Reno Therapy: Designing Our Semi Custom Cabinets with BOXI by Semihandmade
“This post is in partnership with BOXI by Semihandmade because I love em & know you’ll love em too!”
You guys!
You guys!
You guys!
I love the way all of the design elements of our kitchen renovation came together, but if you were to ask me which is my fav, it'd be like asking a parent which kid is their fav... no answer. So instead, I wanna tell you why all of my children are special, starting with one of the most pivotal parts of the kitchen transformation — the cabinets.
A couple of months ago, over on the Emily Henderson Design Blog, I shared with you all the research and thought process on custom vs semi custom vs pre fab cabinets for the kitchen.
In case you missed it, this was my cabinet wishlist:
two-tone shaker style cabinet fronts
combination of drawers and doors
pull out options behind doors, not shelves
soft close and full extension drawers
variety of drawer depths and widths
It's no secret that the previous cabinets were a huge catalyst for the renovation — the layout was not what we wanted or what would best serve our family, which was confirmed by living with that design for the months leading up to the renovation.
Having the opportunity to start from scratch, I took note of every deficiency we'd ever experienced in every kitchen, every feature we really liked, and all the big dreamy items we'd always wished we had... hence the wishlist.
Because I was already familiar with Semihandmade and their custom fronts for IKEA boxes, my first instinct was to get an IKEA kitchen that we could customize with Semihandmade.
The only downside to this option would've been the added cost to assemble everything — cost of our time or the financial cost. While doing my research, I found out Semihandmade would actually be releasing their own direct to consumer cabinet options and my interest peaked!
I took the design that I'd previously designed and worked with the BOXI by Semihandmade team to come up with a new design featuring their cabinets.
Aesthetic
From the start of this project, I have been certain about one thing — I want a black and white "tuxedo" kitchen. BOXI offered two options that also aligned with another design prerequisite: shaker style doors. Once I received my box of samples — of all the available finishes — I knew the matte black and matte white combo was exactly what I wanted.
The juxtaposition of the two different border styles — the pencil style of the matte black fronts and the traditional shaker style of the matte white fronts — would be the perfect combination for our home & my vision.
Customizations
When it came to designing a custom kitchen, for us, it was all about the functionality. For YEARS we'd lived with kitchens that "worked" but frustrated us to no end — losing things at the very back of inaccessible shelves or forgetting about other things in super high upper cabinets. We wanted to work smarter, not harder. I shared all of my dimensions, concerns, and ideas with the BOXI team, and we got to work!
I knew where I wanted drawers and where I wanted doors. For the latter, I opted for roll outs (versus shelves) wherever possible.
For my drawers, I explored a number of depth options to ensure they'd accommodate my intended uses — from flatware to cookware.
Having shared my entire design with them, other considerations included our new apron front sink and built in microwave oven. All of these details went into choosing the right cabinets for our kitchen.
My entire wishlist was taken care of.
Assembly
When going over the scope of work with my contractor, one of the first questions he asked me was whether or not the cabinets would be preassembled. I was happy to report that they would be, and he was happy to hear it. I have never ever ever met a contractor that enjoys cabinet assembly...and they let you know by the prices they charge for the service! Our cabinets were delivered on palettes, securely packed and fully assembled...with the fillers, toe kicks, panels, and self leveling legs included for installation.
Having our cabinets arrive quickly assembled saved us both time and money -- we didn't spend time waiting for them and money we didn't have to pay our contractor to assemble them.
Installation
I don't have the words to express the satisfaction of seeing a vision start to take form. The installation was quick and easy... with everything included.
Considering the delays that followed the cabinet installation, having our cabinets quickly & fully installed made it possible to still use the kitchen while the weeks turned to months before finally wrapping things up.
The cabinets have been able to serve all the functions I envisioned for them...
pull out shelf for appliances
dedicated & accessible spice drawer
hidden trash & recycle bins
built in microwave oven
deep drawers for cookware
...and lest we forget my wishlist aka why we started this!
Through a seamless design process with BOXI, I was able to create an intentionally designed kitchen, with symmetrical placement, tons of organization, and an aesthetic that speaks to both my design ethos & the home's preexisting charm.
