A style of kitchen cabinets that is characterised by a door with a flat centre piece with a minimalistic frame that is perfectly symmetrical and often looks the same from the front and back. The shaker style comes in many forms. The more traditional shaker, constructed from 5 pieces, one for the centre and 4 pieces to frame the outside. The shaker can come in a variety of sizes with more modern styles utilising narrower frames that emphasises its simple design. Some shaker designs have visible ridges separating the 4 sections that make up the frame, where others seek to conceal this join for a seamless finish. They can also come in the form of a single piece with the design routed out creating a design with smooth edges that can be easier to clean and maintain.
Initially shaker doors were traditionally designed to represent the religious values of the shakers, a subset of the quakers who value simplicity, honesty, and purity. They were the group who created and popularised the shaker style of furniture design. The shaker door has evolved to incorporate extra decorative design features. These details are still relatively modest in comparison to more ornate styles that are available. Typically, these design features can be seen in the form of two or three additional narrow framing pieces in the centre of the door to create a stepped effect, or a beadboard centre piece for a farmhouse inspired door. Shaker style cabinets are available in solid wood as well as wrapped and painted finishes often with an option for either a wood grain or smooth finish.
Thanks to the simple design of a shaker door, they can adapt to both traditional and modern designs with simple considerations such as colour, hardware, and styling. When a shaker door is paired with timber or timber laminate worktops and brass hardware, they may lean more toward a traditional style. However, combining a shaker door in a dark shade of green, blue, or grey with a quartz worktop creates a more modern design.
If handles are not your thing, another way to create a more modern kitchen design is to opt for a handleless shaker design, these can come in two forms. One option is to choose a style of door where the handle is recessed into the door either as part of the door front seamlessly integrated into the shaker design or as a J-pull style. The second utilises a handle rail often with additional inset handles that allow you to open the cabinet from the top edge this option functions very similar to the J-pull style, however it allows for the addition of a contrasting handle rail for a more modern finish.