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RTA cabinets are an ideal solution when you want new quality cabinetry at an affordable cost. Even though it’s a DIY project, you can still get the look of a custom design. You just have to start thinking – and planning – like a designer.
This is your step-by-step guide to creating a DIY kitchen with RTA or assembled cabinets that will have everyone swearing you must have hired an expensive designer:
1. Start with a Clean Slate
In order to create a kitchen with a true custom look, you can’t go about changing only certain elements and then just leave the rest of your old kitchen intact. That will just produce a Frankenstein-like monstrosity, not a beautifully designed kitchen.
Though the process does admittedly begin with something of a mess, it’s best to start by ripping out all your old flooring, countertops, and cabinets so you have a clean slate. You want a truly blank canvas to create something totally new that will ultimately be cohesive unto itself.
Like shedding old baggage, you want to give yourself the freedom of a fresh re-start to design a brand-new kitchen quite literally from the ground up.
2. Choose a Color Palette to Match Your Style
As you start imagining your new kitchen, one of your first considerations ought to be the palette of colors that will define your design.
Any well-designed custom kitchen is grounded in deliberate choices when it comes to the color of every included item. For a true custom feel, you’ll want to make sure the colors in your kitchen are not just randomly copied from a magazine, but instead match your own personal preferences and values.
Though you may find inspiration from scrolling or flipping through images of professionally designed kitchens, if you worked with a top designer, they would ultimately help you select a color palette corresponding to the overall style and vibe of your home as a whole. Now, you must be that designer and decide upon your palette.
3. Pick a Kitchen Island That’s Perfect for Your Space
Kitchen islands today are available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. If you want your kitchen to look custom designed, you’ll want to be sure to pick a kitchen island that’s a good fit for your space.
Depending on the location of your kitchen windows, counterspace, and appliances, you want to be thoughtful about the most strategic place for your island. It might not be in the same spot or have the same configurations as your previous island may have been.
Be strategic in choosing an island that will give you plenty of workspace and seating if you prefer but that also facilitate easy movement around the rest of your kitchen.
4. Light it Up! 
As your designing you new kitchen, consider all the ways you can not only add visual interest but also improve the functionality of your space with different lighting options.
Your old kitchen probably had plenty of ambient light (though if it didn’t that might be something to remedy with new overhead lights or perhaps more windows if possible). However, for a custom design look, you also want to add additional lighting options.
For example, undercabinet lighting can help you see better when you’re working at the countertop and also add atmospheric luminescence when it gets dark. Pendant lights on a dimmer switch can enhance your overall design while also creating different moods.
5. Indulge in Some New Appliances
New appliances are typically among the most expensive investments for a kitchen redesign – however, they can be well worth the cost in dramatically transforming not only the look but the practicality of your space.
Best of all, if you’ve saved money on cabinets (which can often be THE single most costly expense when budgeting for a new kitchen), you can put the money you’ve saved toward new appliances. Best of all, if you swap out old appliances for new energy-saving ones, the upgrade can help you to ultimately save more money over time.
6. Add Cabinets That Give You Just the Right Amount of Storage
One of the luxuries of a custom designed kitchen is the elimination of clutter. However, you can easily create this effect for yourself by making sure you have all the cabinets you need to store all your kitchen belongings.
Most homes in “real-life” look significantly different from the glossy images published by designers because the published images stage the kitchen to only display what will look good. You can achieve this look yourself by choosing what you wish to display and then making sure you have enough storage to stow away everything else.
You might need to throw away items you never use and / or install extra cabinets to hold everything, but it will be well worth it when your kitchen has the fully designed look!
If you’re curious to learn more – or want to get your own FREE customized new kitchen layout from our design team here at RTA Wood Cabinets – just give us a call at: 1-800-788-7575.