Eco-Friendly And Modern-Looking Kitchen Cabinets

The Future: Where Is Cabinetry Headed?
Kitchen décor in terms of cabinetry is changing. Certainly classic decorative motifs remain, but as technology expands, more futuristic designs become more feasible in terms of affordability. For reference, consider these 32 designs trending for 2020.

Whether or not these or something more modern moves you, quality and environmental friendliness can be achieved. Of course, there is variance. Some options are more expensive but are better for the environment, some cost less, but aren’t eco-friendly.

There’s a middle ground between affordable options that don’t fit your kitchen even as they retain the modern style and eco-friendliness, and more expensive options which fit all categories but have that added cost. We’ll explore all three tiers here.

Building With Reclaimed Materials
The cheapest way to go is to build your own cabinets from reclaimed materials. You can rent table saws and other tools, though it’s smarter to buy certain tools and rent others. Plenty of blueprints exist online. Whenever you build something yourself, it’s better for the environment, as you use less energy. Using reclaimed materials minimizes reduces materials use.

The ability to use the internet and rent building tools is itself modern. You can get blueprints which you wouldn’t be able to conceive on your own, and which are modern in design. You can then paint using modern color patterns and organically-derived, eco-friendly paints. Such a move will comprehensively reduce costs and environmental impact.

However, unless you’re experienced with woodworking, what you’ll be able to achieve will take time, and it will have a limited level of quality. Also, it’s possible you could hurt yourself. Still, making your own cabinets can be a fine project, and it is doable.

Utilizing RTA Solutions
One of the best middle-ground options between total eco-friendly DIY builds and expensive custom-built cabinets is the RTA route. Ready To Assemble cabinets are produced in a way that’s streamlined and cost-effective. You go online, choose the designs that fit your kitchen, enter in associated dimensions, the cabinets are shipped to you, and then you build them.

There are quite a few different RTA options, and through sites like bestonlinecabinets.com, you can find these and other available cabinetry solutions. Through online providers, in general, you’ll have a better chance of securing eco-friendly kitchen options. Also, you can find what new options are out there in terms of style. The internet will usually have new styles first.

Traditional And Custom-Built Options
Traditional cabinets can be purchased from furniture sellers that buy from previous owners. These may not fit your home, but going with such routes maximizes the utility of a piece of furniture, keeping it from being trashed. Ideally, trash gets repurposed or reused; this isn’t always the case. So keeping furniture in circulation is actually good for the environment.

You can also simply pick up cabinets from local furniture sellers. You’ll find all variety of modern trends there. However, traditional options have a higher likelihood of being less friendly to the environment.

Custom-built furniture through contractors are generally more expensive, but you can get things that are unique to your home, beautiful, and nicer to the environment than buying more mainstream, produced options through conventional outlets. The process will take longer than some other options on this list.

Weighing Your Options For Greatest Eco-Friendliness
Ultimately, some options which wouldn’t be ecologically friendly for one area of the country, are ecologically friendly for another. For example, a massive recycling plant may be too large to offset the garbage impact of a small town. In a city, it would be perfect. To be the most balanced requires taking multiple factors into account.

Sometimes buying furniture is similar—mass-produced plastic for a very large operation can be better than the impact of sources like wood, and the deforesting associated with it. Synthetic materials are ideal for big builds, like those on an industrial scale. They may be more appropriate for some home remodeling, too; a consultation can help you find out.

Generally, for highest eco-friendliness, go with reclaimed wood and build yourself, or seek solutions from contractors. RTA cabinets have a lot to recommend them. Trends like these are defining modern furniture acquisition and remodel, so they’re considered for many reasons. Weigh your options, and budget against unique features of your home to find the most modern, ecologically friendly cabinetry.