Outfitting the cabinet

Bruce Lee, John Wayne and Clint Eastwood were some of the toughest, meanest, baddest movie stars, and each of them did something extraordinary every morning at work.

They put on makeup.

If a Hollywood artist can transform those guys into sympathetic characters, a woodworker should have no trouble turning a well-made cabinet into a conversation piece. Adding accents such as lighting, slides, lifts and decorative pulls to bare boxes can completely transform the look, feel and functionality of a kitchen, bathroom or closet.

One place we’re seeing a lot of new ideas is drawer boxes. Just as doors and fronts have moved significantly from hardwoods to hard surfaces, drawer interiors are following suit. Metal and plastic are gaining ground on the machined and hand-cut dovetail look, and woodworkers don’t seem to be objecting. That’s because an entire job using top quality drawer kits can be assembled in about the time it takes to set up a dovetailing jig or CNC toolpaths.

Among the manufacturers offering new drawer systems is Grass America (grassusa.com), whose current catalog includes options from the its budget-conscious Zargen drawer system all the way up to the premium Nova Pro Scala. This latter takes a traditional five-panel drawer box down to three elements by using single-piece steel drawer sides. The system has an integrated, synchronized, full-extension drawer slide, with options that can include Tipmatic soft-close and Sensomatic opening. Grass says that Nova Pro Scala is “a breeze to assemble and install, with integrated height, depth, and side adjustments”, and it has a quick-release drawer front for easy cleaning.

Grass’s Zargen system’s slide travel is from 13.78" to 21.65", which covers most closet and kitchen needs. And Nova Pro Scala has a wider range at 11.81" to 25.59", which accommodates those larger and deeper drawers that inhabit storage rooms and closets. It also includes standard and pencil drawers, roll-out trays, and customizable side and height adjustments that help designers build spaces for clients with specific needs.

The AvanTech You drawer system from Hettich (hettichdesign.com) is another strong alternative to shop-built wooden drawer parts. It delivers “design diversity and creative flexibility” with concealed working parts instead of drawer slides, and a slimline and sleek drawer side profile. It’s very customizable with a wealth of options in terms of colors, sizes and materials. Attractive highlights can be added with designer profiles, DesignCapes, and inlays. Those capes are clip-on covers and they let the client choose the external drawer side color. Components in the system can be combined easily because they all use the same drilling pattern, which helps with cost and efficient workflows, and makes for a broader product lineup.

The new Merivobox family of metal drawer box systems from Blum (blum.com) also offers flexibility, aesthetic appeal and easy manufacturing. A variety of looks can be achieved with just a few components, and they all use the same across-the-board installation sequence. That simplifies the learning curve on both the shop floor and the jobsite, as users can easily switch between different heights and designs without learning new techniques. And the simple, clearly labeled, and easily accessible three-way adjustment options make it easy to align fronts. The system comes in a choice of two colors and the drawer sides form the frame of the drawer. That makes it possible to build, say, a deeper drawer with a closed metal side, or an open side with a gallery rail. The sides reflect light for visual interest, and the full extension drawers hold up to 170 lbs. and can be as wide as 55".

Beyond drawer boxes, Blum has also introduced the Space Step, which uses the toe kick space under the cabinet to provide a built-in step for users to reach higher surfaces and cabinets. The step slides out of the way to reveal storage space, and it works with any of Blum’s drawer runners or box systems. And the new Aventos HKi lift system from Blum is integrated into the edge of a cabinet side, so it completely disappears when closed. (It’s also quite discreet when the door is open.) This fall, Blum will bring its Aventos Top program to the U.S., which is hinged on top rather than on the sides. With different opening styles, the HF, HS and HL tops will offer different ways to attach lift-up doors for unobstructed access to stored goods, and the design makes for easy manufacturing and assembly processes.

Open, floating shelves are currently trending as a wall-mounted alternative to upper cabinets, and Hettich’s CubePlus system certainly addresses that need. From the woodshop’s point of view, it’s incredibly versatile when it comes to design. The units assemble quickly in the shop or on the jobsite, and Cube Plus somehow manages to simultaneously bring both drama and order to the same space.

Häfele’s new modular lighting, called Loox LED, has attracted quite a bit of interest already. The system adapts easily to a shop’s designs and needs, and works in practically any interior environment. Installation is plug-and-play, which allows for all manner of placement, switching controls, and personalization. It can be used in both dry and wet areas, in drawers and cabinets, closet fixtures, cubbies, built-in furniture and other casework, and in practically any area of a home or business. The options range from bright, flat lights at just under 1/4" thick to bedside gooseneck reading lights with two built-in USB chargers. Loox strip lights are available in a variety of color temperatures from yellow to blue/white, and can be installed with an included 3M backing tape. They can also be housed in an assortment of extrusions for a sleek, finished look. Strip lights can be cut to fit for length, and the system’s puck lights, which come in a range of finishes and trims, can be surface or recess mounted.

In addition to mechanical push button and door activated switches, Loox offers switching by remote control, single-stage motion detection, dual-stage motion detection and body heat activated switches. There are also capacitive switches, which can be recessed into wood and then turned on or dimmed with just the wave of a hand. LED light fixtures radiate very little heat and conserve energy well, and these low-voltage lights have an extremely long life and are quite powerful. They have a rich and saturated color that, with a simple push of a button, can dramatically illuminate any room or accentuate a specific area.

In March, Hera Lighting (heralighting.com) announced the launch of Spot-AI, an app-based platform that lets retailers manage a store full of track spotlights from the convenience of a phone by using Bluetooth and WiFi. The app has tunable color and it monitors foot traffic, analyses data, and tracks energy management.

Outwater Industries (outwater.com) carries a full range of LED cabinet lighting, and the company also offers angled power strips that fit snugly up under wall cabinets to provide plenty of outlets without interfering with the view of the backsplash or revealing ugly wires.

Tresco Lighting (trescolighting.com) offers a very brief but quite informative free guide to lighting online, which is called Lighting 101. This is an unusually helpful company that works with woodshops to design and manufacture specific lighting solutions.

Richelieu Hardware (richelieu.com) invites woodworkers and designers who are looking for large handles to make a statement with its oversized pull. At 50-3/8" between screw centers (6" and 12" matching versions are available, too), these massive pulls are designed for big projects such as sliding doors, very wide drawers, pull-down beds and the like. There are two designs: the 8765 which has straight sides that taper slightly as they reach into the room, and the more modern and crisper T-profile 8460.

The new Loxley Collection from Jeffrey Alexander (hardwareresources.com) consists of a single drawer pull, a round knob and a rounded rectangular knob. And while there are only three elements, each is offered in a choice of seven finishes. This is elegant simplicity at its best. The pull and knobs are metal, smooth, almost tactilely liquid, and designed to add an exclamation point to superior doors and drawer fronts.

Another new Jeffrey Alexander collection, Southerland, consists of pulls available in three lengths, with two coordinating knobs. The design is inspired by a four-leaf clover and brings a hint of whimsy to what might be considered a classical Georgian design that perhaps leans a bit heavily on its Greek roots.

Sometimes a client is looking for something original, rather than trendy. Last year, Schaub and Company (schaubandcompany.com) introduced a fused glass collection of pulls and knobs that fits that bill. These are squares, half-circles, ovals, rounds and rectangles of this bright, reflective and quite elegant manmade art material, where each is set on a brushed stainless steel or gold metal stud. So far, there are eighteen distinct pieces of decorative hardware in the series (8 pulls, 10 knobs), with the pulls on either 4-1/2" or 6" screw centers. They could make for an interesting installation, given their luminous nature and the new opportunities that LEDs provide for indirect lighting.

Idaho-based Rocky Mountain Hardware (rockymountainhardware.com) is a small foundry that turns molten bronze into custom hardware. Each item is handmade from mold to finish, and the pricing reflects this. But the result is a line of product that is unusual if not unique to each kitchen or bath it graces, and that is most definitely made in the U.S.A. Among the newest additions to the catalog is Phases, which is a collaboration with designer Jennifer Hoey’s Suede Studio. This is a new line of premium bath and kitchen accessories, and while the collection is just eight items, it is stunning. Included are four bathroom fixtures, plus a cabinet knob and two pulls, and a large door pull that comes in options up to 18" on center with a dozen finish choices.

Amerock has debuted 12 new bath accessory collections. The hardware has traditional roots and a functional, sensible feel. And despite its name the company’s other new catalog, Everyday Basics, seems more contemporary and has the added benefit of affordable pricing. With 49 collections, this catalog includes a lot of brass and black with sleek lines and graceful curves. The website is a good sales tool, too. The way that Everyday Basics is presented online (amerock.com/everyday-basics) makes it easy to explore with a client while physically or virtually standing in their space, and it lets the woodworker help them make choices based on an extensive range of finish options and coordinated looks.

Century Hardware (century-hardware.com) is a Michigan manufacturer with a creative streak that can both surprise and delight. The company’s Black + Wood line of knobs is a good example. Century says that this is the perfect combination of a matte black zinc base that is filled with a natural beech or sapele insert, or white enamel. The pull is 45mm (a hair over 1-3/4”) in diameter and projects 1-15/64”. The wood insert pulls have the potential to look quite dramatic when installed on paint or foil monotone cabinets, or combined perhaps with a sapele or beech worktop.

New products from Sugatsune America (sugatsune.com) include the HES1F fully adjustable slim frame concealed hinge system that can handle doors as large as 106-5/16” tall by 35-7/16” wide. And the newest products from Fulterer USA (fultererusa.com) are the FR56 family of heavy-duty, full-extension slides, and the FR5619 with a built-in anti-tilt mechanism. Another nice piece of engineering, the Air hinge from Salice (salice.com), is inserted into the top and bottom of the cabinet and the door, so it’s practically invisible. It’s quiet, too, with an integrated decelerating system for gentle operation.

CabinetParts (cabinetparts.com) offers new pantry hardware. The VS TAL three-shelf pantry pullout works with openings that are at least 15” wide. Each shelf has a grid bottom (rather than a solid sheet), and a short railing that allows easy access to stored goods. The finish is powder-coated carbon steel gray, and the unit comes with full-extension, bottom-mounted slides. It works for installation heights from 28-3/4" to 47-1/4" tall, and the action has a dampening and self-closing mechanism.

CabinetParts also offers a mixer/appliance lift (item HR-ML-1CH) that fits in a base unit that’s at least 12" wide. It raises an appliance to countertop level and has a soft-close mechanism and chrome components.

Rev-A-Shelf (rev-a-shelf.com) also makes appliance lifts, but shorter customers are also grateful to the company for another idea. In a kitchen with a full-height storage wall, reaching those top cabinets can be a challenge. Rev-A-Shelf came up with a simple solution: a slide-out that holds a small step stool. Item 4UH-BC-9C is described as a “wood universal holder pullout” because it gets used to store all kinds of objects such as cutting boards and pizza trays, but its original function was to carry the step stool. It’s a simple gizmo (just a pair of slides, a backer and a strong spring clamp), so it’s easy to install in a cabinet with at least a 9" opening.

Another clever way to gain access to just-out-of-reach cabinet contents is the Rev-A-Shelf pull-down shelf (5PD-24CRN). This is a chrome-plated, two-tier, moving shelf that brings items down by 11-1/2", while pulling out 16-3/4" from the cabinet. It requires a 21” wide cabinet opening.

Device charging is always on people’s minds now, and Doug Mockett & Co. (mockett.com) has just added several options to his catalog. Among them is the minimalist Surface Mount Power Grommet (item PCS85C/UC2), which gives customers three standard household outlets and two dual USB A and C charger ports. What’s unusual here is that the exposed surface has a very flat profile. The back protrudes quite a way, so there are some restrictions as to where it can be mounted.

Goldenwarm is a new name in discount hardware, but one worth noting. Based in Suzhou, China, the company is online at shopgoldenwarm.com and manufactures much of what it sells. The catalog caters to limited budgets, such as the newly added 20-pack of kitchen pulls (LS4466GDBK96B) that listed for $113.99 in late June, which comes to just $5.70 apiece. This is an intriguing rectangular gold pull with a square stud aesthetic and a black inlay that flows across most but not all of the top. A similar item (LS4460GDBK) is a gold pull with a black insert in the top, where the ends of the insert are enlarged a little and rounded.

Stronghold Brackets (strongholdbrackets.com) makes shelf and casework brackets that offer robust holding strength with a touch of modern elegance. The collection caters to a variety of needs from a minimalist look with floating shelves to sturdy brackets for heavy-duty storage.

And Century Components (centurymade.com) in Sugarcreek, Ohio, offers a full menu of ways to outfit cabinets including American-made pullouts, organizers and charging/docking drawers.

Originally published in the August 2024 issue of Woodshop News.