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7 Ways to Save Money on Kitchen Cabinets

Hold on to more of your money without sacrificing style with these cost-saving tips

Sam Ferris
Sam Ferris18 September, 2025
Houzz Contributor. I have more than seven years of experience in the design industry, including residential renovation, cabinet, and flooring design. I currently work for RVK Architecture, a professional design firm that delivers successful architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture solutions to public and private clients.
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Buying kitchen cabinets on a budget? There are numerous small ways to make a difference that all add up. It can be about the wood species you pick for your doors, incorporating more shelves, or the number of drawers you include in your design. Best of all, you won’t always have to sacrifice decorative details. Here are seven money-saving tips for buying cabinets.
Coddington Design
1. Compare door styles
You’ll probably have a specific door style in mind, but if your goal is to save money, it’s best to select two or three options and compare the cost. Door styles can make a dramatic difference in the price of your cabinets.

Raised panel and inset door styles will almost always cost more. Often, Shaker-style doors cost less, but that isn’t always the case; it can vary based on the cabinet manufacturer.

Slab door fronts are normally less expensive across the board, which is a perfect fit for thrifty homeowners designing a modern or contemporary kitchen.
Tim Clarke Design
2. Replace wall cabinets with open shelving
Shelves will do wonders for your bank account. Yes, you’re sacrificing storage space. Yes, they’re more maintenance. However, you’re definitely not sacrificing your retirement funds. Standard wall cabinets can account for hundreds of pounds of your total cost, so the price difference can be dramatic.
FRAHER Architects
3. Choose an affordable wood species
The right wood species can shave several hundred pounds off your total cost, so before you pick a particular wood type, take a look at how it compares to other species. Pine is often the most affordable, for example, while walnut is usually more expensive, so you’ll probably want to keep shopping if you’re trying to cut costs.

Ultimately, the price of different wood species will be determined by your location and by the cabinet manufacturer. Ask your designer about the most affordable types.

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Brilliant SA
4. Do without soft-close drawers and full-extension slides
Sacrificing common upgrades such as soft-close drawers and full-extension slides can save you a surprising amount. Remember that they’re just perks – they aren’t required to get a functional or good-looking design.

If you’re concerned about wear and tear, try door pulls instead. They can be a much more affordable option that can help preserve the integrity of your door and drawer fronts.
Dovetail Workers in Wood ltd
5. Say no to pull-outs
You’ve got to decide whether the added convenience is worth the expense or not. Any type of pull-out, be it a rubbish bin, sliding shelves or miracle corner, will drive up the bill.

Plan to place your rubbish bin somewhere else, such as a pantry or at the end of your island. Stick to standard blind corners and base cabinets without the bells and whistles.

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Locksley Architects
6. Customise less
You may be tired of hearing it, but it’s true: the fewer details you choose, the less you’ll pay. Corbels, decorative mouldings, cornices, matching end panels, glass door fronts and more are surprisingly costly. These customised options are a sure-fire way to increase the cost.

This doesn’t mean you have to go without any sort of decorative touch, though – just be strategic about it. Perhaps splurge on glass door fronts and save on cornices; add a few decorative legs and cut back on the pull-outs. The bottom line: you can add some detail and find other ways to save.
Studio Terra Nova
7. Opt for more doors, fewer drawers
So you’re in love with a raised panel door style, and you want a clean-looking wood species such as oak. There’s good news: saving money isn’t a totally lost cause. To offset the extra costs these two selections bring, include fewer drawers in your design. Drawer bases cost more than standard base cabinets, so you can save a significant amount per cabinet.

Tell us…
What compromises would you make to get your dream kitchen? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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