Since cabinets take up the majority of the wall space and act as a point of visual interest, they can make or break the interior design of your kitchen. By only replacing your cabinet door style and the accessories, you can transform the look of your kitchen completely without breaking the bank.
‌Before going any further, we need to understand the very basics of the cabinet door anatomy: There’s a middle section, the panel, and there is the margin section which is called rail or stile, depending on its position.

Here’s a list of 5 cabinet door style types that are ideal for DIY cabinetry projects:

Raised Panel Cabinet Doors

In these kind of cabinet doors, the middle section is raised, creating a groove between the margin parts (stile and rail) and the central panel. This results in an extra depth to the cabinetry. They are typically found in rustic kitchens but ideal for both traditional and contemporary designs.

RECESS (FLAT) PANEL CABINET DOORS

Recess Panel Cabinet Doors are the mirror image of raised panel designs: the middle panel is “recessed” or “flat”. They have been popular everywhere for decades and are becoming the more mainstream in the United States.

SHAKER CABINET DOORS

Shaker Cabinet Doors are a kind of recess panel cabinet door because their center panels are recessed and not raised. They have a simple design with plain and unbeveled rails and are a perfect complement to transitional, traditional and contemporary kitchen styles.

SLAB CABINET DOORS

Slab Cabinets Doors are the simplest of them all: they are made from one continuous piece of material (wood mostly). They are a very popular style in Europe and are for contemporary/minimalistic kitchen designs. (I like to think Ikea). Since they have a smooth and flawless surface, they are also easy-to-clean.

MULLION CABINET DOORS

Mullion Cabinet Doors are very different from the other 4 styles we have discussed so far: They are made of two materials: glass and wood (or a wood-like material). It is the design of choice for those who want to showcase their fine china and stemware behind a protective barrier.