Designers say these are the 10 kitchen cabinet details to know about if you want to elevate your space

Kitchen cabinet details are key when it comes to lifting the look of your kitchen from an everyday working room into a stylish and beautiful space.

From sleek modern finishes to timeless traditional styles, making the right cabinet choices right down to the smaller details is a good starting point for any new kitchen. By choosing the perfect details, whether that's colour, trim, or unique design features, you can elevate your kitchen’s aesthetic and practicality.

Whether you're aiming for a luxurious feel with custom features or looking to enhance storage solutions with smart organization, every design element matters.

In this article, we’ll explore how to elevate your kitchen cabinets with the smaller, but key details – from hardware choices to unusual finishes and layouts – and share interior designers' favorite cabinet upgrades that can make a significant difference in creating a kitchen that is both beautiful and efficient.

1. Choose moulding and millwork details for a bespoke look

There's a very tailored look to these neutral-toned kitchen cabinets, with their smart marble backsplash, neat edging moulding and elegantly arched extractor hood trim. It's proof that there's beauty in the simplest styles with the most subtle cabinet details.

The scheme was devised by Jaclyn Pett, co-founder of Heirloom Projects, who says: 'While standard door styles, paint colors, and stock mouldings can do the job, giving each element of your cabinetry a unique touch that commands attention will undoubtedly make your kitchen stand out.'

In this Parisian-inspired kitchen, we selected a sleek angled shaker door style, which allowed us to highlight the trim details in the custom dentil crown moulding and hood fan canopy. The cabinets are painted in a timeless tone (Benjamin Moore's Pashmina AF-100), offering both warmth and durability. '

2. Go for gold for instant luxe appeal

Interior designer Regan Baker, founder and principal of Regan Baker Design literally struck gold when she dreamt up the glamorous new look for this San Francisco kitchen in a 1930s Mediterranean revival home. Not just a pretty face, the full-width gold wall cabinet conceals the extractor hood but also hides additional kitchen storage. Genius.

'The custom burnished brass hood enclosure by Shop Floor covers a standard stainless steel insert and accommodates motorized spice racks in walnut wood – the result of an award-winning collaboration with Eric Mobler,' says Regan. 'A custom-designed ceramic tile backsplash by Linda Fahey introduces a beautiful shine and artistic texture, while the modern soft green base cabinets feature brushed brass hardware to create a continuity with the statement hood enclosure.'

3. Try a traditional look with undercounter curtains

Undercounter curtains are seeing a resurgence in popularity as a way of softening the hard edges of fitted kitchen cabinets and introducing a nostalgic, homey touch to a practical space.

The classic William Morris wallpaper on the ceiling of this Southern Utah kitchen led the look for the room's recent makeover, says interior designer Suzanne Hall of Alice Lane Interior Design. 'The soft green of the iconic design dictated the colors we used for the rest of the scheme and its traditional flavor,' adds Suzanne. 'Color-drenched and all-encompassed, with a historic cabinet curtain detail to soften the space and tie in with the oval window.'

4. Use two-tone cabinetry for understated style

Picking out cabinetry in two muted tones of dark blue and purple makes an earthy, understated style statement and gives the kitchen instant timeless appeal. This sepia-tinted look would work particularly well in an old country house or farmhouse kitchen.

Jenna Chused, founder of Chused & Co and who designed the space, selected cabinetry by Isla Porter and says: 'For this kitchen color story, I was inspired by a 1930s painting I had found using many different shades of blue and lilac. I love how complementary these two colors are together and it seemed like an unexpected cabinet color combination for a kitchen. I am not a huge fan of overhead cabinets, but I understand the need for closed storage. So I designed a closed storage cabinet with shirred fabric panels to make the piece feel more like a furniture piece and then added a double shelf that goes around the corner for open storage.'

5. Mix it up – cabinets don't have to match

There's no design rule that says you must highlight the whole room with the same kitchen cabinet details, styles or colors. Sometimes less is more, particularly when using strident or very unusual kitchen color schemes, or distinctive features such as the bank of small drawers here.

In this kitchen, another of Suzanne Hall's designs for Alice Lane, this high-sheen cabinet is used to strike a vivid contrast with the rest of the kitchen, which is neutral and fades into the background.

The contents of this cabinet, as well as its khaki green and magenta pink paint, are also a talking point as it's a collection of inherited pink depression wear. 'There's also something so sweet about the smaller drawers,' says Suzanne. 'They're perfect for containing little trinkets and delicate lines. An open glass display that showcases cherished dishes, and crystal knobs adorning the drawers – I wanted this section to feel like the showstopper design of the kitchen since the rest is not green and pink.'

6. Channel the charm of a secret doorway

In a room full of doors, why not make one of them a secret doorway, neatly concealing the entrance to another room? Leigh Misso, owner of River Brook Design & Construction, chose contemporary black cabinetry for a sophisticated look, but one of this kitchen cabinet's most exciting details is the hidden door to the laundry, screening off the hard-working family space from the more sociable kitchen-diner without interrupting the flow.

And as for the color? 'Our go-to cabinet color lately is Off-Black by Farrow & Ball in an eggshell finish. It softly reflects light – never too glossy, never flat – creating depth and warmth. If you’re color-shy, think of black as the new neutral – it’s just as versatile as white, but with more depth and sophistication,' says Leigh. 'For those nervous about color, black is the perfect gateway. It’s dramatic yet classic.'

7. Use texture as a tool to give a custom finish

Using texture can add depth to a scheme, and can really bring a kitchen to life. Here, the tactile fluted finish of the wooden cabinets adds a wholesome feeling of bespoke craftsmanship, where interior designer Monica Stewart, founder of The Misfit House, used Isla Porter's luxury cabinetry. 'I love to begin a room with what I deem a jumping off point, a wallpaper, piece of art, pottery, textile, etc. If it is sentimental in any way, it will truly be timeless. For this project, I planned the design around contemporary plates by local Athens, GA potter Nancy Green. This kitchen would be perfect in any home that has traditional roots and a cozy setting.'

The simple pale wood cupboard handles are the perfect finishing touch, we can't imagine anything else working better.

8. Take inspiration from the fashion world

There's more than a nod to the world of fashion in this historic Sugarhouse kitchen in Salt Lake City, as designer Suzanne Hall explains.

'This smart kitchen has been reimagined with corner windows to flood the space with light. Tall cabinet details emphasize vertical space, creating a more modern aesthetic,' says Suzanne Hall. 'Metal banding and double-breasted hardware introduce a fashion-forward element, pulling design inspiration from sartorial details. The dark green kitchen cabinet color emerged from the French range, becoming the kitchen's defining palette. Strategically styled open shelves showcase the homeowner's glassware collection.'

9. Include a dedicated coffee bar with unexpected pops of pattern

One of the joys of planning a new kitchen layout is working out how to pack in all the personal elements that will make it unique. Including a dedicated pantry or coffee station among a run of cabinets is one of the elements that can be appreciated on a daily basis. Hide it behind cupboard doors and layer the interior with bright patterned wallpaper, and you've got a real one-off.

Interior designer Anne McDonald did exactly that. 'For this project, I chose a lipstick red paint color for the Isla Porter cabinetry, a peachy swirly marble and some very fun floral wallpaper to line the cabinet doors and shelves,' says Anne. 'What works so well about this small cabinet moment is that it's exactly that - small! It's an espresso bar that could be an accent to almost any kitchen, in any type of home. I love a pantry or breakfast cabinet like this that can be opened up – almost like a little surprise.'

10. Allow yourself the luxury of a dedicated display area

When interior decorator Becky Rossetto was reconfiguring her own kitchen after a major renovation, she felt it was important to include a little breathing space in the midst of the fitted cabinetry, and a dedicated place to display treasured possessions.

'The new kitchen allowed for a larger island with more storage for all of the functional essentials of the kitchen,' says Becky. 'That allowed me to leave this wall space to house a more decorative, fun piece of cabinetry. With its tongue-in-groove backboard it's more in keeping with a traditional dresser, where I can put all my collected colorful items on display. Giving spaces for all your personal items in the kitchen adds personality and enables you to make the space your own. It feels more like a piece of furniture than a built-in kitchen, allowing the whole kitchen to be functional and fun at the same time.'

We love the pop of color from Little Greene's Hencroft wallpaper lining the glazed display cabinets, and the way the cabinet details combine pattern, texture and livable colors for an all-round winning modern farmhouse kitchen scheme.

In this article, we've focused our attention on the visible kitchen cabinet details that will elevate your kitchen. There are, however, many other small elements that can take your kitchen cabinets up a notch. 'Thoughtful details, such as interior lighting, soft-close mechanisms, and hidden storage solutions,' says interior designer Katie Malik. 'These also contribute to both the beauty and practicality of the design, making everyday use seamless and enjoyable.'

These unsung heroes of the kitchen world are well worth looking into once the aesthetics have been fine-tuned and are the subject of a whole other article.