The kitchen has long had the distinction as being the epicenter of the home. It’s a gathering place for family and friends alike. When it comes to cabinetry, the cabinet doors dictate the look of your kitchen – they truly can make or break the entire room’s overall appearance. The design movement towards clean, contemporary lines, but done so in a warm Shaker-style look, is hot for 2009!

When it comes to kitchen cabinets people want simple, clean, yet stylish lines, says Kathy Lussier, sales manager at the family’s Mid-Island Cabinets Ltd. “Dark colours and dark stains, such as different tones of black and brown, are very popular,” says Lussier. “When it comes to the size of cabinets, people are taking them to the ceiling. “Homeowners prefer no gaps at the top, so we install three-piece crown mouldings… it looks stunning!

In terms of wood used in today’s kitchens, the hottest look for cabinet doors is maple or cherry. Maple is a great hardwood and it holds up really well in the kitchen,” says Lussier, adding Mid-Island proudly designed the kitchen cabinets in this issues H&L’s ‘Feature Home’ utilizing maple. Homeowners are also going for slab doors – a modern looking veneer door with no line… just like a flat book. In addition, instead of installing a Lazy Susan, today consumers are going for custom-made corner drawers. “Customers love the ease of use and they look fantastic”, says Lussier. “The trend in cabinetry this year is to marry style with functionality,” says Lawrie Milne, cabinet designer and sales representative at Tom Doll Cabinets Limited in Qualicum Beach. “Shaker doors are much more popular here on the island … people don’t typically build high tech kitchen cabinets.”