Frameless cabs have better accessibility, and in general more space, especially in drawers. I say "in general" because available space differs among cabinet lines. Take your tape measure with you when you look and measure the space in the drawers of different brands you are considering. Keep in mind, there are good quality and bad quality of both framed and frameless. Don't let anyone tell you that fameless are inherently bad (especially someone who doesn't sell frameless). My old kitchen (which I tore out) had frameless cabs, not the highest end either, and they lasted about 25+ years (based on the style & color which is what was in style in the late 70s/early 80s). Probably could have lasted longer, except they were awful style and I hated the layout. Whichever one you go with, make sure your installer is experienced. If the installer grumbles about frameless being hard to install, get someone else. No one has perfectly straight walls, yet frameless cabs are installed properly every day. Styles of frameless cabinets are not exclusively (or even mostly) contemporary. Contemporary cabs are usually frameless, but the opposite is not true. I have traditional style doors in frameless, and it doesn't look a bit contemporary. In either framed or frameless, beware the center stile. I've seen it in both kinds, and it severely limits access. There is a width limit over which a center stile is needed, something like 33 or 36 inches, but smaller than that, it is not needed and IMHO unacceptable. Do get lots of quotes for comparison purposes. I shopped around with a particular version of my layout so that I could compare prices. My layout changed over time but using the same layout at different places gave me a good feel for their pricing. Don't rule out local custom builders. I thought they would be out of my price range but they came in at all price ranges, just as the stock companies did. I compiled a list of framed & frameless manufacturers back when I was looking, so that I could see which ones were available in my area. This list is now over four years old so it probably could use some updating but you can check the websites for information on manufacturers. Good luck in your search! Here is a link that might be useful: framed & frameless mfgs

I am a cabinetmaker, I know how the sausage is made. I know very many cabinetmakers and I know very many installers. My practical knowledge is not a generalization, it is not a personal viewpoint, far from it. It is fact. Are you a cabinetmaker? Ok akchicago, lets begin the lesson. Frameless as you call them are euro boxes, thats because they originated in Germany post ww2. Europe had no kitchens, so they needed cabinets quickly. They sat down and came up with what is essentially a modular system based on a 32 mm increment. This was the initial distance between two boring spindles on the first euro woodworking machine. Incidentally, many Europeans take their kitchen cabinets with them when they move. Because of this ( and other reasons to be explained ) there needs to be a common installation system that is simple to use. I am not bashing American face frame cabinets, they are just differently made and need different machines and due to the joinery and material choice have much looser tolerances. Look at Poggenpohl website, they have a video of the manufacturing process. Now this is the utimate in euro but you get the idea, the machinery is top notch. Its not a powermatic table saw, a planer and a jointer. Anyhow....32mm ( the true name of frameless ) is a system. The base cabinets should have adjustable legs, such as the ones made by Camar. There should be no integral toe. This was cables can pass underneath and water damage will not wick upwards into your cabinet. There should be no blocking of the slides or hinges, they should be flush with the cabinet sides and work "in system" ie increments of 32mm. Reveals are commonly set to 3/32" and should be perfectly lined up horizontally and vertically everywhere. In terms of the biggest installation mistake, look at the uppers. They should have "suspension blocks" in the top left and right corners. These are small adjustable hardware that have a hook on the back that fit onto a metal rail that is attached to the wall behind. The reason for these suspension blocks is this,...if you were to say mount the cabinets directly to the wall with screws, the cabinets will conform to the irregular contours of the wall. These forces cause racking of the box, the box has no face frame to keep the opening square, now all the front edges of the cabinets are out of plane, that means your doors will not be set square or co-planar ie your reveals will never be constant. I am not trying to dissuade you from frameless. I love frameless. What I am trying to impress on you is that its very important to choose the right cabinet company. Here's the thing, I am coming from a very high level and to be honest most people dont see the things that I do. Why dont you tell them that you want the faces to be perfectly flush and the reveals equal, level and plumb. Stress this point and tell them you will go around and check each door when its done.

I just went through this odyssey, so I'll share what I learned. Frameless cabinets were introduced in Europe following the war as a way to save on materials. They remained popular because the absence of face frames provides a wider opening & more space. Because of their origin, they are also referred to as "Eurostyle". All modern kitchens seem to feature frameless cabinetry. Almost the same effect can be achieved with framed cabinets in the full overlay style. That is, the cabinet and drawer faces extend fully over the frame. I initially planned to have Kraftmaid Venicia (frameless) cabinets installed. However, after a bad experience with the installer and bad impression from a floor sample I decided to hire a highly recommended custom cabinet builder. His opinion is that frameless are essentially of equal sturdiness, but the door hinges may require adjustment with time to keep them perfectly aligned. He also felt framed cabinets will hold up better in a large earthquake. These points are strongly disputed in another thread (search "frameless cabinets" ). An Alaska resident claims they have never had to readjust their cabinet doors after earthquakes. Nevertheless, we live near the San Andreas fault which is predicted to blow any day now. Since space is not an issue and the prices were comparable we opted for framed cabinets out of a superstitious feeling that they are more "sturdy". Good luck with your decision!

Pretty much what Hollysprings said... Deedles- to clarify. Frames provide the structure for framed cabinets which allows the sides to be thinner and the connection of the box to the frame less robust. They don't do much to support the counter since all loads go to the floor and the frames don't. Frameless cabinets structure comes from the box. They are stiffer because of the basic construction techniques combined with typically thicker sides. A frameless cabinet does function more as a unit than a framed. Extremely difficult to twist for instance. In both cases the counter is first supported by the wall where cabinets are attached at the back, secondly by the sides which go to the floor. At the front: the frame or in the case of frameless the struts only work against the bending moment of the stone. Yes there a bending moment which is why overhang limits exist and why we often have rodding installed at sinks and dishwashers. Actually the strut on frameless cabinet offers little support across the opening at the front. I've on occasion specked a cabinet here and there with a 1" rail, usually an undercounter oven, have rarely had to have it rodded- up to granite guy. The biggest reason 1-1/2" wide rails and stiles are used is to combat deformation- twist, warp, cup. Using: better seasoning, 1/2" (or even 3/4" but not needed) sides, stronger joinery of box to frame (important) , and better frame construction (dowels or mortise and tenon) can solve most of that; allowing for narrower rails and stiles.