Why DIY Will Be The Death of Your Modern Kitchen

If you’re in the middle of considering a kitchen remodel, there are probably only three things on your mind: cabinets, cabinets, cabinets or so we hope 🙂 But before you make any other decisions about your cabinetry, you’re going to have to make one crucial choice: will your kitchen design be modern or traditional? 

You can probably picture traditional cabinets – bulky with lots of hardware and other decorative embellishments to pull the eye and serve as one of the dominant elements of the room. 

In the case of modern cabinets, all of that is flipped. Modern kitchen cabinetry has a floating, light look as opposed to the heavy, built-in look of traditional cabinets. 

In modern design, kitchen cabinet doors will have little to no visible hardware, and will often use recycled wood panels with a veneer front as opposed to denser plywood or solid wood cabinets. Modern cabinets use no trim, making them more difficult to install. In fact, modern kitchen cabinets only work when they are able to disguise their own installation, while also having none of the traditional kitchen’s ability to hide mistakes or fudge the process by using trim. 

Which brings us to our first recommendation when it comes to installing your modern kitchen cabinets…

Hiring a professional.

And we don’t just say that because we are the professionals. Modern kitchen cabinet installation is tricky and exact. It’s definitely not something we’d recommend trying to DIY, no matter how good your Pinterest board looks. 

Installation is key in achieving the streamlined, light look of a modern kitchen. You’ll need to be careful about bulkheads and corner conditions, and ensure precise, consistent lines in order to achieve that seamless, clean modern design intent. Which brings us to our second recommendation…

Work with a professional from the start.

And once again, we don’t just say that because we are the professionals. You may be surprised to hear this, but the first part of installing your kitchen cabinets properly will actually be installing your floors. 

Yep, that’s right. Your floors. 

Without level floors and assuming adequate wall conditions, your installation will be off to a rough start. That’s why you need experts as part of the design team from the beginning to ensure the installation plans are as detailed as possible. 

That’s another reason we don’t recommend DIY modern cabinet installation. Even the smallest error can lead to larger problems down the line, like drawers that won’t open because corners are not square, or entire boxes and kicks that need to be redone because floors aren’t level. Worse – visibly shimmed countertops and yawning waterfall sides because boxes are not leveled!

At the end of the day, a professional installer is more efficient and avoids the pitfalls of site conditions in the installation process. Which brings us to our third and final recommendation…

Hire a professional with modern expertise. 

Yes, this time we do mean us. When designers who focus on traditional kitchens go modern, all the issues of imprecise installation we listed above can arise. When you go with the experts – like us here at NOLI – we work with you from the beginning to ensure your end result is exactly as you imagined it. And you know we have debugged the process from design through fabrication and installation.

At NOLI, we know the finesse it takes to install sleek, modern cabinetry thanks to our trained installers and high-quality Italian manufacturers. Prior to installation, we take time to validate the site and reduce risks in the installation process so we know we’re going to get things right. This helps compensate ahead of time for conditions like uneven flooring, or unplumbed walls. 

Okay, okay, so we do have one more recommendation…

Work with NOLI for your modern kitchen. 

Truly beautiful modern kitchen cabinetry requires installation by an expert with years of experience. That’s us. When you work with NOLI, we take responsibility for all parts of your kitchen project and hold your hand through the entire process until your modern kitchen is installed the right way and is both functional and beautiful. Contact us today or come down to our showroom to begin designing your Italian-inspired modern kitchen today.