Designing your kitchen is one of the most exciting parts of building a custom home. One design element that has been around for years and is still incredibly popular are glass front cabinet doors. Glass cabinets look fabulous in the right design, but there are some downsides of them as well. Before you decide to put them in your custom home kitchen, here are a few of the pros and cons of glass cabinet doors!
Pros of Glass Front Cabinets
Increases Openness
One of the most common reasons people add glass-front cabinets to their custom home kitchen is to increase the openness of the space. The glass can prevent the cabinets from feeling too heavy, making the kitchen feel more open and larger. Like mirrors, the glass panels reflect light throughout the space making it feel lighter and airier.
Adds Luxury and Interest
If you’re looking for a way to make your kitchen feel unique and high end adding a few glass front cabinets is a great way to do that. There are tons of different styles of glass cabinets including plain, frosted, stained, and leaded glass. Depending on which style of glass cabinet doors you choose, you can really elevate the style of the room and add an extra level of interest that sets your kitchen apart from others.
Displays Items
Do you have a set of beautiful dishes you wish you had room to display? A great thing about glass cabinets is that they allow you to display your fun and special dishes while still providing them safe storage. Many people will pick a few cabinets to make glass front for the express purpose of displaying their special glasses and dishes!
Cons of Glass Front Cabinets
Makes Clutter Visible
While glass cabinet doors allow you to display special items, that only works if you have nice looking items to show off. For a lot of people, they have mismatched dishes or other items they’d rather not have visible. Glass cabinets make it hard to hide clutter, so carefully think through whether or not you have items you want to display before putting them in. You can always compromise by using frosted or reeded glass, which will give you the openness of glass cabinets while still hiding the objects inside.
More Expensive
When building a custom home, it can be challenging to balance the budget. Kitchens play a huge role in the overall home design, and they’re one of the most expensive rooms in a house. As nice as glass-front cabinets look, they can be quite expensive. Cost is a big reason why people decide to stick to standard cabinets or only put in a few select glass front doors.
They’re Fragile
It shouldn’t be surprising to learn that glass is fragile. Glass front cabinets are known to be more fragile than standard cabinet doors. They’re prone to cracking and breaking, meaning you’ll have to handle them with more care. If your family is known to slam cabinet doors shut it may not be the best idea to put them in.