Cabinets are the hardworking hero of home décor.
Outside they display your most prized possessions like family photographs and hand blown glass vases, while inside they hide the reality of family life like play station consoles, two years’ worth of décor magazines, and boxes of long forgotten tax receipts.
Unlike more versatile home accents like chairs and side tables, their size means that they inevitably become a key focal point of the room, often driving the rest of your décor choices. This is why it’s important to choose your cabinet carefully and consider form as well as function.
To inspire you and empower your home decorating prowess, we’ve listed four of our favourite cabinets this season. Each one is diverse and encompasses a specific style that can be extended throughout your home.
Art Deco
The Fiona console cabinet is sheer glamor.
With its beveled inset mirror table top and wooden overlay with mirror backing on the doors, this dramatic accent piece makes us think of the Plaza Hotel circa 1920.
We envision this accent piece in two ways:
The first is as part of a luxurious Hollywood boudoir, complete with rich pearl drapes, thick cream carpeting and fresh peonies in cut crystal vases on the nightstand.
The second idea is as part of a hallway or foyer. Pair it with a lovely grey mirror and again, fresh cut flowers, and the Fiona cabinet will literally set the mood for the rest of your home.
There’s a real misconception about the ease of maintaining mirrored furniture, but the reality is that, while you must be careful about scratches, it’s simple to upkeep. Unlike wood, mirror doesn’t fade and a quick dust will have it gleaming like new.
Although very affordable compared to natural wood, mirrored pieces act like investment pieces because they can last for generations.
English Cottage Kitchen
The Marcela cabinet is about simple elegance
The Marcela bring us back to a simpler time of fresh baked bread, soft green hills and the gentle cadence of rain on the window sill.
While investing in your own Aga cooker might be taking it a bit far, the Marcela is perfect for kitchens that are a bit too small for a full country hutch but still want to capture the Austen-like essence of the English countryside.
Although the cabinet looks white on some computer screens, it’s actually a more forgiving light grey with a distressed natural wood table top with reverse ogee edging.
Whether you top it off with beautifully carved wooden bunnies, fresh cut flowers or a plate of newly iced cupcakes, this piece is beautiful without trying too hard and will create an atmosphere of homey comfort.
The Marcela collection also includes an accent side table and console table, all in the same English country style.
Moroccan
Exotic, bold and with a modern flare
Who doesn’t sometimes dream of visiting exotic locations with their rich colors, spicy scents and bold textures? The Sophia cabinet looks like a piece you’d find in the Marrakesh market, only without the airfare!
This cabinet comes in grey or red with ornate wood overlays on the doors and drawer fronts. What sets this piece apart -and enhances its versatility- is the addition of a beveled mirrored table top and crystal hardwood on the drawers and cabinets.
While this piece would look gorgeous in a Moroccan themed room complete with metallic accents and rich colors, it also makes a stand-out focal piece in a more contemporary room, particularly the red version.
Imagine the red Sophia against white walls next to soft furniture with colorful accent pillows and modern white lighting. Add some bold pieces of art and you’d have a beautiful and cohesive look reminiscent of northwest Africa but not so overt that it couldn’t work with other styles.
French Country
Let them eat cake, but first place the cake on the Krista cabinet
Technically the detailing on this cabinet is referred to as Queen Anne influence, but we’ve decided to swap scones for crepes (or cake as the case would be) because this piece would look gorgeous nestled amidst the textures and soft colors of a traditional French country home.
This piece is best shown to its advantage topped with antique trays, vases of lavender and old world ceramics, or with books with picture frames as shown in the picture below.
Pair the Krista with flowing white curtains, vintage French wallpaper in pastel colors and a pretty mirror over the mantle to complete the look.
A more modern albeit bold French country look could include a burgundy painted wall with framed botanicals, some elegant winged chairs and striped mustard curtains hung the length of your window and held back with tasseled rope. The trick with French country is to include many beautiful pieces but arrange them almost haphazardly so as to appear effortlessly elegant.
Do you have a favourite décor style? Let’s see if we have a cabinet that could match it! Leave your comments below…