You must have seen kitchen cabinets with crowns on them and wondered what they were for and whether or not the crowns were necessary and served any purpose?
The truth is, kitchen cabinets do not actually need crown moldings.
Here’s why kitchen cabinets don’t need crown molding
Crown molding on kitchen cabinets is not a necessity. You can achieve a pretty silk look in the kitchen even without installing crowns on your cabinets, through the application of high end finishes and use of premium hardware. Besides, crowns don’t really serve any critical purpose on cabinets and when not done properly can actually end up overwhelming the space.
Does crown molding have a purpose?
Kitchen cabinet crowns do have a purpose actually, but these purposes are nowadays served by the cabinets themselves (through their excellent construction techniques as well as base materials) and thus aren’t really critical to enforce the use of crowns on cabinets.
The most important purpose of a crown molding is perhaps to enhance the aesthetic appeal of a room.
Crown moldings are installed on walls and bottom of walls, and when they’re used on kitchen cabinets, it’s just another supposed way of taking them from boring to extraordinary.
But nowadays, you can easily find cabinets without crown moldings that look absolutely beautiful.
And such beauty is achieved through the use of classical finishes, the detailing on a door, and even use of catchy hardwares. And most of the time, these suffice.
Aside from boosting the aesthetic appeal of a kitchen space, crown molding can also add a layer of protection to the top of upper cabinets from moisture damage that could be caused by water leakage (when it happens), as they are moisture resistant.
But cabinets nowadays are finished in such a way that they are moisture, mold and even heat resistant.
In all honesty, the only area where we can see cabinet crowns take the win is through one specific purpose they serve, which is to add dimension to an upper cabinet and make a short kitchen seem taller.
Is crown molding on kitchen cabinets outdated?
Installing crown molding on kitchen cabinets is not an outdated practice but not one that is popular either, compared to using an eggshell finish on your cabinets for example.
This is probably because of how easy (and cheap) it is to achieve a clean looking kitchen without the need for crowns on cabinets.
A potential reason why crown moldings on cabinets might not have hit a hard decline yet is probably because of the variety of choices that comes with it.
With crown molding on a cabinet, cabinets still look good, if not better, depending on the style of your kitchen, size, and finish of the crown you go for.
Is crown molding traditional or modern?
Crown molding is definitely a traditional thing that persisted into the modern world.
The Greeks were fond of it, some 2000+ years back, and they used it just for the same purpose as we do today, beautification and also to hide some of the imperfections that occur where the ceiling meets the wall.
Crown moldings before were made using a much tougher procedure and material than we find today: involving carving designs out from stones like limestones.
As with everything modernized, crown molding production today is much relaxed, and you can find a variety of materials used for them from wood, plaster to plaster-covered foam, polyurethane foam, and also flexible polyurethane.
Cabinets with crown molding vs without
If we’re asking the question whether crown moldings on kitchen cabinets are actually a necessity, we might be concerned too on how much impact and influence they exert over the aesthetic appeal of a kitchen.
So it’s important to compare kitchen cabinets side-by-side with crown molding and without.
Below are pictures of kitchen cabinets with crowns on them and without, so you decide for yourself.
In my own personal opinion, cabinets with crown molding on them look bulky and outdated. It’s just like there’s a lot going on with the cabinets. I prefer the cleaner look of cabinets without crown molding.
Crown molding on cabinets before and after
Here are some before and after pictures of kitchen cabinets with crown molding.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDb5pupJexB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
I think the reason why the kitchen on the first frame looks much superior than the one on the second frame is because the latter had a boring palette, and so the new white paint (both on the cabinets and the walls) created space and uplifted the atmosphere.
Plus the fact that the hardware got upgraded. I wouldn’t give so much credit to the addition of crown molding.
What are some cabinet crown molding ideas
Types of crown molding for kitchen cabinets
Crown molding for kitchen cabinets can be categorized in different ways, and one of the ways is based on how tall they make a kitchen look.
Some crown moldings are installed on kitchen cabinets to take it all the way to the ceiling. This type of molding installation makes the kitchen look very tall.
The second type of molding is the one installed on kitchen cabinets that doesn’t take them all the way to the ceiling.
This leaves a space between the molding and the ceiling which actually returns focus on the molding itself whenever one catches sight of the kitchen cabinets. This may or may not be a bad thing, depending on how good-looking the crown molding on the cabinet is.
Depending on which ever molding you’re opting for, the design options are still the same; you can have the traditional five step molding, which has alternating steps and angles to give your cabinets a classical look, or stacked or stepped molding with much lesser stacks or steps i.e 2 to 3, the bead and curved molding, cove crown molding etc.
Molding isn’t just limited to the crown of cabinets, there’s the bottom or base molding used at the base of cabinets in order to hide under cabinet fixtures like lightning.
The best way to actually appreciate the different types of crown molding is by asking your crown molding supplier for design samples. You’ll be overwhelmed by the different styles you’ll get from them.
What size crown molding for kitchen cabinets?
There are different ways to determine the size of the crown molding on cabinets. You can take the baseboards in your kitchen as a reference. The height of your baseboards should determine how high your crown molding should go, if you don’t want to take it to the ceiling.
The general rule of thumb is that your crown molding should be at least the same height or only slightly smaller than your baseboard.
One important factor is the ceiling height too. Basically, the height from the floor of the kitchen all the way to the ceiling.
When you have a room that is short, installing a taller crown molding on the cabinet can make the kitchen look tall. If that’s something you want to achieve with your kitchen, then go for it.
Some people simply dislike the overwhelming look of a short kitchen with tall crown molding on its cabinets: sometimes completely filling the space between the cabinet and the ceiling thereby breaking the aesthetic headspace.
If you’re that type of person, you’d want to stick with this rule instead: the smaller the room, the shorter the crown molding. That’s minimalist!
Let’s take a reference measurement for instance. For a standard 8 foot ceiling the crown height should be between 2 to 6 inches and no more.
For a much taller ceiling (incrementing in a sequential order i.e 9,10 etc.), increase the higher end of the range by an inch or two and work with the new range.
Cabinet crown molding alternatives
No crown
One of the most exciting crown molding alternatives for cabinets is the no crown look. Opt to go for cabinets without crown molding, and you’ll be surprised at how beautiful they’ll turn out.
Peel and stick strips
Instead of the regular solid wood, or polyethylene cabinet moldings, the faux peel and stick version is made consisting of an adhesive back with a plastic cast in front.
Purchase it from your local stores or home center and apply them on the top of your cabinets to mimic the looks of a crown molding.
Wallpaper borders
Just like the peel and stick strips, wallpaper moldings are a faux. You can find them in different designs, and some can actually mimic the designs of a crown molding.
You can find wallpaper borders with adhesive back or those that you’ll have to attach using an adhesive you purchased. The former is the much more convenient option, although it may not last as long.
Install the cabinets to the ceiling
You can also choose to install your cabinets to them ceiling so you eliminate the need to use a crown molding on it. This can turn out excellent if done properly.
Project the wall to meet the cabinet instead
One popular way to eliminate the headspace between cabinet tops and ceiling is to have a wall extension (more like a bar) from the ceiling so your cabinets will meet the wall when you install them. This can serve as a great alternative to crown molding.