Frameless is standard in Europe.

The 10 years here I had framed drove me NUTS. I'm SO happy to have frameless again. To me, they seem 'normal' not different!!

Reasons to have them? Far better access to your stuff! No need to ease things around the frames. Much easier to keep the insides clean too - just sweep them out!.

I just had frameless installed and I really like them for the same reasons that Sara posted above.

We just got frameless cabinets and I love them, especially the drawers. You get so much more drawer space when you don't have to subtract a couple inches - or a couple inches on each side - from each drawer.

I think there are many high quality frameless cabinet lines. Just to clarify, though, not all framed cabinets have a stile that you have to ease things around and most the ones I've seen have bottoms that are flush so that you can sweep them out just as easily as a frameless cabinet.

Like Sara, my only regret was the time I spent in between with framed cabinets.

Reasons to like:
More and better access, nicer (IMO) hinges than in framed cabinets and - my personal favorite - drawer glides that actually mount to the walls instead of floating in thin air between the face frame and the rear or stubbed out an inch from the walls! That drives me nuts. Of course, all this basically reiterates the point about better utilization of the cabinet space.

Between a better layout and frameless cabinets, I got twice the kitchen function in the same space. I love them.

Have you ever noticed the wasted space between the side of a cabinet and the drawer that actually pulls out? Well, we went with mostly drawers and picked up all that space as useful space just for starters. No corners to tuck around on door cabinets.

Sounds good. So, what brands of frameless cabinets do you who are enthused favor? Active cabinet shoppers want to know. :-)

Our kd recommended brookhaven frameless. We were told that about 90% of his clients choose frameless, and everyone in-house who has done their own kitchen has opted for frameless.

So we just followed ...

As in Europe the standard in Canada is also frameless. My understanding is frameless was developped post war in response to material shortages so they are also a little bit greener in that they use less material. I would look at Kitchen Craft (they were Canadian but are now owned by Masterbrand). If you check out the Finished Kitchen Blog you can see a few finished kitchens using their product.

Of the Canadian companies selling in the US through independent dealer networks Cabico (again quite a few exanples in the FKB), Luxor, Fabritec, Cuisines Laurier, and Cuisimax are all well thought off - pretty much all the Quebec companies are quite good - the cabinetry sector in the province is very competitive.

I've had Kraftmaid frameless cabs since 1990. They were my first experience with frameless. If I could, when I leave I would love to take them with me! They are great cabs: high density particleboard covered in high quality melamine (interior) and laminate (exterior). I put dishes away wet and these are the easiest cabs to keep clean I've ever seen. Shelves are infinitely adjustable and never bow out despite heavy loads (rated for 75 lbs, I believe).

I wouldn't spend my own $$ for plywood, but more power to you if you have the extra to spend.

I will never, ever have framed again. I need every millimeter of space I can eke out, LOL.

I, too, love frameless cabs, for all the reasons stated. I also like having the Blum tandembox drawers, because of the organizers that attach to the rails. Some people dislike a metal drawer, but I prefer metal and laminate to a wooden drawer-- so much easier to organize and clean, and who sees the inside of a drawer except the cook? I think my Ikea cabs are as important an element in the function of my kitchen as my premium appliances.

The only negative I can think of is that some people do not like seeing the cabinet box in the gap between doors or drawer fronts. If your boxes are edgebanded to match your drawer fronts, the gap will not be noticeable.

Here's an example of the organization offered by the Blum tandembox:

lowspark, that's my cabinet I posted and it's framed.

I read an article on wood digest about the space you gain with frameless cabinets:

"Frameless style cabinetry can actually increase interior drawer space by as much as 20 percent over comparably sized traditional cabinetry. Frameless cabinetry also tends to be slightly taller on the inside of cabinetry than face-frame cabinets."

I chose face-frame, inset cabinets solely because of the way they looked, not because I thought they would be stronger or higher quality.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wood Digest: Face Frame vs. Frameless

The opportunity to have frameless cabinets was one of the things I was really looking forward to in our new home, & we have not been disappointed. They dramatically increase interior space & are so clean looking. The adjustable shelving is wonderful too.

Okay, you've convinced me. However, I feel I need to defend framed in one respect! I don't know about the lower units, but in the uppers, I don't see how you have more space in frameless than in framed. There are cabinet manufacturers who do not include a center stile behind the doors and I kind of like that nook you get in the front inside corner of the cabinet to tuck stuff into. I will admit that the frameless will be easier to wipe out, however. You have the same area inside, whether there's a frame or not, I would think, in the uppers, anyway. Thanks, everyone!

diane, I think it depends on how the doors are attached onto the framed cabinet. Mine are inset so the door sits inside the cabinet box, so I do lose space equal to the thickness of the doors. I think there are non-inset framed cabinets that wouldn't have that though.

I heard/read all the arguments in favor of frameless cabinets, but I realized early on that almost all my inspiration kitchens were vintage style with face-frame inset cabinets.

Good luck!

Erika

Whats not to like? Sure framed have vintage charm but frameless make practical, construction sense and they look fabulous with full overlay doors. Ours have a 1/16" gap between doors.
Once you go frameless, you will never look back :)

Oh my gosh, this is getting more complicated! I don't even have an inspiration kitchen! I know what you mean, though. I, too, love the insets. I'm going back and forth between inset or frameless. My home is a 70's ranch, though, so the frameless might be a better design match. I do love the insets, though. And I'm going with cherry cabinets and maple floors - pretty traditional, so, maybe, the insets will win out. I just wish they weren't so pricey.

The advantage of frameless is space and accessibility. That little nook can limit accessibility. Anyway, I'd say that frameless give you the most space gain in drawers. In any case, I would measure the inside usable space of the drawers and cabinets in any brand I was considering, whether in framed or frameless because it varies from brand to brand.

>>My home is a 70's ranch, though, so the frameless might be a better design match. >>

You are absolutely right. Although I think inset framed are very beautiful in the right setting, they are NOT right for a ranch. Ranch architecture has a strong mix of influences ranging from organic Japanese lines to 50's 'outer space' tech-oriented materials: linear, uncluttered, cleanly balanced. IOW, more to the Contemporary side than to Traditional.

Ranch architecture, BTW, is acknowledged as finally getting the respect it deserves, in addition to being the housestyle of choice for aging Boomers who can't manage stairs so easily any longer.

Here is a link that might be useful: SF Chronicle article on new book on CA ranch homes

In defense of framed cabinets, I don't see where all the supposed wasted space is hiding.
Here are some shots of my full overlay framed cabinets. Note the following features usually
listed as advantages of frameless:
1) No center styles
2) Adjustable shelves, bottom shelf flush with cabinet opening
3) European hinges and drawer glides (Italian, not German; Mama Mia!).
4) Where are the "nooks" everyone talks about? The only obstruction to the front opening
is the overlap of the frame at the top of the cabinet. For the tallest items, this requires
a simple tilt before placing the item in the cabinet.

Nothing against frameless, but I think face frame has been unfairly maligned on this thread.

Well, just for balance, there's nothing to beat framed in place cabinets if you're not into gadgetry. These are cabinets that are built on site and ahve permanent shelves. They're built into the walls, not hung. There's no back panel. It's just wall. The whole length of the cabinet run is open except where you choose to close it (e.g., you might close a pantry cupboard from dish cupboard to keep food particles from drifting.) You don't get adjustable shelves, and only have pullouts where there are sides, but you save all that room that the backs and sides take up. These are usually really high quality, as well, and will last 50-100 years or more, with the occasional new glide mechanism.

Really hard to find a carpenter to do nowadays, and certainly not for the budget conscious. I didn't even try. Ordered frameless. :)

dasistgut, the OP was debating between inset and frameless. With inset, you lose a LOT of space. They are beautiful, but as I posted above, they are architecturally awkward in a contemporary ranch style home.

It's like a set of Louis XIV or Regency period furniture - stunning in themselves and in the right setting. But a ranch-style home is not the right architecture for them.

dasisgut,
The loss of space is in the drawers mainly. If you were to remove that frame above and below your drawers, you would gain quite a bit of space. In addition, in the past when I had framed cabs, things would sometimes get caught on the upper frame when I pulled the drawer open.

I don't think any one is out to "malign" framed cabinets. Just saying there are advantages to both. The advantage to framed is the look - some people like the frames showing between the doors. The advantage to frameless is a gain in space and accessibility. And, as I said above, that space and accessibility varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, so it's best to measure and judge based on the brands you are considering. A blanket statement does not cover all brands.

If you're happy with your cabs, who cares what the rest of us think?