If you’ve begun to research cabinet styles for your kitchen or bathroom, odds are you’ve come across the term shaker. Shaker is a style of cabinets that has been popular for over a century. It is a minimalist, versatile cabinet style that can be used in a traditional, country, transitional, or modern look. Most shaker kitchens feature straight, clean lines, simplicity, and practical design.

History (made in the U.S.A.!):

The shaker style (furniture) was started in America around 1820 by a religious sect of Christianity known as, “the shakers.” The Shakers based their lives around the principles of simplicity, utility, and honesty. The furniture they made reflected those principles. Shaker cabinets were originally made using framed cabinet boxes and local American woods, such as Birch, Cherry, Maple, Hickory, Ash and Poplar.

Designing Shaker Style Cabinetry today.

Today, shaker kitchen cabinets can vary in style based on the variation of the door style, finish, and other decorative features (countertop, cabinet hardware, stools, window treatment, etc.). Here are some examples of the versatility that shaker offers:

For a traditional (or country) look, consider framed cabinet boxes with exposed hinges, square recessed panel doors, stained cherry wood, and slight cabinet distressing. For a transitional shaker style, consider either beaded inset cabinet boxes with concealed hinges, or frameless full overlay cabinets with a softer variation of the square shaker door, and a painted finish. A modern shaker kitchen should feature frameless full overlay cabinet boxes with all square recessed panel doors, solid color paint, clean lines, and minimal design (less is more!).

Variations of the shaker door style: What to look for …

All shaker door styles are made of a frame and a recessed panel, however there are some variations in the frame that can change the look. The traditional shaker door has a standard size frame (2.25” wide) and square edges all along the frame. Modern versions of shaker are made with different edge profiles and interior door beads and/or a larger frame size. These options typically soften the square-ness of the traditional door.

We hope you found this helpful in your search for the perfect cabinet style!