Profile of Cabinet Dealers – Hanford Cabinet and Woodworking
By / April 27, 2016 September 2, 2021
Each month we profile one of our talented cabinet dealers and this month we are excited to profile Hanford Cabinet and Woodworking, located in Old Saybrook, CT. Hanford is a fantastic dealer led by owner and founder Stephen Hanford and a truly talented group of hardworking cabinet designers and staff. Hanford established his renowned firm in Connecticut over 35 years ago, based on his love of wood and the inherent beauty and warmth that it brings to life, and they pride themselves in creating quality projects built to last a lifetime.
Stephen began his passion for woodworking at a very young age. His father was a college trained instructor in woodworking and helped Steve progress in the wood medium. His love for the art grew as he became older. In fact, he chose to purchase an existing cabinet shop instead of gaining his PhD. In Botany!
Excellence in Woodworking
Stephen relishes the most unique and difficult projects because of his love and indisputable knowledge of 
woodworking and forestry. No project is too challenging for Hanford Cabinets and Woodworking. His knowledge and background in wood technology and forestry has proven to be indispensable when it comes to handling the more difficult and unusual jobs. Steve’s talent, both natural & trained, has turned Hanford Cabinet & Woodworking into the reputable Connecticut business it is today.
Stephen and his wonderful team of designers have fortified Hanford Cabinets and Woodworking as a well-established and reputable Connecticut business that we love to work with. For the Hanfords cabinetry truly is a family affair. Lane, Steve’s wife and business partner, oversees The Front Room Gallery and office duties. Sarah Hanford photographs finished work and does graphic design, and Allison Hanford is office manager, and also does design, build and install.
Hanford Cabinets and Woodworking offers cabinets, furniture, countertops, appliances, plumbing fixtures and much more. We love partnering with Hanford and are proud to include them in our list of talented cabinet dealers. Visit their website to see more of their beautiful custom cabinetry work.
Custom Cabinetry Wood Species
By / April 20, 2016 March 15, 2023The beauty of all natural wood is evident in it’s variations of color and grain. The variations and individual characteristics of natural wood make every woodworking project unique. At Kountry Kraft we know our woods! We offer 10 different wood species to choose from, each with it’s own unique set of characteristics. When coupled with our wide array of finishes and door styles, each wood species can truly make your custom cabinets an expression of your personal style.
Wood Species
Red Oak – Features a very strong open grain pattern that varies from straight to wild patterns. Color will vary from light to medium brown, often with a reddish cast. Some pin burls, dark mineral streaks, and/or white sapwood may occur, especially in machined areas
Knotty Pine – This rustic moderately soft closed grain wood that is yellowish creamy white in color and is accented with knots. Some red or black knots, split knots and possible mineral streaks enhance the rustic beauty of this wood.
Cherry – An attractive closed grain wood that is reddish in color. Can be light brown to white and may show up most often on machined areas of doors. Dark mineral streaks and pin burls are normal characteristics of the beautiful wood.
Rustic Cherry – Featuring the same characteristics as cherry but with more sapwood (whitewood), more mineral streaks and pin burls, and has varying sized knots. It is available on solid wood door styles only.
Hard Maple – Off white to light brown in color. Moderately matched blending color and grain. Allows curly grain, sugar streaks, and occasional mineral and pin knots.
Hickory – A beautiful open grained rustic hardwood. The array of colors will vary from a near white, to light brown, to dark brown. It may have pecks, burls, and mineral streaks.
White Oak – Pale brown to dark brown in color with a greenish gray tinge. The grain is very straight with a relatively porous open texture. Distinctive ray and fleck patterns may also be present.
Walnut – A closed grain wood with color that varies from off white, to light grey-brown, to deep rich chocolate brown. Streaky color, curly grain, mineral streaks, and pin knots are to be expected.
Alder – This relatively soft hardwood has a fairly straight grain. Porous end grain on panel raises and edges is to be expected. It is a light brown color with a yellow or reddish tinge.
Rustic Alder– Has the same characteristics as alder but has knots of all sizes and types. Knots will commonly have cracks and/or holes. It is available on solid wood door styles only.
To maintain a very competitive price point in the marketplace we do not as a standard use “Premium” grade solid wood doors in all of our wood species. Premium grade woods will have less sap marks, pin burls, or knots, and less variation in color because it is selected more tediously. This makes it a high price point, but a more highly desired wood. Although it is not standard, we do offer premium grade in red oak, cherry and hard maple at an additional premium. Check out this Janka Hardness Chart if you want to understand the hardness rating of each specie. Please contact us if you are interested in adding premium grade doors to your custom cabinetry. At Kountry Kraft, anything is possible!
Timeless White Cabinetry
By / April 13, 2016 February 25, 2023Over the years we have certainly seen our share of cabinetry fads, but one color has withstood the test of time – white cabinetry. Whether it is with a modern door style or fits into a traditional kitchen, customers still look to white cabinetry to provide them with a pure, clean space.
White Finishes
White finishes and glazes can be applied to any of our wood types to create a unique effect. You can choose white stained cabinets, or white painted cabinets for a different effect. White maple cabinets have a completely different look than white applied to cherry or knotty pine – and glazes can create a completely different effect. This color on distressed wood also has a unique appearance.
White cabinetry can truly help a small room look large. Adding white cabinetry will brighten up a room, enhancing the feeling of space in the room. Since white cabinetry can look cold, it is important mix up a variety of complementary shades of white in the paint, backsplashes, countertops, tile, flooring and cabinet stains. This can truly warm up a room and avoid a sterile feeling.
Warm Up a Kitchen
Another way to warm up a white kitchen is to add wood accents, on an island, or countertops, for instance. You can also add stainless steel pulls and appliances to a white kitchen to break up the white in the room, and hardwood flooring does a tremendous amount to warm up the space.
White can be made to fit into any design aesthetic – whether traditional, transitional, contemporary or modern. Cabinetry with full overlay doors can achieve a contemporary feel, while flat-panel inset doors, beadboard and rustic feeling knobs and accessories can give a kitchen a rustic farmhouse feel.
Over the years, we have created many beautiful white kitchens – like the beautiful white cabinets. This includes our slide show below designed by our friends at Stonington Designs in Madison, NJ and True North Cabinets in New Caanan, CT. With a wide variety of options available your custom white kitchen can have your own unique look and feel. You can also check out our Houzz projects for additional examples of white kitchens we love.
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Cabinet Style Primer
By / April 6, 2016 March 8, 2023Kountry Kraft cabinetry is truly custom, and each one of our projects look completely different from the next when you combine our vast offering of door styles, overlays, edge profiles, framing beads, wood type, paints and finishes. It can be hard to determine which of our cabinet styles to choose, but the best way to start is by selecting the cabinet styles that fit your design from our five most popular cabinet style options:
Beaded Inset
Beaded inset cabinetry features a bead around the edge for a decorative effect. This allows the door and drawer style you select to stand out in your design. It is not available with a door overlay. It is most popular in traditional and transitional style kitchens, and you can configure it with any edge profile, bead, hinge and drawer style.
Penn Line
Penn Line features a 3/8” inset-lipped door overlay. There is no framing bead or raise available with this style of cabinetry. It is most popular in transitional and contemporary designs. One common combination is to pair this cabinet style with our CRP door style
3001
This cabinet style features a full overlay, to allow the door style to take center stage. In this style of cabinetry, the cabinet does not show through – it is fully covered by the door and drawer. It can feature a bead and a raise and is most popular in contemporary and modern style designs. It typically pairs with the purity door style and full door overlay.
Cambridge
The Cambridge cabinet style does not feature a door overlay. It can be used with any of our framing beads and edge profiles. It is most popular in traditional and transitional designs and most often pairs with the CRP10, CRP10161 and CRP10797 door styles.
Inset/No Bead
In this style of custom cabinetry, doors are inset with no overlay. Because there is no door overlay, the door lays flush with the cabinetry. It can also be with any of our edge profiles, framing beads and raises, and is most popular in traditional and transition style design. This cabinet style typically pairs with the Amesbury and CRP10 door styles, but can be with any of our styles.
Kountry Kraft offers other cabinet styles in addition to these, and one of our talented kitchen designers can help you determine which of our cabinet styles is right for your next custom cabinetry project. Overall, they will show you visual examples of each style paired with our wood options, door styles and beads, and will work with you to narrow down the options to accomplish all of your design goals.