Subscribe/Advertise/Contact Us/Links/Digital Editions
FELDER 2021 Leaderboard
Site Menu

Ease of use, sleek styling top 2011 cabinet trends

Stefan Dubowski
Share this story

New veneers, new finishes, sleek doors and drawers, all designed for easier access – these are the latest trends that could impact the way cabinet makers create their wares.

According to sources in the cabinet trade, an aging customer base and Canada’s increasingly urban culture are influencing the materials and methods employed.

Caroline Castrucci, president of the Canadian Kitchen Cabinet Association (CKCA) and vice-president of administration at Laurysen Kitchens Ltd., a kitchen design and manufacturing company in Ottawa, says she sees a wider range of styles and materials in kitchens. In her experience customers are clamouring for mixed materials, such as wood combined with high-gloss finishes for an eclectic environment.

“We’re doing a lot of waterbased finishes right now,” Castrucci says. She explains that water-based finishes release no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) the way oil-based finishes do, and in this environmentally- conscious era, customers want as few indoor air pollutants as possible.That does impact manufacturing, however. As Castrucci says, water-based finishes take longer to flash off and they also tend to raise the wood grain more than oil-based finishes.

“You have more sanding to do,” she says.

Demographic shift

Another trend speaks to Canada’s demographics. “Ergonomics are huge right now,” Castrucci says, pointing out that automated door-open systems are more in demand as customers find it more difficult to manoeuvre traditional doors and drawers. “The population is aging and people can’t lift their arms the way they used to.”

Dark colours are in style, she says, and that has customers seeking exotic wood finishes such as wenge wood and macassar ebony from Africa. But they’re so rare – and potentially pricey – that reconstituted veneers featuring these exotics are increasingly sought.

That’s good news for cabinet makers, who find the veneers less taxing than the real deal. With the reconstituted material, “you tend to have very good colour consistency from sheet to sheet so it’s easier to work with,” Castrucci says.

“Slab doors are becoming very popular with the veneers,” she says, pointing out that the streamlined appeal of modernity is influencing the market. But some customers still like the look of a five-piece door – although the design is different these days. Rails tend to be 3” to 3.5” instead of the standard 2.25” of more traditionally doors.

Again, it’s the modern aesthetic making its mark. These wider rails make doors appear simpler and more streamlined, Castrucci says.

“Longevity” might be the word that best describes today’s buying habits, she says. “People want cabinets that they won’t tire of. With a simpler line, people can do something a little more on the counter tops, the backsplash, the paint or even the light fixtures.”

Dave Fell is a Vancouver-based researcher with FPInnovations, the not-for-profit forest research institute. He notes that European designs are starting to make their mark in the cabinet marketplace, and the European style could influence the way Canadian cabinet companies go about making their products.

This is an aesthetic invasion more than anything else, Fell says. “It’s all very modern – flat panel doors and frameless cabinets.”

Fewer choices

Compared to Canadian manufacturers, the European firms offer more all-in-one kitchens, with counter and cabinet materials designed to complement each other. While there may be fewer choices for customers to consider, buyers are less likely to make design decisions they regret later, because all of the pieces work in harmony. “They actually limit choice, but they add the design element,” Fell says.

It’s too soon to tell if Canadian customers will take to the relatively limited European way, however. Fells says that for now, shoppers still seem to prefer the range of choices traditionally available from Canadian kitchen providers.

But there’s no denying that Canadian companies face more competition these days. According to FPInnovations’ statistics, in 2000 Canada had a $1 billion trade surplus in the cabinet market, meaning the country exported $1 billion more in cabinetry than it imported. By 2009, the surplus had dropped to $166 million, and imports to Canada had increased by $100 million. Not only have our primary trading partners in the U.S. been buying less, Canadian shoppers have been buying more of the foreign offerings, particularly from China, Germany and Italy, Fell says.

“It’s not alarm bells yet, but it is happening,” he says.

If the European styling really takes off, Canadian cabinet makers might have to change their tactics. According to Fell, although Canadian companies are well known for providing choices, customers wouldn’t necessarily make the connection and recognize that a company capable of providing traditional cabinets with a country motif is equally capable of working with foil facing and MDF cores for a sleek, urban loft.

“They almost have to separate out their brands,” Fell says, suggesting cabinet providers might need to develop a distinct modern line of products to ensure customers comprehend the full range of options.

The modern style is perhaps most closely associated with condos, townhouses and other urban property development. And as Fell points out, growth in that market is brisk. He says that in 2000, 61 per cent of the housing units built in this country were single-family houses. Fast forward to 2009, and that number had slipped to 51 per cent, with multifamily dwellings such as condos and townhouses increasing.

“Canadians live in small spaces,” Fell says. “And there’s a growing interest in modern, clean lines.”

That means a move towards MDF and frameless designs, he says. It also suggests a move away from stalwart vertical veneers to horizontal veneers, which help draw the eye across the room, affording the illusion of movement.

Cabinet makers are getting used to building more drawers than doors into lower cabinets – another aspect of the modern aesthetic, Fell says.

A move towards sleek veneers, foil facing and MDF cores won’t impact cabinet makers’ manufacturing processes, Fell says. “There’s nothing particularly proprietary about working with these materials.”

Proudly serving the industry since 1987
Xylexpo 2024
Blum March 2024 Revego
GRASS Jan 2024 Banner References
NR MURPHY Jan 2023 Right Banner
SUGATSUNE March 2024 Right Banner ALT-ST
Taurus Craco Right Banner March 2024
SCM Canada ESHOP May 2023
CNC Automation Feb 2024 Right Banner
VENJAKOB Right Banner March 2024
FESTOOL Feb 2024 Cordless Trio
Felder 2021 Homepage Right
ELIAS WOODWORK Feb 2024 RB
CHEMCRAFT Feb 2024 Right Banner
KCD - Right Banner July 20th_2020
Akhurst Banner Dec 2021
OCI March 2024 Right Banner
© KLEISER MEDIA INC., 2024 Woodworking Magazine