How to Choose the Right Custom Cabinetry for your Home

There’s something to be said for the phrase “from the comfort of your own home”. Have you been dreaming about completing your home renovations with custom storage cabinets? Whether you find you’re now working from home and desperately looking for additional space, or are simply seeking some more storage, there are ways to ensure your interior design provides maximum comfort and efficiency.

Buying store-bought furniture may be quicker, but buying custom-designed cabinetry will give you a solution that meets all your needs (and caters exactly to your tastes!). It’s true that there are exceptional fine furniture offerings at high-end showrooms. But while likely more time consuming and often more expensive, nothing quite compares to the quality and design of a custom product. Indeed, reputable and skilled cabinet makers know that quality is the cornerstone of their profession - meaning it is often more prudent and satisfying to invest in high quality custom furniture.

Whether you are looking to install a custom cabinet in your home or still weighing your options, we have devised a step by step guide that will help ease you make your decision and guide you through the design and fabrication process for custom furniture.

Step 1: Define the purpose of your custom cabinetry

With any aspect of home renovation, it’s vital to have a plan. To begin with, it is essential to understand the ultimate purpose of each room and every piece of furniture. Do you want to transform a room into a home office, with comfortable furnishings that will increase work flow and productivity? Or are you dreaming of a luxurious entertainment hub - complete with flat screen TV, a mind-blowing sound system and the latest in electronic gadgetry - to spend free time with family and guests?

Thoughtful consideration of what types of furniture pieces you need and how they will function is key. And don’t hesitate to take it all a step further with multi-functional furniture that can save space and offer more functionality. Perhaps a retractable Murphy Bed behind the media center will give you that extra guest room you really wish you had (after all, the holidays always get crowded and it’s always best to have room for more!). These considerations should form the foundation of your home transformation journey. Indeed, with an inspired and functional design, you can build custom cabinetry that incorporates all of your family’s unique needs - and then some.

Step 2: Measure the Space of Your Room

It can be easy to get bedroom envy when you see all the spacious, perfectly shaped bedrooms in magazines and on Social Media, but at Zoom-Room we understand that not all bedrooms are the ‘ideal’ shape and size.

In reality, many second, third and fourth bedrooms can be on the small side, have “interesting” alcoves and cupboards, or have sloping ceilings that can pose a problem when buying furniture or designing your space. And if you live in a studio apartment, there’s no escaping architectural idiosyncrasies! At Zoom-Room, these are challenges we face every day. We encourage you to look around your bedroom and ask yourself, ‘Am I making the most of the space I have?’

Do your wardrobes make the most of the floor-to-ceiling span, even if the ceiling is sloped? Is there room under your window that could be used for extra storage, but you’re not sure how? Is your alcove going to waste, but you’re not sure what furniture will fit? Appreciating how much room you have and what is possible to maximise your bedroom’s assets is key to creating the home you will love forever.

Even if your designer or cabinet maker will come in to take measurements, do it yourself first. This will give you a head start for your initial conversations with the trades, give your designer a clear idea from the outset what they are dealing with, and give you a point of reference (and ability to do a reality check) when you’re presented with ideas and drawings. At first, there’s no need to be too exact (but let the professionals know you may be off an inch here or an inch there) - until you get down to shop drawings, more general dimensions will do. But each time you’re shown a drawing, re-measure to make sure it will work. This offers peace of mind and a guarantee all the custom furniture pieces will fit as they should.

At Zoom-Room, we design custom cabinetry that focuses on functionality, ergonomics and storage needs. But in addition, we bring creativity to the table not only with our remarkable Murphy Bed products, but with design ideas that surpass what you had imagined was possible.

Step 3: Selecting Storage and Cabinet Style Options

There are few people who claim to have too much storage in their homes. There are three main questions to answer when thinking about home storage solutions. The first is “What needs to be stored and how can I design custom cabinetry to make my stuff as accessible as possible?”. The best strategy here is to take a survey of everything you need put away, including things that already have a place that is not as efficient as you would like it to be. Here it’s worth actually taking inventory. We once did a closet where the client detailed every item of clothing he was expecting to store (with some extra space for future purchases). You can be sure that the tie rack was in the right place, there was a space for each suitcase for this well-travelled individual, suits and shirts were hung so they were visible for easy selection, and those “little things” like gloves, winter hats, bathing suits, etc. all had their place. This is worth doing because even though things do change, if most of your stuff has a specific spot where it belongs, you’ll always know where to find everything you own.

The second question is “What kind of cabinet will work best to store these items?”. Here you and your designer can really shine, and where you can find the exact custom cabinet solution you really need. Do you have lots of toys for the grandkids that are only used when they come over (and you really want hidden when they’re not there?)? Do you have gold trophies that are stuck on some shelf but that you’d really like to display? What about that beautiful hand blown glass piece that’s now sitting in some corner? Or maybe, like so many of our clients, you want your own home office. Our designers specialize in the art of combining form and function to create a seamless work space. With more than 5% of the American population working from home annually, a figure which is on the rise, we believe your home office doesn’t have to be a lifeless cubicle or a boring, drab desk. At Zoom-Room, we look at what you really need, and come up with art boxes, printer pull outs, smart AV storage, shoe storage, hamper pullouts, pull out tables, folding tables...well, you name it. Experience in designing small spaces pays off when you’re trying to find the best and most trend setting solution.

Step 4: Picking the right materials for your Custom Cabinetry

The third question, last but not least, is the style of the custom cabinets you want for your home. We can do a whole series of blog posts on this subject (and probably will). Suffice it to say that you need to consider the current style of the room (unless you’re planning a gut renovation), the style you really love (always keep a scrapbook of furniture you find and love in magazines, on Pinterest, on social media or from anywhere on the web), and your budget. From there, whether it’s traditional, modern or contemporary, your designer at Zoom-Room or wherever you’re getting advice can direct you towards the latest materials and hardware.

Embellishments like architectural moldings, specialty panels and textured materials can help enhance the design of the room with a modern, industrial, or more traditional style. From our all wood Traditional Royal Line finished in the finest hardwood veneers with a wide variety of hand applied stains and custom mixed paints, to transitional Shaker Cabinets or the American Modern Line featuring all-wood flat panels, and onto a large selection of laminates, from standard finishes made in the USA to premium and even high-gloss materials made in Europe, there is a solution that provides the exact look you’ve always wanted.

We’re always trying to strike that perfect balance between making a design statement whilst providing an ideal place to store all your essentials (including that guest Murphy Bed hidden in an elegant cabinet) and make the room work for you. For example, our City Plus Wall Beds feature high tech laminates from Austria to create smashing contemporary decors. Of course, we specialize in custom cabinet designs specifically crafted to house remote controlled Zoom-Room Murphy Bed, which can seamlessly float into a cabinet by day and bed by night from a simple touch of a button. But your Zoom-Bed solution can be complemented by an unlimited array of custom cabinetry.

If your home is full of rustic pine furniture, you can custom design a cabinet in the same style. Similarly, a unique trim or crown-molding pattern is easily matched on your custom-built cabinets. It's also important to consider your cabinet handles and making sure they match the theme of your home. Whether you home lends itself to a contemporary, modern and minimalist interior design or more traditional decor, Zoom-Room provides quality heirloom furniture with a full range of cabinetry options and styles.

Step 5: Call One of our Team for Free Design Consultation

Zoom-Room is an expert in designing custom cabinetry in tight spaces. You can incorporate a remote controlled Murphy Bed or one of our other Murphy Bed products. Or just call us if you need more quality smartly designed storage space. Regardless of your requirements, we can create the perfect custom cabinetry that meets your specific needs and style. Available in the American Modern, Royal, City and City Plus lines, Zoom-Room provides elegance and utility at amazing prices. Find out more now.