Fundamentals of installing custom cabinets

Determining the best style and proper scale of a cabinet for your home is just as important as how the cabinet is actually built. There's little doubt that for this first and fundamental step in the design-build process where form and function are of such major consideration, conferring with a reputable interior designer, preferably one that has had a great deal of experience in designing and building custom furniture, is the way to go. It's so important to get the design right so that you don't waste valuable resources on a project that may or may not look the way it should.

It's the professional designer who will know just what your cabinet should look like, the size it will need to be, the finish and so on. Good designers are trained to listen to peoples' needs and wishes, interpreting them and then coming up with the right design that will not only be creative, but functional as well. They will also know what qualified finish carpenter to choose to best create the cabinet of your dreams.

And it's that dream cabinet, that perfect piece of furniture for your home, that will, in all likelihood, be developed by your designer, who will start by visualizing your ideas and then transferring them to some preliminary sketches. Even if your cabinet is to serve the most basic of needs, there is no reason that you can't make it interesting as well.

Initially, a back and forth process will deal with the full spectrum of what needs to be considered when creating a custom piece of which there are many factors that need to be addressed:

• Proportion: What size do you want to make the furniture?

• Style or period: What should the cabinet look like?

• Function: How will the furniture be used?

• Customized: Who will be using the piece?

• Location: Where will it be placed?

• Visual impact: Will it complement or contract surrounding furniture? Is it to be a focal piece or blend in with the surroundings? Should it conceal or showcase its contents?

• Material and finish: There is an overwhelming variety of laminates, hardwoods, veneers and lacquered finishes.

All these basic concerns are sure to be addressed by a professional to guide you in the design and crafting of a piece of custom, unique furniture. And a good designer will encourage you to think "out of the box" while still allowing the form to follow function in the execution of your design. What this means is that the form (or design) must serve the purpose for which it is created. If this basic design principle is followed, there is little chance that something will go awry.

To that end, it's important to bear in mind that a cabinet must, of necessity, always be built "from the inside out." Simply put, what has to first be determined is the size of the contents to be stored if the cabinet is to meet its goal upon completion. Naturally, whatever remaining space can be dedicated to additional storage and/or display areas.

Another key component to be considered is that the overall look and design of your cabinet should ideally work with the basic design of your room and, ideally, even the architecture of your home. If your home is contemporary, for example, then flat panel doors, clean lines and simplicity should be the goal, perhaps complemented by a sleek finish — and not knotty-pine!

I would encourage you to try and make a design "statement" with your cabinet. That is to say, don't be reluctant to consider a cabinet that goes wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling for the most dramatic and effective use of the space, while at the same time including any disparate elements such as a fireplace and separate storage area by integrating them into the overall cabinet design. Adding a mantel to the fireplace is always a great idea as well as incorporating (if possible) any of those nasty drywall niches by cladding them in the same finish.

Including lighting in your display areas and adding a finished back to the unit is a must for any kind of an upscale look, along with the addition of crown molding at the top, either simple or elaborate, depending on the look you want to achieve.

If you should encounter a support beam that gets in the way, then go ahead and be sure to clad it in your chosen finish and turn it into a beautiful column, thus incorporating it into the final design. And don't forget the wonderful functionality and convenience of slide-out shelves (hidden behind doors, of course) and made even more purposeful with a "lip" to keep things from sliding forward and tumbling onto the floor.

In a word, custom cabinetry is just what the name implies: built from scratch and totally to your specifications. And again, for the best results, don't try to do it yourself but rather seek out professional guidance when attempting any kind of custom work.

Remember that with custom you get to choose how a cabinet will look as well as what it's made of and even how it's installed. It'll be sturdy and durable and in many cases be made of sustainable solid woods (green decorating is growing increasingly popular with 28 percent of men and 25 percent of women now preferring sustainable products in their homes).

With a custom cabinet, you can maximize space since you can make sure that your cabinet will go from corner to corner and all the way up to the ceiling, if you so choose. You will also have the opportunity of adding in special built-in features, such as integrated wine racks, bookshelves, or anything else you can dream up. Custom cabinets will naturally cost more than stock or semi-custom cabinets but will last for a long, long time.

— Stephen Leon is a licensed interior designer and president of Soleil Design (www.soleildezine.com); he has been designing and manufacturing custom furniture and cabinetry for more than 25 years. He is past-president of the Central California/Nevada Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers and is a certified professional in green residential design. Questions can be sent to soleildesign@cox.net.