It's a very subtle, upscale look. If you're going for that 'white cabinets with soapstone vintage look' it'll help you get there. Is it worth the cost? Totally personal...

When we did our kit in this house I hemmed and hawed about the increase but we finally decided the look can not be duplicated so we did it. Now we are doing a kit in another house and never even gave a thought to anything but beaded inset. I am planning barn red cabs with SS counters and want the old look. As stated above only if you love the look is it worth it.

well for what its worth, I didn't' do it and I'm already wishing I did. ESPECIALLY on the drawers. uggh. But we just couldn't justify the expense.

I wanted inset from the beginning of our search. It was just the right look for our house. I agree with eandhl the look cannot be duplicated. I tried to convince myself to go with other full overlay (which were beautiful also) But it just wasn't right. So I could never commit. It was a 15% upcharge. But it was worth it for us. I don't regret it at all. I won't even think of that money in a little while, in fact I don't think about it now, LOL. But I would have thought about not spending it to get what our house needed everytime I looked at those cabinets for years to come. It is a very personal choice. We did give up the beaded edge which saved us just a little. I would do it again and would probably pay the money for the beaded edge next time too.

I love love love the look but could not justify either the cost or the loss of drawer space. But I was after the Christopher Peacock kitchen (meaning I wanted to emulate that look) and once I really stopped to think what it was about that look I wanted, I realied I didn't need the inset. Additionally, in our newer house it might've been a bit goofy (see any of the threads about getting a kitchen style to maktch your home's style).

But without a doubt it is one gorgeous look!

I didn't go with the inset, either. No regrets. I actually like the overlay look.

I love mine. My GC tried to convince me to go with full overlay, and I've seen some lovely kitchens with full overlay, but I wanted inset shaker style oak cabinets, and by Dog, I got 'em!

I was not able to justify the cost; however, my cost was closer to 25-30% additional. This was a local custom cabinetmaker and I liked his cabs quite a bit. His specialty was full overlay. We went with a shaker style door and a bead, and I am very happy with them. We were building a new house and have a fairly large kitchen with two islands so the additional cost was too large of an amount to swallow.

Good luck.

Teresa

Do inset drawers and cabs stick over time like my old furniture with inset drawers? Or do the new glides fix that problem?

I think the look is great, but I couldn't justify the loss of space (especially in the drawers -- and we were going all drawers in the bases other than sink bases) or the expense. I did framelss cabinets to get every inch out of my kitchen and I'm much happier with the use of space than I could have possibly been with inset doors.

Sara, the glides & proper fitting result in no sticking.

Two things:

1. What is the loss of space several folks mention - especially in drawers - with inset? Is there truly a loss of space and if so, how much? We never considered that.

2. We are doing a combination - we will have some cherry cabinets with a full overlay door. But we will have a few large cabinets as accent pieces that I was planning to have with inset doors. Actually been rethinking this because of the cost - and toyed with doing inset on the wall cabinets of the accent piece and either an overall or a 3/8" inset (ie inset with a small overlay) on the base.

Curious - does anyone have 3/8" inset and do they also result in loss of space on drawers?

berryberry, the loss of space is significant over an entire kitchen, especially if you have lots of drawers. Because you have a 'stile' between each drawer, the more drawers in a stack, the more space is sacrificed. Your trade off is a fine furniture look.

If I can resurrect a thread weed30 posted several years ago addressing 'inset v. full overlay cabinets', I'll post a link. Weed wrote the definitive treatise on this subject ;) and this information helped us with our decision-making.

vjrnts kitchen was the straw that broke my camel's back :) I had toyed with inset in my mind over and over, but since I wasn't doing a white cabinet kitchen I was thinking it wouldn't look good...then I saw that kitchen and now we have natural cherry in the kitchen with inset. It's a look that can't be replicated, and frankly it just has that upscale wow in a very subtle way that I wanted to sneak in.

The new hinges and proper fitting eliminate the issue of misalligned doors and drawers, and I didn't think the loss of space was a huge issue, especially since it's still about 50% more space...heck maybe more, than we did have. The upcharge for us was 19% if I remember right, and that's with beaded edges. I'm glad I made the change at the last second :)

vjrnts -- that's a beautiful kitchen! A great illustration of why people might pay more for inset cabinets. Very tempting!

My architect specified "flush overlay," which I think (from looking on the web) is the same as "full overlay." Is this true?

I gather the overall effect is to (1) save money, (2) achieve the flush aspect of "inset," and (3) result in clean lines. It also decreases the overall weighty look of the cabinets if they have glass panes because there is less wood showing.

sarschlos_remodeler, as for sticking. Remember furniture is wood on wood glides. My kit cabs have blumotion glides on drawers. The only slight issue I have is I had to uppers done with two doors, the beading around the entire opening of the 2. In the worst humidity instead of just swinging one of the doors shut it is tight enough that you have to close it. No other issues and as I said I am doing it again.

pecanpie - thanks. I understand the stile bewteen drawers - but isn't there a stile between drawers in parila and full overlay as well? Or is it just bigger in inlay?

The good thing is we aren't thinking about doing this everywhere - but it would impact two large cabinets for pots and pans, other large items that would be 2 drawers and 3 drawers respectively

Can I just say thank you for this discussion? I have full overlay now and i am OK with it, so hesitant to get inset. But now some of my fears about drawers stickcing, etc. are being resolved and I might take another look at inset. Seems there are some lovely kitchens out there with full overlay though . . .

buffetgirl reminds me of something-- one of the things I son't like about inset is that the hinge is visible (right?). So couldn't you get overlay for the door part of your cabs and then just inset for the drawers? Has anyone ever done a mix of inset and overlay within the same run of cabs like that?

Love inset look. I have beaded inset and No sticking here..Check on the upper cabinet depth and make sure they deep enough. Mine are 13 inches deep which is great.

There doesn't need to be a visible stile between each drawer. A stack of inset drawers can be constructed with or without visible stiles. In my kitchen, there is a stile under the top drawer, which is consistent with the top drawers through out the kitchen, regardless of whether they're above a cabinet or a stack of drawers. The lower stacked drawers don't have the stile.

Either way, you won't lose storage space. The amount of storage space is determined by the drawer box, not the drawer front. On overlay cabinets, the drawer boxes aren't any bigger, just the drawer fronts are bigger.

You also have a choice of traditional butt hinges (which are visible), or concealed hinges. I chose the latter, just because they're very simple to adjust if doors expand or contract with changes in the weather. So far, no adjustments have been needed.

Mixing overlay cabinets and inset drawers in the same run of cabinets probably wouldn't work very well. You'd end up with doors sticking out, and drawers flush with case. An odd look. What you can do, is spring for inset doors on upper cabinets, which are more prominent, then go with overlay on the lower cabinets. Not quite as consistent a look as all inset, but I've seen it done many times, and many people would never notice.

If you do go with inset drawers, be sure you don't skimp on the glide hardware or the drawer box. Good sturdy glides and boxes will ensure that your drawers always fit evenly and consistently.

We're using Great Northern Cabinets, and they offer insets (which we're getting) at no extra charge.

jamesk, thanks for the picture. That is exactly how our Mbath cab drawers are being built but they aren't finished. Since I didn't get to see them finished I was hesitant and said go with the stiles between the drawers in the kit.

Definitely worth it if it doesn't totally blow your budget. I didn't do inset primarily because we were planning on selling the house in 3 years. Well, that was 6 years ago. We changed our minds and decided to stay and I've regretted not getting my inset kitchen cabinets ever since.

Nothing beats the look. Open any K&B magazine and I assure that the majority of kitchens shown are inset.

And you do NOT lose significant storage on inset vs. overlay! With frameless cabinets you get wider drawers, but there are clearance issues with frameless that might require more fillers. If designed properly, you can actually gain storage with inset (as opposed to frameless). With a designer that knows what they're doing....it's possible.

Jamesk, your kitchen is simple and stunning...simply stunning!!!! I love it.

If you are looking for a high quality Inset Cabinet then Christpher Peacock makes a good product. What I dont line about the Peacock Cabinets is that they are painted on site with a brush. Some people like the brush stroke look but I do not. I use to use Crown Point Cabinetry on my projects, who also make a quality inset cabinet but have favored "Best Cabinets" of Chicago. They are a custom cabinet company that specializes in Full Inset Kitchen Cabinets. They are less money than Crown Point and equal or better quality. I like the fact that they dont charge extra for paint or custom stain colors. Also, they ship nationally and even Internationally. Unlike Crown Point they also offer a measure service and an install service anywhere in the USA. Great for me because I have done projects in New York, Denver, Florida, Califionia, Dubai.

Here is a link that might be useful: Inset Cabinets

I am also considering Great Northern cabinetry. I was told that inset doors are only $7 per door! I also noticed that their up charge for different cabinet styles is a very small difference in price. These cabinets are comparable in price to the American Woodmark brand at Home Depot....particle board cabinets. I'm pretty shocked I can get plywood construction for about the same price with Great Northern. Do I need to ask my designer to make my cabinet 13 inches wide on the top so I don't lose cabinet space?

Many of these post continue to talk about loss of space for the drawers on inset cabinets compared to overlay. The drawer box on both at are the exact same size, the only difference is the size of the drawer front. The inset front is the same size as the width of the drawer box where the overlay is wider to cover the faceframe of the cabinet. A better comparison would be faceframe to frameless cabinet. Thats when the drawers would actally be wider for the same size cabinet, the frameless would have wider drawer boxes. The depth loss on inset is 3/4" because you are insetting the 3/4"door. However the shelf depth is still the same so really isn't that bid of deal except for items that would overhang the shelves like larger plates (even with an overlay door some of the plates are still to big and you need to bump up to a 15" deep cabinet). Drawer boxes on all faceframe cabinets are going to 21" deep no matter insets or not because that's the size of the standard drawer glide. Hope this helps!

I'd be interested in that weed30 thread.

Many of the older threads have been lost. (I miss weed30's funny techno hotmail thread, which no longer applies, since the GW/houzz merger). Here are links to more recent threads discussing inset vs. overlay:

GW discussions--inset vs. overlay.

Google search, GW discussions--inset vs. overlay.

Help, please! creating cabinetry for a room to make it mudroom/laundry room. The room is 10 by 12 with 9 foot ceilings (want floor to ceiling) and we are only doing 3 walls minus 2 door ways and one large cabinet ordered elsewhere is already in place. I want inset cabinetry for sure and told them from the beginning. they quoted ballpark 17,000 for wood and 11 to 12,000 for melamine. then came back with the more specific quote of 26,000 for wood!!! Isn't that a lot for this small room?? Even with inset?? And told me they cannot do melamine with inset. I've been trying to get this done for so long! I've had companies change their price like this late in the game when none of what I requested has changed. Do I look longer?

What brand of cabinets did they quote you? Or are they made local? Do you have a layout of what you had quoted? Hard to say without it...but that could be a decent price if using a high end cabinet line. Where are you located?

Amish cabinetmakers may be an option depending on where you live.

Cleveland area. Seme cabinets. yes I gave them the layout.

semeinteriors

what does "beaded" inset mean?

Beaded inset cabinetry means that an opening (for a door or drawer) has a bead moulding that goes around the perimeter. It is generally regarded as a more formal design. The bead moulding can either be a piece that is applied separately as the front frame is being built, or the front frame pieces are created (moulded) with the bead as part of the stile or rail. (The stile is the vertical piece of a front frame, the rail is the horizontal). One other method of beaded inset sometimes seen is the moulding applied around the doors and drawer fronts.

It it helps, here's a couple of images to illustrate. The first is what we refer to as our Square Inset.

This next one is our Beaded Inset. The bead has been moulded as part of the rails and stiles. An important point to remember is that the openings are not reduced, the stiles and rails are. So, if these two examples are the same size, the door and drawer openings are the same for both.

Hope this helps!

so helpful, thank you! from your perspective, if you don't mind me asking, is it unusual for a company to change the quote so dramatically as I stated above when nothing I wanted changed? It's very frustrating, especially since it took them a few weeks to give me the first quote and then another person came out for an exact quote and that took 3 weeks to get. Thank you!

You're welcome, suzy! Regarding your question, we can't speak for other companies, but as a client, you might want to ask what was the reason for the difference.

I think a professional should not give out ball-park figures, period. When I started my research on the possibility of re-doing my kitchen, I had a firm budget in mind. When I made an appointment with my KD, he looked up cabinet prices as we talked and wrote down the cost. In the end, he was dead-on about what the actual cost was.

I love inset cabinets and used them for the uppers in my own kitchen. My house was built in 1948, and it just looked more in keeping with the house. I wanted every single inch of real estate in my lowers so I used European frameless cabinets there.

Cabinets in a mud room will take a beating. I would not spend that kind of money for cabinets - melamine or Formica cabinets would wear much better and be easier to keep clean. It's a mud room, not your entrance hall or a ladies lounge room.

This was really helpful to see the pictures side by side. I think I want the beaded inset cabinetry. What is the color on the second Crownpoint image - that is what I am looking for! I am on the fence about hinges (concealed or not) - pros and cons? I also think I want a recessed panel, but sometimes it bugs me to see the distinct line where vertical and horizontal meet. I wonder if raised panel would make that less obvious.

Hi Kelly Feil, glad they were helpful! The color on the second image is Friendly Yellow. As for your hinge question, you have to break it into two parts. The visual aspect, and the functionality aspect. Visual is easy, either they fit the design of the kitchen, and you like them, or you prefer not to see hinges. (There is no wrong answer!)

As to function, the main difference is, generally speaking, a visible hinge will have a wider degree of swing. A hidden hinge (commonly called a European hinge) will open less. Depending upon the manufacturer, a range of 105-120 degrees (versus 180 degree possibility of a visible hinge) There are hidden hinges with even wider swings then 120 degrees, but they are bulkier, take up more space, and generally used in corner cabinet applications.

And if your cabinet doors ever need adjusting, both types of hinges allow up-down, in-out as needed. (Well, we are speaking for our visible hinge, we can't speak for other manufacturers!)

Lastly, it doesn't sound like a frame and panel door would be a good fit for you. (You mentioned not liking intersecting lines) Perhaps a slab door is something you might want to consider.

Good luck on your project!

Thank you for the helpful response. I actually compared visible and European hinges today, and I think the traditional hinges are for me. I actually have solid wood slab doors now which are beautifully made of solid wood, but not really my style. I love vintage furnishings, so I want a kitchen that has that feel. I am just adjusting to some of what I am seeing and trying to cleave to quality while getting a painted finish that speaks to me aesthetically. I keep going to mitered doors, but I have been told that is not a good idea in a painted finish.

"...getting a painted finish that speaks to me aesthetically." Remodeling a kitchen involves hundreds of choices, and one might think that choosing a paint color would be the main concern for paint. But you are correct, there are many different types/methods of painted finishes. Everything from high gloss (not usually done in vintage, but, hey, who are we to judge!) to sprayed on, to hand brushed, to layers of paint with burnishing, that reveals some of the color underneath. As you say, you need to find the one that pleases you.

We’re currently building and I love the look and authentic farmhouse esthetic of inset cabinetry, however I’m seeing that it will cost mire than full overlay cabinetry. Is it that extreme of a cost difference?

Hi airster! Speaking strictly for us, we do not have an upcharge for square inset cabinetry. If you have a design and quote in frameless (full overlay), and then wonder how much of an upcharge to go from frameless to square inset, the answer is "Zero". Hope this helps, and have a great day!

I recently finished a remodel and had some full inset cabinets and some full overlay. My cabinets were custom by a local cabinet maker and there was no increased cost for the inset cabinets. I think as Crown Point posted, charges will vary - I believe one poster used Shiloh Cabinets and there is also no uncharge.

Keep in mind that with inset cabinets you will lose some amount of interior storage. Whether this matters would depend on the total size of your kitchen but it can be significant in a smaller kitchen.

The decrease also depends on the type of cabinet. In my experience, it doesn't matter for upper cabinets with doors since I typically "tucked" stuff behind the doors anyway. However, with drawers you do lose the full inset in terms of drawer size. My cabinets are a mixture of full overlay drawers and inset uppers. I have a few lower cabinets with doors and since these have rollouts I also opted for full overlay in order to maximize interior storage.