Cabinet Refacing Design Ideas: Door Styles and Colours

Refacing gives you something refinishing cannot: a completely new door. Your cabinet boxes stay in place, but every door and drawer front is brand new, so you get to choose both the style and the colour from scratch. That freedom is exciting, and it can also feel like a lot of decisions at once. These cabinet refacing design ideas will help you choose.

These design ideas will help you narrow it down, from pairing door styles with colours to small details that make a refaced kitchen look finished.

Why refacing opens up more design options

With cabinet refacing, your existing cabinet boxes stay, brand-new doors and drawer fronts go on, and the frames are finished to match. Because the doors are new, you are not tied to the profile your kitchen came with. An ornate raised-panel kitchen can become clean and simple, or a plain flat-door kitchen can gain some detail.

It is also the route to consider when your current doors are swelling or damaged. You get a fresh design and solid new doors at the same time, and new doors carry a written 5-year warranty.

Start with the feel you want

Before you look at samples, decide on the overall feel of the room. It makes every later choice easier.

• Calm and timeless: simple framed doors, soft neutral colours and understated hardware.
• Clean and modern: flat doors, few visible lines, and either a light colour or a deep, solid one.
• Warm and traditional: doors with more detail around the panel, paired with warmer colours and classic knobs or cup pulls.
• Bold and personal: a strong colour on part of the kitchen, balanced by quieter cabinets elsewhere.

Look at the rest of your home too. A refaced kitchen that matches the trim, flooring and style of the rooms around it usually looks more settled than one that fights them.

Door style and colour pairings that work

Shaker-style doors in a soft neutral

A simple framed door in white, cream or a light grey is a flexible starting point. The frame around the panel adds a little shadow and depth, so even a plain colour does not look flat. It suits both older homes and newer builds.

Flat slab doors in a deep colour

Slab doors have no frame or panel, so the colour does all the work. A deep navy, forest green or charcoal on a slab door looks sleek and modern. Lighter slab doors read as bright and minimal, which can help a smaller kitchen feel more open.

A two-tone kitchen

Using two colours is a popular way to add interest without going bold everywhere. Common combinations include lighter upper cabinets with darker lowers, or light perimeter cabinets with a darker island. Keeping the same door style throughout ties the two colours together.

Matching the colour to your countertop and floor

Your countertop and floor will sit beside the new doors every day. If they have strong colour or pattern, a quieter door colour lets them stand out. If they are plain, you have more room for a stronger cabinet colour.

Details that make a refaced kitchen look finished

Once the door style and colour are set, a few smaller choices pull the design together:

• Hardware: long pulls suit slab doors, while knobs and cup pulls suit more traditional styles. Choose the finish alongside the colour so the two work together.
• Drawers instead of doors: converting some lower cabinets from doors to drawers gives a cleaner, more organized look and easier access to pots and pans.
• Ceiling-height cabinets: extending uppers to the ceiling gives a more built-in look and removes the dusty gap above the cabinets.
• An island: a new or updated island is an easy place to try a second colour.

Changes like these are handled by our carpenters and finishers under one roof. You can read more about custom carpentry and cabinet modifications, and the carpentry portion is usually a day or two.

Keep the design consistent

A refaced kitchen looks best when the new and existing parts feel like one piece. A few things help:

• Use the same door style on every cabinet, including the island and any tall pantry cabinets, unless you are making a deliberate contrast.
• Make sure the frames are finished to match the new doors, so no old colour shows between them.
• Look at colour samples in your own kitchen light, at different times of day, before you decide.
• Think about how the drawer fronts line up with the doors above and beside them.

See cabinet refacing design ideas in real kitchens

It is much easier to choose a door style and colour when you can see them in real kitchens. Browse our kitchen makeover gallery for ideas, and note which details catch your eye.

Our team has been working on kitchens in the Lower Mainland since 2009, with 30+ in-house employees and no subcontractors. When you are ready, book a free in-home quote. We will look at your cabinets, show you the door styles and colours available for your project, and give you clear, line-item pricing.

Frequently asked questions

Can I change both the door style and the colour when I reface?

Yes. Refacing adds brand-new doors and drawer fronts, so you choose a new style and colour together, and the frames are finished to match.

Will my existing cabinet frames match the new doors?

Yes. As part of refacing, the frames are finished to match the new doors and drawer fronts, so the cabinets look consistent from end to end.

Should I reface or refinish if I only want a new colour?

If you like your current door style and the doors are in good shape, refinishing changes the colour and finish while keeping your existing doors. Refacing makes more sense when you want a different door style or your doors are swelling or damaged.