Mid Century Inspired Cabinetry for your Kitchen

Make the kitchen the center of your MCM home with cabinetry offering a mid century inspired, clean and minimalist aesthetic.

Certain decorating trends have more staying power than others. Case in point: the sleek cabinetry of the Mid Century Modern kitchen. The Mid Century Modern cabinet is a classic feature that’s still in vogue. These MCM kitchen cabinets are typified by clean lines and a dollop of warmth expressed through the use of wood and dynamic color or playful patterns. With more than 25 years of experience in the woodworking industry, the owners of Able and Baker, Josh and Jen Ganzhorn, know how to make cabinetry so beautiful it registers as both an enduring element of the kitchen and irresistible architectural eye candy you can’t help but stop to appreciate. These experts share their insights to help you create the Mid Century Modern cabinets of your dreams.

able and baker modern kitchen cabinetry — Photo by Gavin Cater.

Choose MCM Cabinets that Speaks to You

The kitchen usually takes center stage in an open-plan mid century home. Because the space is so visible, you’ll want to have a general sense of its design direction before approaching designers and craftsman. Citing the modern-day tendency to rely on ample Pinterest boards, Josh and Jen say that although this makes for a good start, remember to think critically about why each image captures your attention.

warm mid century inspired kitchen cabinetry — Mid Century Modern style’s metaphorical warmth becomes literal in this almost glowing kitchen, which gets its fantastic hue from white maple wood. “That feeling of warmth combined with the humbleness of design and materials creates a certain character that people recognize and romanticize—that is part of the era in general and draws people in,” Josh says. The kitchen cabinetry’s colorful turn certainly works wonders with the pops of rainbow backsplash. Photo by Gavin Cater.

“Mid Century Modern expresses itself in a lot of different ways,” Jen says. Be sure to locate any unifying factors in all your pieces of inspiration. “Identify what you like, what speaks to you in each of the images,” she advises. “When you can be clear with yourself about what draws you in—whether it is the use of color or more contemporary appliances—then you can share that with your design team to make the design process more efficient.”

able and baker mid century inspired cabinetry — Photo by Gavin Cater.

Mid Century Inspired Cabinetry: A Purposeful Minimalism

Lovers of the Mid Century Modern look themselves, Josh and Jen say clients seek them out because the pair understands that era of home and how to bring out its subtle details. “Knowing the language of that design matters,” Josh says. “The very nature of mid century millwork was that it was fairly simple at a glance. There’s virtually no ornamentation. It’s an intentionally simple style, a utilitarian design for the everyman. But you can take something simple in shape and design and dramatically change it through color.” Matte finishes on cabinets can significantly alter the feeling of warmth in the kitchen cabinetry, for example, and so Josh and Jen know when to use wood and what species, often relying on real maple for its richness of color. “There’s a warmth that comes with mid century millwork and cabinetry that is sometimes absent in contemporary cabinetry of a similar style,” Josh says.

kitchen cabinet with hidden water cooler — Photo by Jen Zahigian Ganzhorn.

kitchen cabinet built to hide water cooler — For those wanting additional storage ideas, Jen suggests hidden or “secret” toe-kick drawers. “This is something we love to do.” In the couple’s own home kitchen, “we utilized a couple space-saving tricks including toe-kick drawers, a foldout table, which makes for extra countertop or serving space, and concealed water bottle storage,” she says. Cabinetry accessories like these make the most of small-space kitchens and are all available at Able and Baker custom projects or through ArtHouse and Company projects for clients nationwide. Photo by Jen Zahigian Ganzhorn.

When to Update Your Cabinetry

Remodeling a mid century abode can mean walking the line between honoring the home’s history and updating spaces. Josh and Jen approach every project with the same spirit of innovation that the era embraced. “We help clients figure out just how true they want to stay to the original, where they want to modernize and what that modernization means to them,” Jen says. “Does it mean a change to the visual aesthetic, such as incorporating pops of color or some other modern-day element like under-cabinet lighting? Or is it from a functional standpoint? What kind of improvements can we make to help in their present-day life?”

The pair have applied cabinet doors that open in all kinds of directions, a feat not possible before with the technology of yesteryear. Other times, they add floating shelves or compost containers into countertops. “The way we use our kitchens has changed a lot in all these decades, and it’s really fun to present mid century in a new way that is unexpected,” Jen says. “We try to work with clients to help with their ease-of-use in their daily lives. The key to Mid Century Modern design is creating a home that has a sense of timelessness to it, even though it is very time specific.”

Design on a Budget

Get the look of Mid Century Modern inspired cabinetry without breaking the bank with this advice from the experts.

blue and green cabinetry bathroom vanity — Photo courtesy of homeowner, Jesse Rodin.

Assign someone to help coordinate all the trades. “One of the things we always suggest is that people figure out who the project manager will be to coordinate the trades. The cabinetmaker needs to know and be in communication with the electrician if there’s under-cabinet lighting, for example,” Josh says. When there’s no one there to coordinate, Josh and Jen caution, things take longer than they should, raising costs.
Spend time figuring out the project details early on during the design phase. “Sometimes people are so excited to be remodeling they just want to jump in and figure things out as they go along, but that can result in projects that take longer, added costs and missed opportunities,” Jen says.
When getting quotes, specifically on cabinetry, Josh and Jen say, make sure your quotes are clearly spelled out and itemized so that you know exactly what’s included. Does your quote include a pull-out or a lazy Susan at your blind corner or simply an adjustable shelf? What materials are your cabinet boxes made from? To avoid amassing unnecessary costs, come up with a detailed cabinetry plan so cabinetmakers will not need to make assumptions to provide you with a quote.

mid century inspired cabinetry in bathroom orange and white — Josh and Jen like taking cabinetry, simple in shape and design, and dramatically altering it through color. “Some clients might not want a pop of color in the kitchen. The bathroom is a playful spot for them to experiment with color, because it’s a smaller space,” Jen says of how some clients choose to incorporate color into their bathroom cabinetry. “You can carry on details from the kitchen to create a sense of cohesion with the bathroom, but expressed in a different way somehow,” she adds. Photo by Wendy Gartrell.

Looking for more Mid Century Modern kitchen inspiration? Check out Vibrant Vibes in this Palm Springs Wexler Home’s Kitchen. And of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for more Atomic Ranch articles and ideas!