wood on the facades, but MDF or plywood for the other parts to lighten the load as well as the cost of the project.
Surface treatment: In Canada avoid painting solid wood core doors as the paint will crack when the wood expands and contracts during the changing temperature and humidity levels throughout summer and winter. For this reason, a clear coat seal or a tinted stain is better for solid wood cabinet doors as the cracks won’t show up like they do with paint.
Considerations: Be aware that there is tone and grain variation from one panel to the next when using natural hardwood. There is no factory to equalize the grain and tone of all the panels. This fact should be embraced and appreciated.
Styles: The recommended door profile is Shaker (for solidity). The species should be chosen based on wood-grain, the characteristics and durability, as well as cost. Because there is a lot of tonal variations in a single wood species (especially White Oak), insist that the cabinet maker provide you with an example of these variations. Have many samples stained in the same colour, so you can evaluate the variations.

Natural Wood Veneer

Price Range: $$$$$

Durability:  Medium

Core material: Rather than a solid wood core, it is composed of MDF, Plywood or Press wood. Therefore ‘wood veneer’ cabinets don’t weigh as much as ‘solid wood’ cabinets. Because the substrate is not solid wood, there is no warping with changing temperature and humidity levels.

Natural Wood Veneer - Guide to cabinet materials and trends 2023 -2024

Surface material: A very thin layer of solid hardwood (less than 2 mm thickness) is peeled from a log and glued-pressed to the core material. Because of the cost of natural wood veneer, the application is limited to the facades as a ‘finish’ material, with a more robust and functional material used for the box frames and the insides of the drawers and cabinets.
Considerations: Because of the substrate it can be susceptible to water damage. If water gets past the veneer, it may expand and cause the edge of the veneer to peel. Also, wood veneer surfaces can be scratched, but also easy to repair.

The lower edges of wood veneer cabinets are prone to chipping near the kick-board. If this happens and it is caught early, it won’t worsen. You can also opt for a slightly higher kick-board.

As a precautionary alternative, the outside panels of 5-piece doors can be composed of hardwood instead of veneer. The veneer would be applied only the central panel.

Natural Wood Veneer - Guide to cabinet materials and trends 2023 -2024

Styles: Wood veneer options include exotic woods such as bamboo, walnut, elm, eucalyptus, and mahogany at a fraction of the cost of solid-core exotic wood. Wood veneer cabinets should be chosen out of a love for natural wood grain with varying tones and textures. If you are looking for a homogeneous and consistent look throughout the cabinetry, you should choose another material: Such as high-quality engineered products possessing life-like realistic qualities.

You would like to adopt some of these ideas in your own space but you don’t know where to start?

Contact us to transform your home or office according to your style, your budget and your specific needs. By discussing your project we can provide you with relevant information concerning our services, the process and our design fee.

Click here to contact us.

Written by Lucie Pitt · Categorized: Organizing and de-cluttering

Feb 15 2022

Ingenious ideas to keep your home organized

I don’t believe in perfect houses. I do, however, believe in homes that are a perfect reflection of the people who inhabit them. Do you ever dream of a home where everything looks the way you want it to, works the way you need it to, and just generally makes you feel good – without costing a fortune?

Ingenious ideas to keep your home organized
Ingenious ideas to keep your home organized

That’s why I’ve filled this blog with valuable ideas and organizing tips as inspiration for getting your home organized once and for all….so that you’ll have all you need for creating a space that you will be proud to call ‘’home’’.  

Main entrance

In this hallway we use all of the walls to maximise function. You have closed storage for things you want to hide and an easy to reach open unit for stuff you want to show off. How do you keep open storage looking tidy? Keep stuff you use every day where you can see it. Drawers and storage boxes provide flexibility and keep the hall looking ordered.

Main entrance

The living area

The living area

Store more, stress less. Dedicate a wall for maximum storage with modules and shelves custom-made or off the shelf. Organisation helps you find what you want—and you buy only what you need. A row of drawers keeps things neatly stored, keeps dust away and keeps a clean line. A soft spot with cushions and a custom-made mattress pad is good for reflection and reading, especially by a window or a lamp.  

The bathroom

Sure, small spaces are cozy, but they still need to match the practicality of any other size room, especially the bathroom.

Between all the toiletries, makeup, towels, toilet paper, and more, it needs clever storage solutions that cut the clutter and maximize space. When possible, I add retractable shelves to the end of the bath.

The bathroom
The bathroom

Wall space is precious, especially in an extra tiny bathroom. Shallow cabinets like these have adjustable shelving to make space for items of all sizes, like bottles of bathroom cleaner, toilet paper etc. This bathroom was fully customized to take advantage of every square inch.  

Work zone

When your home is your office, it’s not easy to have work/life balance.

Create space to contain everything by surrounding your desk with shelves. Use solid-coloured, matching boxes to hide things away. Glass vases and jars can show off a few lovelies. Add in accessories, like a letter tray, to sort your papers.

Work zone

Take charge of your family gadgets

Take charge of your family gadgets

Here’s an easy way to organize your electronics wherever works best in your home. An Ikea wall newspaper rack is a good size for tablets, and labels give everyone their own spot. You can put power strips in IKEA KVISSLE cable management boxes to hide cords and charge several things at once.  

Optimize your stairs

Here is a clever way of making better use of the stairs to the basement or near the front entryway: Practical cubicles custom built around the steps to maximize every square inch. You can decide the shape and size of each module, as well as adding shelves and hooks according to your needs.

Optimize your stairs

You would like to adopt some of these ideas in your own space but you don’t know where to start?

Contact us to transform your home or office according to your style, your budget and your specific needs. By discussing your project we can provide you with relevant information concerning our services, the process and our design fee.

Click here to contact us.

Written by Lucie Pitt · Categorized: Organizing and de-cluttering · Tagged: interior design, organization

May 31 2019

Organizing Your Home in 5 Steps

I confess that I am addicted to the process and rewards of organizing. While certain individuals are crazy about exercise or chocolate, I obsess over finding ways of restructuring items and spaces with style, functionality and flair! When I’m in a new environment, I constantly imagine new ways of optimizing the space and design so it’s more coherent, efficient and beautiful.

Organizing Your Home in 5 Steps
Organizing Your Home in 5 Steps

But if you’re not an organization addict, here are five winning strategies that I always share with my clients. They should motivate you into getting organized ONCE AND FOR ALL!

Step 1: Recruit help!

If you want to share the load, you must delegate certain tasks. Family members that contribute an effort in the de-cluttering of the space will be much more apt and motivated to maintain the new structure in the long run.

Recruit help!

If you are single, go ahead and propose an exchange with buddies who also have the same objective. One week-end the team is at one person’s home and the next week-end at another’s, and so on and so forth. With this type of team rotation there is a momentum and more discipline to stick to the plan.

Step 2: Establish a schedule with a final date.

Establish a schedule with a final date.

You will realize that you have way more possessions than you remembered!

Be realistic! Don’t underestimate the amount of prep time required for setting up your storage systems as well as the evacuation of items that will be recycled, sold, thrown out and given away. You will discover lost or forgotten items; you will be revising documents, and will be pulling out items that were stowed away deep within your pantry, cupboards and lockers.

Step 3. Prepare the evacuation

Define in advance where you will temporarily store everything you intend on giving away or selling. Prepare this zone with the adequate boxes, garbage bags and recycle bins. You also need to schedule the transportation of all items going to loved-ones, friends or charitable organizations.

Prepare the evacuation

Step 4: Clarify the purpose of each room!

Clarify the purpose of each room!

Once you have established clearly which activities take place in this zone, withdraw every item that isn’t related or associated. By grouping objects together by category and by assembling them in the area they will be used in, we effectively eliminate a number of useless procedures. This process also helps in identifying what has become superfluous in our lives.

Some questions to consider: Have I used this item in the last year? Will this object contribute to a definite future project of mine? Do I need to consider letting go of certain unfinished projects?

According to the Pareto Principle, we use only 20% of our belongings 80% of the time, so it is highly probable that you will be left with items that should outright leave the premises.

Step 5: Cultivate the habit of handling an object only once.

Rather than transferring items from one pile to another and procrastinating in their inevitable treatment, develop the habit of immediately managing your documents and all other objects that accumulated into clutter.For example, upon arriving, open your mail and address each document; bills get placed in the ‘bills to pay’ file, envelopes and garbage go into the recycle bin, and other papers are immediately archived in an appropriate file for easy access and future retrieval.

 Cultivate the habit of handling an object only once

Truly processing your mail every time you bring it in can take 5 minutes, but at least you banish clutter, disorderly piles and the endless searching of important documents. Managing your finances and paying your bills on time become much simpler when everything is in its place and on hand…bonus!

To conclude

 Cultivate the habit of handling an object only once

Admittedly, we have trouble getting the job done because it simply isn’t enjoyable. One of the goals of this article was to offer you a small source of inspiration and a few strategies that have made a difference with my clients as well as in my own clutter.

Having said that, more and more individuals are consulting professional organizers either for the development of personalized storage solutions, or to receive help in the actual execution of certain tasks. According to them, the benefit of working with a pro far out ways the costs, and provides enough motivation and expertise to make a noticeable difference. Getting organized once and for all contributes to your quality of life, so don’t wait any longer!

You would like to adopt some of these ideas in your own space but you don’t know where to start?

Contact us to transform your home or office according to your style, your budget and your specific needs. By discussing your project we can provide you with relevant information concerning our services, the process and our design fee.

Click here to contact us.

Get Organized

Written by Lucie Pitt · Categorized: Organizing and de-cluttering · Tagged: interior design, interior organization and decoration, organization, organizing your home

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