Shaker Style Kitchen & Bathrooms
If you want a contemporary but simply styled kitchen, you can’t go far wrong with the Shaker style. The simplistic design of the recessed panel door cabinetry, combined with light colours and basic hardware is both aesthetically appealing and infinitely functional.
Based on original designs produced by the Shakers, the Shaker style kitchen is the perfect choice for people who want a quality traditional look that won’t date as fashions change.
Achieving the traditional Shaker look
Many kitchen manufacturers now produce kitchen cabinetry that is based on original Shaker craftsmanship.
Usually made of hardwood, although some cabinets may feature veneer panels, the cabinetry is often finished with a natural or light stain, or may be given a slightly distressed look to give an aged appearance.
In keeping with the minimalist design, hardware is often hidden, and wooden knobs or handles complement the simplicity of the doors. This gives the Shaker kitchen a very light, clean and streamlined look that’s perfect for both contemporary and period homes.
Shaker style furniture has become very popular in recent years as it offers both practicality and style, and gives an orderly finish to the kitchen. It’s also the perfect style of cabinetry if you want to incorporate rows of large drawers into your design.
Choosing the finish for your Shaker kitchen cabinets
While many Shaker kitchen designs use natural wooden finishes for the cabinets, using a painted finish offers a more contemporary look.
Some designs incorporate burnished finishes where the cabinet is distressed, sanded and then given a burnishing stain, while others apply a vinyl wrap to MDF in order to make the cabinetry extra durable.
As the style tends to be simpler than some other kitchen cabinetry, this is usually reflected in the price, making a Shaker style kitchen a very affordable option if you’re on a tight budget.
Keep a simple look for your Shaker kitchen
The Shaker style lends itself beautifully to a minimalistic looking kitchen. All that’s needed is a simple tiled splashback, together with a sleek looking benchtop and simple floor.
The kind of flooring and benchtop will depend very much on your budget, but either wooden or wood effect laminates work very well in a Shaker kitchen.
Contemporary touches can be added with large overhanging lights with traditionally shaped shades in either glass or metal; while a simple large kitchen table will provide the perfect place for you and your family to eat.
Shaker kitchens from Ultimate Kitchens & Bathrooms
If you’re looking to install a Shaker style kitchen in your home, Ultimate Kitchens & Bathrooms stock one of the best selections of Shaker kitchens in Melbourne.
We are also offering the best selection of Provincial Style Kitchens and Hamptons Style Kitchens.
Call us now on 03 9882 4103 to find out more or why not visit our Hawthorne kitchen showroom on Burke Road?
Amazing Shaker Design Kitchen & Bathroom in Melbourne
As a religious movement, the Shakers didn’t make much of an impact, never gaining more than 6,000 followers. As inventors and designers, however, they have made many contributions, including the clothespin, the easy-chair, and the circular saw, among many others.
Their most famous legacy is a style of furniture known as Shaker Furniture, which is distinguished by a complete lack of any ornamentation or embellishment. The same practical minimalism is found in the Shaker style kitchen.
Shaker Style Kitchen
The Shakers believed that attachment to worldly things drew people away from God, with decoration seen as an expression of vanity, tempting people to form attachments to their worldly possessions. They also took the view that decoration could lead to covetous thoughts and behaviours, so they aimed to make their creations as plain and homogeneous as possible.
While you might expect the result of this insistence on minimalism to be somewhat boring, in fact modern designers and decorators have great respect for Shaker kitchen designs, admiring their clean simplicity.
Shaker Furnishings
The most interesting thing about Shaker furnishings is that they are equally well-suited to installation in a traditional setting and a modern home. It is exceedingly rare to find a style that doesn’t look out of place in one or the other, yet somehow the Shaker design has managed to bridge the span of years seamlessly.
As you may expect, the Shaker kitchen is built for practical functionality, and makes heavy use of natural materials. If there is an abundance of metal or plastic present, then the craftsmanship is not true to the Shaker style. Thus this style is very well suited to the traditionalist or one who appreciates a more natural and wholesome approach to life.
Benefits of Shaker Kitchens
- Because of the extensive use of natural timber, which is most commonly left unpainted, the Shaker style kitchen is an ideal addition to a log cabin or rustic country homestead.
- It is also a good choice for motels that offer self-contained holiday units, cottages, chalets, and anywhere else that the warm and inviting look of natural wood finishes will hit the right mark.
- Another great thing about the Shaker style is that it is low-maintenance. The lack of intricate carvings and decorative touches means that cleaning is a snap, and the use of inexpensive materials in construction means you don’t need to worry so much about the bump and grind of family living.
- Shaker furniture is durable and solid, it will take a lot of punishment, and when something does start to look a bit worn down, it is very inexpensive to repair or replace.
If you’re dreaming of a Shaker kitchen for your home, Ultimate Kitchens & Bathrooms can make all your dreams come true. Call us now on 03 9882 4103 and we’ll help you to create a kitchen that’s as individual as you are.