Frameless, or European-style kitchen cabinets, have no front
frame.
The doors are attached directly to the sides
of the cabinet. Frameless cabinets, which are more contemporary
in style, offer the advantage of completely unobstructed access
to the cabinet interior because there is no front frame.
The traditional framed cabinet has a front frame
around the cabinet opening to which the door is attached.
These are the most popular type of cabinets in the U.S. and
are easier to install than frameless cabinetry because of
their recessed end panels and rigid front frame.
In a typical 12-inch wide face-frame base cabinet
the inside dimension of the drawer is seven (7) inches wide,
whereas in a euro-cabinet the drawer is eight and a half inches
(8 1/2) wide. Drawer space is also lost with respect to depth.
Accessibility is diminished with a cabinet that has a center
style between the doors. With a face-frame cabinet, the frame
is on the front of the cabinet so access is blocked to the
inside of cabinet. Although it is only a slight difference,
European-style cabinets have greater capacity and accessibility.
The best way to describe this difference
is form vs. function. There are many reasons why euro-style
(or frameless) cabinets are more functional. However, you
many prefer the look of face-frame cabinets. It is purely
a design decision since both are adequate in strength. Faceframe
cabinets look more traditional to us in the U.S. European-style
cabinets were introduced to the U.S. market in the 80s.
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Faceframe Kitchen Cabinets
The faceframe cabinets have a frame that is
attached to the sides, top and bottom and overhang each side.
Here are some other, less obvious differences:
Faceframe cabinets are joined through their hardwood
face frames.
Faceframe cabinets look more traditional as they
have been around longer.
On older faceframe cabinets, you will usually
see the door hinges with the doors closed but not on the newer
faceframe cabinets. You will never see the hinges on frameless
cabinets.
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