We take seriously our motto of “craftmanship with care” – meaning not only will we provide high-quality, durable cabinets, we also provide the right cabinets for your space and your style. We’re not interested in replicating a generic kitchen for every job that we do; we find it much more rewarding to build exactly what fits the space and style. We wouldn’t be able to call ourselves “custom” builders if we didn’t take this approach.
Cabinet style is one of the most obvious examples of this approach. We’re able to build multiple styles of cabinets, depending on our customers’ wants and needs and what fits best in their space. Lately we’ve found that more of our customers have been opting for frameless cabinets.
A frameless cabinet is one that has no face frame on the front of the cabinet box; the surface that the door closes against is the box itself. Frameless cabinetry, also called European-style, isn’t a new style, but historically it hasn’t been as popular in American homes as traditional face frame cabinetry. As trends change, though, the concept of a modern, clean frameless style becomes more appealing.
There are a few distinct advantages of frameless cabinetry. The first is that it allows for more storage space within the same cabinet footprint. Typical wall cabinets are 12 inches deep; with a ½ inch back panel and a typical ¾ thick face frame, the maximum usable depth inside the cabinet is 10 ¾ inches. Eliminating the face frame allows for a frameless cabinet to have the full 11 ½ inches of usable depth.
In addition, face frames cover the front of the cabinet box but also overhang the sides and top. This means that not only do the sides of the cabinet box need to be slightly narrower than the face frame, but anything stored inside the cabinet needs to be maneuvered around the overhang. Here, frameless cabinetry has the advantage because it allows the homeowner to use the full width of the cabinet and makes it easier to move kitchen goods in and out.
Easier storage and more usable space are the more obvious benefits of frameless cabinetry, but another is that it lends itself well to a more modern look. Doors and drawers are the only visible surfaces, so from a design perspective there no extraneous lines. Taken to the extreme, this can result in completely smooth high-gloss slab doors and drawer fronts – a simple, ultra-modern look. But we’ve also paired frameless cabinets with a more traditional Shaker-style door for a clean, uncomplicated appearance.
Frameless cabinets require attention to detail in the installation process; since the gaps between doors and drawers are as small as possible, there’s very little tolerance for error. In fact, this is one of the appeals of frameless cabinetry; looking at a finished, well-installed wall of frameless cabinets, all the reveals between doors are completely uniform. As a custom cabinetry company; we specialize in manufacturing and installing cabinets. We’re confident that we have the expertise to make frameless cabinetry look and operate beautifully.
Lead Carpenter at Andersen Custom Kitchens LLC
Matt has been working with Andersen Custom Kitchens for over 12 years and has been directing projects as a lead carpenter since 2014. Matt is a songwriter, musician, and spends his time at home chasing around two small children.
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