Get French Country Style At Affordable Prices via Main Line Kitchen Design
Traditional Style and especially French Country Style Kitchens employ architectural accent pieces such as legs, corbels, capitals, and onlays. These accent pieces can be surprisingly expensive. A 6 inch by 6 inch Island leg typically will cost at least $600 retail from any cabinet line even at a home center. Corbels can range from $200 and up. I once had a customer whose custom finished 36 inch high corbels cost us $2000 each before we even added our mark up. Typically crown molding costs more than $100 per 8 foot piece of molding and, in some more ornate designs, we stack 3 or more moldings on top of each other to reach the ceiling.
The cost for all of these accents and moldings can sometimes exceed the cost of a customer’s actual cabinetry!
Now here comes the good news.
Crown molding, legs, corbels, capitals and onlays cost 90% less when ordered unfinished from internet suppliers such as Osborne Wood Products.
Often these kitchens or the dressing area shown above are designed in painted finishes. If a customer chooses a solid paint color without a glaze, then quality paint stores like Sherwin Williams using the newest high-tech scanners can match the cabinetry finish exactly. Only the application of the paint can give the matching process away, and a good painter with a sprayer will eliminate even that possibility.
I’m less concerned about the durability of the paint on these accent pieces as they are not moving parts.
Plus, often times vulnerable legs and the backs of Islands end up getting touched up soon after installation anyway due to kicking and chairs hitting them. Certainly, the crown moldings are too high up to be vulnerable to abuse.
If a customer selects a stained finish, we can never match the furniture stain and finishing process from the cabinet supplier. However, if we stain unfinished accent pieces two shades darker and with a different sheen, then they appear to be intentional highlights and often become the most attractive feature in detail driven kitchen designs.
So, if a French Country Kitchen is your style of choice, don’t be stingy with adding the legs, columns, onlays and the other accent pieces that define this style. Your kitchen can cost half the price it would have a few years ago.
Looking forward to working with you and as always Bon Appetit,
Paul
