European Style Kitchen Cabinets

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Many of today's decorative styles, from Classical Revival to French Country to Danish Modern, originated in Europe and can properly be called "European." But when the term is used in the context of kitchen cabinets, it's referring to a very particular 20th century innovation that's gone from cutting-edge to mainstream -- what was once the exclusive province of high-end designers and usually involved importing cabinets from Italy or Scandinavia has migrated to the mainstream and is now widely available at all price points from many vendors.

The innovation: frameless cabinets. Whereas traditional cabinets have doors and drawers set into (or atop) the underlying "box" such that they're "framed" by the intervening space, frameless cabinets have the doors and drawers set flush next to each other for a seamless look. These cabinets originally took advantage of the development of the invisible hinge, and often used little or no visible hardware, with the result that they presented a sleek, uninterrupted surface. In the hands of clever designers, these "Euro" cabinets took on a sculptural quality and were sometimes used in curved lines or circular islands for a very dramatic, modern look.

Simplicity was key, and finishes tended to accentuate the fact. When wood was used, it was in clean, smooth, unadorned surfaces, but often man-made surfaces from metal to melamine were preferred for their uniform, modern, even techno look. A side benefit of the style and finish was that these cabinets were much easier to clean and maintain than their traditional counterparts, which made them a popular choice in professional kitchens.

As the style has taken hold, the benefits of frameless construction have caused it to be adapted to other styles. These days, in addition to modern and contemporary, more traditional styles like Mission, Shaker and Asian take advantage of frameless construction, or at least some of its elements, to make their own distinctive statement.

Mission Kitchen Cabinets / Country Kitchen Cabinets / Italian Style Cabinets / Asian Style Kitchen Cabinets / Shaker Kitchen Cabinets / Primitive Kitchen Cabinets / European Style Kitchen Cabinets / Contemporary Kitchen Cabinets