Classic, Traditional or Modern Shaker: Choosing Your Kitchen Style
Handmade shaker cabinetry suits almost every kind of house, which is why it appears in so many of the kitchens you see in magazines and on Instagram and Pinterest. But "shaker" covers a range of looks, and the differences between them, the door panel, the bead, the plinth, are what decide whether a kitchen sits comfortably in a particular house. As designers and makers we can build any style, and styles can be combined, as in our
project, which mixes traditional mouldings with handleless doors. Below are our three core shaker styles and how to choose between them.
Shaker Kitchen Styles at a Glance
All three styles are in-frame shaker cabinetry, hand-built and hand-painted.
Classic shaker
has a Georgian-style beaded front frame and recessed panel doors, and suits period and contemporary houses alike.
Traditional shaker
uses raised and fielded panels for a heavier, more opulent look suited to grand and period properties.
Modern shaker
uses two- or four-panel doors with deeper panels and can take an external skirting-style plinth, giving a substantial, architectural feel. Carcasses are available in oak veneer, solid oak, walnut veneer or birch ply, and drawers are solid timber with dovetail joints. Handmade Kitchen Company make all three from our workshop in Essex.
Classic shaker
Our
is the most versatile of the three and the one most clients choose, fitting everything from period houses to contemporary builds. It has clean lines throughout, a Georgian beaded front frame, recessed panel doors, and a recessed or in-line plinth that forms part of the cabinet itself. In this large kitchen in
, the doors and drawers are in-frame, and the back wall runs floor to ceiling for a fully built-in look.
Traditional shaker
Our
is the choice for an opulent, bold look. Its defining feature is the raised and fielded door and drawer panel, and the doors and drawers can be deep-set or raised. In this 20th-century mansion in
, every door has a recessed panel with a traditional moulding insert, suited to the scale and formality of the house.
Modern shaker
Our
is available with multi-panel fronts, two or four panels per door or drawer, with a bead around the edge. The panels can be set twice as deep as a standard door, which gives a noticeably more substantial look. The plinth can add to that. Set externally, like a run of skirting, it ties the cabinetry into the walls of the room so the kitchen reads as part of the architecture rather than furniture standing against it. For this art deco home in
we built our modern shaker through a mix of new and original walls, with
each given a separate job.
How to choose
Start from the house. Style is a personal choice, but we design our shakers with the age and period of the property in mind, and a kitchen that suits the building will outlast any trend. A plain, well-proportioned classic shaker is the safe choice almost anywhere; traditional shaker rewards a grand or formal house; modern shaker suits a building with strong architectural lines of its own. Seeing the styles in person helps more than any photograph, and our showroom has examples of each.
Shaker Kitchen Style FAQs
What is the difference between classic and traditional shaker?
The door panel. Classic shaker has a flat recessed panel within a beaded frame, giving clean lines. Traditional shaker has a raised and fielded panel, where the centre of the door is raised and bevelled at the edges, which reads as heavier and more ornate.
What is a beaded frame?
A fine rounded moulding run around the inside edge of the frame that surrounds each door and drawer. It is a traditional joinery detail that softens the line and casts a thin shadow, and it is a defining feature of our classic shaker.
What is an in-frame kitchen?
One where the doors and drawers sit inside a surrounding face frame, flush with it, rather than lying over the front of the cabinet. It is the traditional way of building fine cabinetry and all three of our shaker styles are made this way. Our guide to
covers it in detail.
Can you mix kitchen styles?
Yes. Because every kitchen is made to order, elements from different styles can be combined, such as traditional mouldings with handleless doors. The skill is keeping one consistent idea running through so the result looks intended.
Where does Handmade Kitchen Company make shaker kitchens?
We design, hand-build and hand-paint classic, traditional and modern shaker kitchens from our workshop in Essex, for clients across Essex, Hertfordshire and North London. If you would like to start planning your kitchen,
today. We look forward to hearing from you.
