Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
nyc_dweller

Custom cabinet makers for Manhattan kitchen renovation?

nyc_dweller
12 years ago

Hi all,

I'm looking for recommendations for custom cabinet makers for my kitchen renovation in Manhattan. The kitchen layout is an approximately 8' by 8.5' L-layout of cabinets, appliances included. I was hoping to go for white cabinets with inset doors, from seeing some great examples here on this forum.

The issue is that it's a prewar building and there are a lot of quirks due to risers and pipes, thus necessitating a lot of non-standard cabinet sizes.

Please let me know if you suggestions/recommendations for custom cabinet makers (or larger companies that are easy to work with for a custom job).

Thank you in advance and as well for all the very helpful forum threads I've already read on GardenWeb!

Comments (22)

  • willtv
    12 years ago

    We used Knight Kitchens of Vermont for our recent kitchen renovation. We too had some issues to deal with. (heat risers, steam radiator placement, 2 different ceiling and floor heights, etc.)

    We're on Long Island and didn't find the difference in location to be a problem.

    They produce a high quality product at a good price and are great to work with.

    Here's a link to the before & after slideshow of our project.

    If you'd like more info, shoot me an email.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Before & After Black & White Kitchen

  • cat_mom
    12 years ago

    Our KD is located in Sparkill NY (Rockland Cty). He came up with the idea of 18" deep pantries along one wall, which allowed us to have an island in our kitchen. He worked with Royal Cabinets (in NJ) for our job, but also works with other manuf.

    Let me know if you want his name/contact info.

  • natschultz
    12 years ago

    WillTV,

    I'm on Long Island too, but my brother lives in Vermont. Did Knight come down to do your kitchen or did you go up and get the cabinets? How did you find them? Did you even bother checking around here?

    Irony: I'm trying to reproduce the cabinets you replaced - especially the knobs! We were originally going Mission Shaker, but now Mid-Mod. We actually have the slab doors now, but we're moving the kitchen and they do not fit - they are all different and custom built for the original galley. Hoping to re-use some for the island, though.

  • natschultz
    12 years ago

    Oh wow! I just checked their website - Knight Kitchens is like 15 minutes from my brother in Killington! I wish I had known last month when I was there. Some Doofus totalled my mother's car on the Verrazano 2 weeks ago and I told her that she should go up there and try to find a nice used Subaru (ever other car in Maine and Vermont is a Subaru). Maybe we can kill two birds!

  • alex399
    12 years ago

    I've used a cabinetmaker in CT for several projects, I dont think you'll find anyone better, or more creative. Check out his site linked below.

    Here is a link that might be useful: LRG Woodcrafting

  • nyc_dweller
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Great, thank you all for helping out so far! I'm going to wait a few more days to see if more people see this thread and chime in with suggestions (it is Easter weekend after all).

    If you have a recommendation for a cabinet maker, please either post the contact info here in the forum thread or email me directly.

    I'm not so sure I need a kitchen designer at this point. The cabinet layout and appliances selection is all done. I just need someone to build it how I want.

    The cabinets I'm trying to copy I saw here on Garden Web in the "I need pictures of White Subway tile" thread ; they were from redroze's kitchen:

    I've seen some other white cabinets on these forums that were great too so I am bit flexible.

  • marthavila
    12 years ago

    I'm a Brooklynite who used Plain and Fancy. If I had it to do all over again, I'd go with Crown Point. I balked at Crown Point because of their New Hampshire location and lack of a local showroom. However, from every post I've ever seen by members who worked with Crown Point, including those who did so long distance, their experience seems to have been phenomenally good. I know their cabinetry sure is. This is not to say that Plain and Fancy doesn't make great cabinetry as well. But, the overall quality of your job will be impacted by the expertise of the showroom KD who works with you. At Crown Point, there is no such middle person so the risk of getting someone who really doesn't know the product is much less. Good luck!

  • tk76
    12 years ago

    Check out Piros custom furniture. They're in Astoria, Queens next door to Manhattan (located under the N or W train). All custom made in house and can make anything as you want it. They install everything they make and do a ton of work in Manhattan. I've seen their work and was impressed. Check out their website for pics.

  • annachosaknj6b
    12 years ago

    I'm using Tony Obando in Passaic, NJ. His company name is Custom Woodcraft. He hasn't built my kitchen yet but he got rave reviews from his references and the kitchen I visited that he built was gorgeous; the home owner was so pleased that she had also had him do bathroom cabinets, built-ins for a bedroom and other projects. He is reasonably priced and just great to work with. The number is 973-472-0824.

  • jejvtr
    12 years ago

    NYC

    We used Kennebec cabinetry located in Maine - they are a small custom cab company that work nationally. We also had a bid from Crown Point. I would not let the lack of local shop deter me, rather their references, yrs in business, quality of work

    We were very pleased with the entire process, top notch organization from customer service to install

    Here is a link that might be useful: Kennebec cabs

  • willtv
    12 years ago

    natschultz, We found Knight Kitchens at a recent Home Show at the Nassau Coliseum. We checked around LI and NYC, but the quality of Knight's cabinets we clearly superior to anything else that we found and their price was not much more than HD wanted for their Thomasville line.

    After sending them a floor plan and having several conversations with them about layout and appliance placement, they came to our house and measured. 6 weeks later our cabinets were delivered. We're very happy with them.

    If you'd like the name of my contact, feel free to shoot me an email.

    NYC.
    Since they are custom cabinet makers they should be able to make anything you want.

    I'm attaching a link to Knigth Kitchens.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Knight Kitchens

  • bagpipers
    12 years ago

    We used Crown Point from NH, they are always coming down to the NY metro are for measurements and other consults. We are very happy with their cabinets, super thick, super heavy and high quality design.

  • marcolo
    12 years ago

    NYC please do some research here on copying redroze's kitchen cabinet style. Recently somebody else tried to copy it as well, and the inset cabinets showed an unsightly reveal between the doors and drawers, and the frames. The culprit turned out to be the bevel. If you find the thread, you may be able to see what the other cabinetmaker did wrong, and stop yours from doing the same.

  • nyc_dweller
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    macrolo,

    Thank you very much for pointing out that thread. I think those copied cabinets didn't turn out as nice because:

    a) the doors are too small for the insets and they appear to be unevenly spaced
    b) the bevels in the cabinet look they might have been done and perhaps aren't uniform and crisp
    c) the doors are on the same plane as the fronts, thus the bevels make the inset door gaps even larger.

    By contrast, from the up close photo of redroze's cabinets (I've included it below), we see that:

    a) the cabinets don't actually have bevels; instead they appear to be machined pieces of detailing/molding so they're perfectly uniform and provide sharp straight lines
    b) the doors are not just inset but recessed in the frames, with the detailing/molding ("bevel") providing the transition from the front of the frames to front of the doors/drawers.

    Again thank you to everyone so far. I've contacted a few of the recommendations already.

    But, please keep recommendations coming because it looks as if many of these makers are very backlogged!

    Thank you.

  • natschultz
    12 years ago

    OOOH! Those face-frames ARE mitred bevels! They look almost like old window panes.

    NYC, I don't know what your budget is, but I'd bet those frames will cost you! And, until Marcolo pointed them out, I didn't even realize they weren't standard face-frames. I wonder if that can be achieved by applying a beveled moulding overlay on top of the frames? The doors seem deeply set, and applying beleveld moulding would achieve that look.

    "If you find the thread" - yeah, I really WISH GW had a better search function! My guess is that whoever copied them beveled the entire 3/4" rails and stiles, instead of just beveling the front edge - that would definitely leave a visible gap. That or Redroze's frames are full bevels, but the actual doors are set into the cabinet carcass rather than inset between the frames (unlikely). From the pics it looks like the bevel starts 3/8" in from the face. With a good tablesaw this can be achieved, as long as you have the patience to measure very accurately. I actually had to do this to fix / shore up the framing where the old and new roofs meet (HORRIBLE GC/contractor experience - I learned more about bevels, mitres and roof pitches than I ever imagined I would need to know (or that any good builder would have REASON to figure out) - not fun!)

    Crown Point - this is what I really wanted when we were going with a Craftsman look - their Arts and Crafts Designer Series matches the wainscotting in our Breakfast Room perfectly! But, due to budget we are going Mid-Mod (simpler doors, painted = MUCH cheaper than complex doors in QS oak or walnut). But the new kitchen is in an addition and I'm making it look like it was added in the 1950's / 60's (instead of 2010).

    Kennebec - If I ever win the Lottery I am building my dream house in Maine and having them build all my cabinets!

    WillTV introduced me to Knight Kitchens in Vermont, and here's what I like (haven't contacted them yet): Their STANDARD construction is 3/4" furniture grade MAPLE - including the cabinet BACKS! Almost unheard of today! Drawers are all 5/8" dovetailed with Blum soft-close bottom-mounts and bottoms can be upgraded (important since I plan to store my dishes in drawers). And their standard finish is Conversion Varnish. I was planning to order unfinished and use Fine Paints of Europe's Hollandlac, but, depending on the cost, CV is the ONLY other finish I would ever get on cabinets. So, based on what they say on their website, I definitely like Knight because their "Standard" construction is the way cabinets used to be made, and a very expensive upgrade with other manufacturers.

  • natschultz
    12 years ago

    AHA! NYC, those new closeup pics are much clearer - those cabs have the exact same moulding as old fashioned window panes!

    However, the doors are normal inset - the fronts sit flush with the standard flat face-frames and the applied moulding makes them appear recessed! At best they sit less than 1/8" inside the frames.

  • natschultz
    12 years ago

    NYC - looking closely at those pics, I'd definitely say DO NOT recess the doors deeply into the frames - it will create an ugly shadow at the top of each door / drawer. The mouldings don't create shadows because they are beveled away from the doors.

    These shouldn't be hard to reproduce with standard inset doors in face-frame cabs. The moulding is probably 2 pieces of 1/2" window pane moulding with 1" wide, 1/2" thick flat stock in between applied right on top of the face-frames.

  • paige16
    12 years ago

    My friends used Antonio Cabinetry in Sleepy Hollow,NY which is in Westchester County and were very pleased. His number is 914 631-2353. I can certainly tell you what company to avoid but it sounds like you want custom which is a wise choice. I think you received alot of good advice here. I only discovered this site after my renovation was well under way and had a miserable experience with one company. Good luck.

  • bluemoongirl
    12 years ago

    Another vote for Crown Point here! My contractor told me that in 30 years of installing kitchens, theirs are the highest-quality cabinets he's seen. After living with our new cabinets for over a year, we are just as happy with them as we were on day one. It does require a leap of faith to make such a major purchase without visiting a showroom, but you'll be happy you did!

  • redroze
    12 years ago

    Hi everyone - I'm just checking in and am fascinated by this thread!! I seriously had no idea the technical terminology of my cabinets! All I know is I showed our cabinetry maker a photo of a beaded inset cabinet and he came up with this - something very different obviously.

    To be honest, I got a bit upset when I read DrJoann's post about her cabinets getting messed up as 1) I felt somewhat responsible as she used our cabinets as an example and 2) I was worried our cabinets weren't actually as nice as I thought there were since the insets were recessed and someone had mentioned the bevels of the frames (and mentioned that it was weird that someone would do that). Now in reading NYC's explanation, I feel a lot better.

    I really do love our cabinets. They are different and somehow the style feels both traditional and contemporary which is exactly the combination of mine and my husband's styles.

    NYC - if you were the one who contacted me via my blog, unfortunately our cabinetry maker has decided to retire. My contact may have already told you that though. If you just wanted a sample of the door or close ups I could help you out. Just contact me via my blog if you need more info!

  • redroze
    12 years ago

    My blog!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Redroze Renos

  • jan927
    12 years ago

    Much of what Knight makes is great quality. BUT (big but), they will ignore you to death if there is a quality issue. We have contacted Mr. Ritter repeatedly for at least thee years (no kidding), and he continues to ignore us. It would seem that once they have your money, they no longer care. The issue we have relates to totally defective, unusable product which cost several thousand dollars, by the way. I hope I can eventually update this post to share with you all that Knight took care of its obligation to provide to us what we paid for.