Create an ideabook for your next remodeling project!
Browse more than 1,000,000 photos from top designers and save your favorites
Kitchen Cabinets
Top Ideabooks
- 8 Popular Cabinet Door Styles for Kitchens of All Kinds
- 8 Top Hardware Styles for Shaker Kitchen Cabinets
- Top 9 Hardware Styles for Flat-Panel Kitchen Cabinets
- Top 6 Hardware Styles for Raised-Panel Kitchen Cabinets
- 8 Great Kitchen Cabinet Color Palettes
- 8 Beautiful Ways to Work Glass Into Your Kitchen Cabinets
Green Decorating
Top Ideabooks
Ecofriendly Kitchen: Healthier Kitchen Cabinets
Earth-friendly kitchen cabinet materials and finishes offer a host of health benefits for you and the planet. Here's a rundown
I co-own departure: architecture planning interiors in Portland, Oregon, where I design both new residences and remodels. With a focus on forward-thinking sustainable designs, my preferred palette includes natural materials, simplicity, and playful contrasts.
I co-own departure: architecture planning interiors in Portland, Oregon,... More »
Ecofriendly cabinets aren't just for tree huggers. Anyone wanting to improve their home’s indoor air quality or reduce the toxins they and their families are exposed to should pay careful attention to the makeup of their kitchen cabinets. Here are some handsome ecofriendly cabinet choices, along with explanations of what makes them healthier.
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Formaldehyde-free alternatives. Cabinets, and particularly their interior boxes, are commonly constructed of particleboard, fiberboard or plywood — all of which are often made with added urea formaldehyde binders or glues, which release fumes. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen. A recent U.S. Congress bill requires that formadehyde emissions in these substrates be reduced to safer levels by 2013. Until then, err on the safe side with formaldehyde-free and low-VOC alternatives, including FSC-certified plywood, bamboo plywood and agrifiber boards, which make smart use of agricultural by-products, an annually renewable resource. Formaldehyde-free cabinets can be stylish, as this kitchen demonstrates. |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| No- and low-VOC finishes. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are chemical fumes emitted from some materials. For improved indoor air quality, select finishes labeled "no-VOC" or "low-VOC." Water-based products — with naturally fewer VOCs — are best for a safe and durable cabinet finish. The quality of water-based finishes has improved in recent years as the demand for safer alternatives has increased. For added confidence of product safety, you can seek certifications from Green Seal or GreenGuard — two industry-independent organizations that give their seal of approval to building products with low chemical emissions. This airy and light-filled kitchen used no- and low-VOC finishes as part of a whole-house approach to sustainability. |
|
by SB Architects
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| FSC-certified wood. Making a sustainable wood choice can be as easy as seeking certification by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which ensures, in part, that wood products come from responsibly harvested forests. This stylish San Francisco kitchen utilizes FSC-certified cabinet boxes. |
|
by microhouse
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Salvaged wood. The most sustainable option, salvaged wood delivers richness and personality with its history. Seek out wood with a story that you will enjoy sharing with its admirers. This sunny kitchen is outfitted with salvaged Douglas fir cabinets built onsite. |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Wood veneer. Veneer, just a thin slice of wood adhered to a substrate, provides the look and feel of wood without using an excessive amount of valuable hardwood. The wenge veneer on this kitchen's cabinets proves that veneer can be just as luxe as solid wood. |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Renewable wood: bamboo. Bamboo is a rapidly renewable resource, and it's naturally stronger and harder than most other hardwoods. In this kitchen, Plyboo, an FSC-certified bamboo product, is set in a darker wood frame for an exotic look. |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Renewable wood: Lyptus. These cabinets are made of Lyptus, a relatively new engineered product from a hybrid eucalyptus species grown on Brazilian plantations. Lyptus touts the beneficial traits of hardwood and reaches maturity in just 15 years, a quarter of the time needed for typical hardwoods. The appearance is similar to that of mahogany or cherry, with a fine grain. |
|
by Amoroso Design
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Durability. Durability is an essential component of ecofriendly cabinets. Choose well-built cabinets with robust hardware that can hold up to years of operation, exposure to heat from the range and steam from the dishwasher. When making decisions, do so with the expectation that your kitchen will be in place for decades. Tell us: What is your favorite ecofriendly cabinet material? More: Ecofriendly Materials: Kitchen Countertops Nontoxic Paint 101 |
Ideabook published on May 14, 2012.
What are you working on?
News From Our Partners
Latest Ideabooks
People found the photos in this ideabook after searching for:
View over a million photos:
Anyone have further info on Ikea cabinets and VOC's? we're thinking of using them in our kitchen renovation.
Are there any other low-cost alternatives out there for environmentally friendly and low-VOC kitchen cabinets?
@tsemdkel - I agree completely! Another similar option is putting new doors onto existing cabinet boxes.
@coffey - Look for a local custom cabinet builder (and check out other projects they've completed to ensure their work is up to snuff). Despite having access to larger companies, I prefer to work with small custom cabinet shops. It's the perfect way to ensure the design aesthetics and sustainable goals are met, and it supports our local economy.
Then you give great explanation on key terminology and options! Thank you... we will be recommending this article!!!
http://www.rotsenfurniture.com
The Problem: I have found the options to be too expensive putting in an already expensive project, that of home building. Not-to-mention, the builder only deals with one cabinet installer and one floor installer.
As for other bamboo finishes, the only variation I've seen is the carbonized bamboo, which is darker. But the natural bamboo in edge grain is pretty light:
http://www.plyboo.com/products/category/plywood-veneer
@mrsben: I agree completely!
http://www.youngfurnituremfg.com/index.php
View gallery here - http://www.decore.com/gallery
View green program here - http://www.decore.com/products/decore-brands/green-program