Typically, a person's home is their biggest investment. Home builders and homeowners alike know that whether they are remodeling or constructing, designing a contemporary kitchen is one of the best ways to add value to a home. Aspects of the kitchen such as flooring, appliances, and counter tops are important, but custom kitchen cabinets will have the biggest overall impact.

When building or remodeling, choosing a quality kitchen cabinet that will last for years and not rapidly become dated is essential. A high end home should always have custom modern kitchen cabinets and bath cabinetry. Professionally crafted, built in kitchen cabinets are greatly superior to out of the box cabinets from large chain type stores that tend to look cheap and generally are not made from quality materials. Kitchen cabinets get a lot of wear and tear, and cheap particle board cabinet doors and drawers will easily bust with repeated use and swell if exposed to prolonged contact with water. Quality kitchen cabinets should be made from solid wood.

Choosing kitchen cabinets involves research. The best sources of information on cabinetry are home decorating magazines and books. After clipping pages with pictures of kitchen cabinets and bath cabinetry, the homeowner/builder will be able to get a good idea of the style they desire. This is a case where a picture definitely speaks louder than words.

There are many different types of kitchen cabinets. A modern, contemporary home should have streamlined cabinetry that matches this style. A more traditional home will not look right with very modern kitchen cabinets. European style cabinets are frameless in design and depending on the style of door and drawer face chosen can be either modern or more traditional. A traditionally built North American custom cabinet is generally a face frame cabinet. A face frame cabinet is a cabinet that has a bit of the cabinet frame showing around the doors and drawers, while frameless cabinets have little to no space between the door and drawers.

The very best way to get a quality kitchen cabinet is to purchase from a custom cabinet building shop. Choosing a cabinet shop that has a good reputation is very important. It is wise to ask around. Consult other homeowners/builders in this matter. Prospective clients should always be shown a portfolio of previous work when visiting a local cabinet shop. At the cabinet shop, a trained and experienced professional will evaluate the floor plan or existing kitchen, if it is a remodel. They will assess the needs and desires of the homeowner/builder based on an interview and the picture clippings that the client provides. They also should get a good idea of storage needs and any special features that are desired for the cabinetry. Kitchen cabinet professionals should be able to identify the style of cabinet that will suit the style of the home and meet the expectations of the homeowner/builder. Kitchen cabinets are a substantial investment, therefore highly detailed, architectural sketches of the cabinets should be provided to the client before any building begins. The sketches should include all the views of the exteriors with an accompanying sample board for the cabinet doors and drawer fronts. All of the interior storage features should be included in the sketch as well.

After deciding upon the style of the kitchen cabinets and bath cabinetry, the finish to be applied to the cabinetry needs to be chosen. Many homeowners/builders choose to stain their kitchen cabinets and bath cabinetry to further accentuate the beauty of the wood. Others choose to paint the cabinetry a solid color. Contemporary homes generally have cabinets that look sophisticated and sleek and are a solid, often high gloss paint. European and traditional style homes look stunning with a custom finish on the kitchen cabinets. Custom finishes can range from simple color washes to enhance the decorative details to a heavily distressed, old world style that is warm and inviting. Cabinet shops usually do not do custom finishes on cabinets but should be able to reference artists who do this type of work. Kitchen cabinets with a distressed custom finish are very popular and create a huge impact on the completed kitchen.