Shaker kitchens, made for your room.

01 The style

Why the shaker door never dates.

A shaker door is a simple thing: a flat centre panel inside a square frame. That plainness is exactly why it has outlasted every kitchen trend of the last hundred years.

It works in period London homes because it echoes the panelled doors, sash windows and skirting already in the house. It works in modern flats because the frame adds just enough shadow and depth to stop a long run of cabinets looking flat. Paint it sage, navy or warm white and it feels traditional; finish it in matt black or graphite with slim bar handles and it reads as contemporary.

Because we make every kitchen to measure, the shaker frame is proportioned to your cabinets rather than to a catalogue. A 340 mm drawer front and a 900 mm larder door get frames that look right on each, and the frames line up across the whole kitchen — the detail that separates a bespoke shaker kitchen from an off-the-shelf one.

Where shaker suits best

• Victorian and Edwardian terraces with high ceilings and original features
• Family kitchens that need to stay looking good under daily wear
• Open-plan rooms, where a softer, furniture-like kitchen sits better beside the sofa

The name comes from the Shakers, a religious community in nineteenth-century America known for plain, well-made furniture with no ornament that did not earn its place. Their cupboard doors — a flat panel held in a square frame — became the kitchen door that never went out of fashion.

It helps to know the parts, because they are what you are choosing between when you design a shaker kitchen:

• Stiles and rails. The vertical pieces of the frame are the stiles; the horizontal pieces are the rails. Their width sets the character of the door — wide for a classic look, narrow for a slim, modern one.
• The centre panel. Set back from the frame, it creates the shadow line that gives a shaker kitchen its depth. On very narrow doors and drawer fronts the panel shrinks, which is why proportions need to be drawn door by door.
• Lay-on or inset. On most kitchens the door sits on the front of the cabinet (lay-on). On an inset kitchen the doors sit inside a visible face frame — a more traditional, furniture-like look that is also more demanding to make. If you are after an inset look, say so at the measure and we will tell you honestly what is possible for your room and budget.

In a bespoke kitchen the frame is proportioned to each cabinet rather than copied from a catalogue, and the rails line up across neighbouring doors and drawers. It is a small thing on paper and the first thing people notice in the room.

Shaker is the most adaptable kitchen style there is, but it still needs adapting. These are the patterns we see most often.

Period terraces

Here a shaker kitchen sits next to original sash windows, panelled doors and deep skirting, so it should feel like part of the house. Alcoves either side of a chimney breast suit a dresser or a tall larder. A ceramic belfast sink and an oak-effect worktop complete the look — we cut and fit the cabinets around the sink you choose.

Mansion flats and conversions

High ceilings invite tall units and a cornice at the top, or cabinets taken right to the ceiling. Glazed wall units with internal lighting help a deep, narrow kitchen feel less enclosed.

New-build apartments

In an open-plan room, a slim-frame shaker door in a muted colour softens the space without looking out of place. Bar handles and a plain worktop keep it clean; a shaker island in a darker shade gives the room a focal point.

Rental flats

For landlords, shaker is a safe choice that suits most tenants and does not date. A neutral colour, hard-wearing laminate worktop and simple handles keep it practical — see our page for developers and landlords.

A good shaker kitchen looks calm because the hard-working parts are planned in. These are the decisions that matter most once the style is chosen.

1. Start with the larder. A tall larder with internal drawers is the signature piece of a shaker kitchen and the best storage you can have. Decide where it goes first, usually at the end of a run or in an alcove.
2. Use drawers below the worktop. Wide, deep drawers for pans are easier to use than cupboards with shelves, and they show off the shaker frame on the drawer fronts.
3. Integrate the appliances. A dishwasher and fridge behind matching framed doors keep the run of cabinets unbroken. Send us the model numbers before the design is signed off.
4. Balance doors with open space. A long wall of framed doors can feel heavy. An open shelf, a plate rack or glazed wall units break it up.
5. Think about the floor. Older London floors are rarely level. Adjustable legs behind the plinth take up the difference so the doors and worktop sit straight.
6. Plan the lighting with the cabinets. LED strips under the wall units light the worktop where you actually work, and lights inside glazed cabinets show off glassware in the evening. Planned at the design stage, the cables stay hidden inside the cabinets.

Everything above is drawn into your 3D design, so you can see whether it works before you commit. As a guide to budget, our kitchens typically come to around £1,000–£1,200 per linear metre; your actual price is fixed and itemised after the free measure.

Looking after a shaker kitchen

Framed doors have more edges and corners than flat ones, so they reward a little care. None of it takes long.

• Wipe, then dry. A soft cloth with warm water and a little mild washing-up liquid is enough for everyday marks. Dry the frame and the corners of the panel afterwards, where water can sit.
• Avoid abrasives. Scouring pads, cream cleaners and solvent sprays can dull or mark the finish. If a cleaner is too strong for your hands, it is too strong for the doors.
• Watch the steam. Open the dishwasher only once it has cooled a little, and keep the kettle away from wall cabinet doors, so steam does not run along the edges.
• Keep hinges adjusted. Doors can drop slightly over time as a kitchen settles. Hinges adjust with a screwdriver in a few seconds; we set them all at fitting.