Cabinet Doors and Drawer Fronts

There are hundreds of differing cabinet door styles and within these cabinet door styles are matching drawer fronts. Almost all cabinet door styles can be purchased with drawer fronts in the same style. However, you might not be sure how to choose matching replacement drawer fronts. So, where should you get started?

First, it’s helpful to understand the construction of your cabinet doors in order to help you choose replacement drawer fronts that work with the cabinet door style. There are two 5-piece designs—cope and stick styles and mitered styles—or slab front designs, and understanding the specifics of each design can help you match your new kitchen cabinet doors and drawer fronts. 

Because of the configuration of lower cabinets, drawer fronts are often matched with lower cabinet doors since the drawers are right above them. When it comes to drawer front sizes, the drawer fronts are usually the same width as the cabinet door they match, while the height is different. This configuration, drawn below, shows a cope and stick door/drawer front set on the left and a mitered door/drawer front set on the right. In the drawing, you can see the different ways the 5-piece designs can fit together. 

What Are Stiles and Rails?

In order to fully understand cope and stick and mitered designs, it’s helpful to learn about the construction, beginning with learning the parts of a 5-piece cabinet door or drawer front. As the drawings above show, each door and drawer front has 5 pieces. The frame is constructed of 4 pieces, or stiles and rails, with a center panel. But what are stiles and rails? 

• Rails: The horizontal, or top and bottom, parts of the frame.

• Stiles: The vertical, or side, parts of the frame. 

• Panel: The center piece in the middle of the frame. 

In cope and stick construction, the stiles and rails meet at a 90 degree angle in the corners. In mitered construction, the stiles and rails meet at a 45 degree angle at the corners. From there, you’ll notice the construction of the rails vs. stiles is different on drawer fronts and cabinet doors. 

Notice that, when compared to the cabinet stiles and rails, the cope and stick drawer front has narrower rails than the stiles. This allows the 5-piece drawer front to be smaller in height than stile and rail cabinet doors while maintaining consistency in the size of the stiles for a cohesive look. On mitered 5-piece drawer fronts, the stiles and rails are all 1¾ inches wide, allowing most drawer fronts to be built in all mitered styles.

Replacing Kitchen Cabinet Doors and Drawer Fronts to Match

Just as cabinet doors can be either cope and stick or mitered, 5-piece drawer fronts can also be cope and stick or mitered. This allows you to choose new kitchen cabinet doors and drawer fronts that either match exactly, like Shaker Cabinet Doors and drawer fronts, or styles that may not match exactly, but work well together. Both 5-piece drawer fronts and cabinet doors can have raised panels or inset panels, so you can find an option that coordinates beautifully with your cabinet door style. 

If you’ve opted for cope and stick cabinet doors, nearly any cope and stick cabinet door design can become a drawer front by scaling the rails slightly narrower. Cope and stick 5-piece drawer fronts have the same width stiles as that particular cabinet door design (stiles are 2 inches to 3½ inches depending on the door style), and 1½ inch rails. This means that the stiles will match up, creating consistent lines in the space.

Mitered 5-piece drawer fronts are a little different. On a mitered door, the width of the cabinet stiles and rails must be the same for the corners to match up properly, and it’s the same with a mitered drawer front. For this reason, mitered 5-piece drawer fronts all have 1¾ inch stiles and rails. To choose a matching style, simply opt for the same style, where the stiles and rails will be adjusted to 1¾ inches, or choose one of the other common choices for drawer fronts—the solid plank or slab drawer front. 

Slab drawer fronts are an excellent choice for coordinating with a variety of both mitered and cope and stick cabinet door styles. When using slab drawer fronts, the same outside edge is machined on the drawer front as on the matching cabinet door so that they work together beautifully. If you prefer a little variety in your space, choosing slab drawer fronts might be the perfect option for you. 

Get Coordinating Drawer Fronts and Cabinet Doors at Cabinetdoors.com

If you’re replacing kitchen cabinet doors and drawer fronts in your home, Cabinetdoors.com has a broad selection of high quality products for you to explore. Find your perfect styles and order today for a brand new look in your space. If you have any questions, contact us online or by phone at 800-342-1010. When it comes to coordinating drawer fronts and cabinet doors, Cabinetdoors.com always delivers.