8 Kitchen Cabinets Ideas, Styles and Alternatives You’ve Probably Never Thought Of

Kitchen cabinets are such a staple in virtually all homes, that they tend to be a little easy to forget about. Which is unfortunate, because they might just be the most important part of the room when designing and decorating. In fact, if you’re looking for a quick and easy way to revive or redo your kitchen and give it some new life, replacing those cabinets will achieve about 80% of the job all by themselves.

Of course, doing the same cabinet styles over and over again…can be kind of boring. But don’t fret: if you’re a fan of unusual or unique interior design styles, you’re in luck: there are tons of kitchen cabinet styles and ideas that people still don’t think of very often.

We’ve all heard of Shaker and Contemporary Cabinets (see at https://www.huntskitchendesigns.com/cabinetry/). But who has even heard of Gothic-style cabinets?

Below, you’ll find 8 unusual kitchen cabinet ideas, styles and even alternatives to keep your kitchen looking fresh, unique and a little bit fun – without necessarily sacrificing any kind of quality.

Arts and Crafts Style Cabinets

Arts and Crafts is certainly an unusual and unique style; we bet you’ve never heard of them. But they’re actually quite popular and definitely super fun; arts and crafts cabinets utilize handcut, hand-styled and durable wooden designs with ornate detail and enough style to both look fantastic in your home, and last a really, really long time. They work in almost traditionally styled kitchen and can be paired with almost any ornate furniture or hardware.

Gothic Kitchen Cabinets

Gothic is another kitchen style that doesn’t get a lot of love anymore, but it is a timeless style that is starting to make a comeback. Like all things Gothic, it generally embraces a very dark aesthetic, with blacks, greys and few colors, as well as natural materials like dark-stained wood and stone. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t stylish and beautiful; Gothic cabinets tend to have very ornately-designed details and look fantastic with glass windows – whether classic or stained glass! Throw in some dark wood trim around the edges of the cabinets (and the rest of the kitchen) and you’ll have a totally unique kitchen that everybody will be stopping for.

DIY/Reclaimed Cabinet / Wooden Cabinets

The secret to good DIY cabinets being so unique is that they are just that – DIY cabinets. You decide the way you want them to look in your kitchen, and you build them yourselves. This could mean anything from reclaiming some old wooden planks and turning them into cabinet doors or shelves, or even finding some old wooden apples crates or boxes and turning those into wooden shelves. If you can find a way to dream them up in your kitchen, you can probably find a way to pull them off – for not a lot of money, too! Just be sure to hit up all the right thrift shops, antique shops or even just the junkyard to find some good materials to make those beautiful cabinets.

Metallic or Stainless Steel Cabinets

This is another unusual cabinet choice that most people have never even thought of. But who said cabinets HAVE to be made of wood? No one! If you like a sleeker, more modern look, metallic-finished or even straight-up metal cabinets can be a perfect choice. Stainless steel can give a home that modern, almost futuristic look – almost like an industrial kitchen! Various tones – like copper or bronze, even gold-tinted – can be just as sleek and attractive. (And we almost guarantee that none of your friends or neighbors will be able to compete.)

In rare cases, we’ve even seen “steel cut” cabinets – which actually have designs and patterns cut right into that stainless-steel façade. It’s unusual, for sure – but pretty dang cool, too!

Mixed Materials

Want to go an extra step and go further than just metal cabinets or wooden cabinets? Shake things up with some mixed material cabinets – a mixture of two or more materials. Why not use both metal and wood? Or maybe mix in some speckled fiberboard and paint for an unusual, unique look? A mixed grain look can also look dang good in almost any kitchen – modern or traditional – but especially an airy, white farmhouse look.

Alternative: Go With Baskets and Shelves

Let’s say you’re looking for something a little bit different, and really don’t want to go with full-on cabinets – but you also don’t want to just leave your stuff exposed with open shelves. Nothing to worry about – just opt for some shelves and pair them with some baskets. When you need an item, pull out the baskets just like you’re pulling out a drawer, and grab what you want. This is also a good option when you do want some open shelving but have a lot of small items and items that might not be worth really showing off (like kitchen utensils, etc).

Lockers

Yes, really; some people do use real metal lockers in their kitchen. These might be hard to find and a bit difficult to install. They might also give your kitchen a little bit of an old-fashioned gym look. But just like metallic cabinets, they are certainly unique alternatives to your regular old kitchen cabinets – and we would bet that NONE of your friends will go for them. These will go best with old-fashioned kitchens – farmhouse or otherwise – and serve best for locking up valuable items (or just food and drink you don’t want out in the open, like alcoholic spirits. Or even the cookie jar).

Another plus side is that they are easy to clean.

Suspended Shelves

By suspended shelving, we literally mean shelves hanging from the ceiling – whether by rope or by metal frame coming out that ceiling. You get to show off all your beautiful dishes and other kitchen items on open shelving…but don’t need to attach anything to the wall! These will probably take some effort and care to get them properly suspended from the ceiling, but when they’re up – they look great! Good for any modern or industrial style home.