The general impression most people have of cabinets is that when you see one, you’ve seen them all. While this is mostly true, the fascinating and truly individual art of cabinet making lies in the implements used in the design.

Take the doors, for example. Look at a cabinet door, and you’ll see everything you’ll think you’ll ever need to know. Door handles? Check. Door? Check. That’s it. So long as you have the implement that’s probably the last line of defense protecting the contents of the cabinet from debilitating dust and humidity as well as prying eyes. But then, there’s more to these doors than you’d imagine.

Design-wise, the variety of cabinet doors can be a pleasant surprise. Several designs include raised panel doors, shaker doors, flat panel doors, uniboard one piece routed doors and lazy susan doors, just to name a few. These design vary with the type of wood used, the way the wood was fixed (multileveled pieces of wood vary with, say, the flat panel and the uniboard doors), and even the simple working design (in the way the flat panel doors work as opposed to the lazy susan doors).

Coming up with the design isn’t a joke, either. Designing and coming up with the doors properly relies, initially, on picking the right kind of lumber. The grain quality and straightness of the wood has to be carefully taken into consideration, and the more difficult designs can end up costing you an arm and a leg. Of course, there are alternatives – flat plywood is always pretty much available, and since the only thing you’ll really have to consider when choosing the kind of door you’ll be having for your cabinets – as well as the entire cabinet itself, ultimately – is the kind of wood that will go well with the atmosphere in your area.