Joinery for a kitchen using american oak timber in white
A family kitchen renewal in Horsley that combines soft close functionality with a warm, timber led palette. This project sits in the $30,000 to $35,000 range and shows what’s possible when Blum hardware, solid American Oak timber and a considered colour palette come together in a shaker style kitchen renovation using custom joinery.
Client
John
Location
Horsley
Project Year
2026
Project Value
$30,000 - $35,000
Materials
Solid American Oak timber
Designer
Paul Royal
The custom Joinery design brief
The homeowners at Silverwood Place wanted a kitchen that felt current without losing warmth. White shaker cabinetry needed to sit alongside natural timber, and every drawer, cupboard and pantry space had to earn its keep. Storage was a priority, from everyday crockery through to bulk pantry items and bin management.
The design solution
Cabinetry and hardware
- Shaker style drawer fronts in a polyurethane finish, giving a durable surface that’s easy to clean day to day Blum Legrabox soft close drawers throughout, for smooth, quiet operation that holds up to years of daily use.
- Cast iron handles selected for their natural feel and function, adding warmth against the white cabinetry.
- A shadow line detail between the doors and the benchtop, carried through to match the kick faces and open cabinets, all finished in a black woodmatte for a consistent, tailored look. The black detail matches the black light trims with additional black and timber panelling in the hallway that was already in the house.
- The paneling left of the window was brought into the kitchen to tie up with another feature wall that was added in the adjoining lounge room as part of their reno. We specifically carried the design feature through to the kitchen to create a blended, harmonious look.
Storage that works
- Inner drawers fitted inside the pantry for easy, everyday access to smaller items without digging through deep shelves.
- Bin drawers with an inner storage drawer, keeping waste and recycling tidy while adding an extra layer of hidden storage.
- Full height pantry storage with a mix of open shelving and pull out drawers, organising everything from small appliances to pantry staples
Materials and finishes
- Stone benchtop with a matching splashback, for a seamless, low maintenance work surface
- Solid American oak Timber used for the open shelving and bench detailing, bringing warmth and texture against the white cabinetry which ties in with flooring and other timber features throughout the house.
- Colour panels fitted under the overhead cabinets, adding a subtle design layer that ties the black hardware and timber tones together
- A feature timber slat wall panel in American oak with black shadow lines, used to define the transition into the laundry and dishwasher zone which ties in with flooring and other timber features throughout the house.
Why these design choices were made
Every decision on this kitchen was made to solve a specific problem, not just to look good in a photo.
The shadow line detail running through the doors, kick faces and open cabinets exists because mismatched finishes are one of the easiest ways for a kitchen to look disjointed. Carrying the same black woodmatte through every one of those elements means the eye reads the kitchen as one considered design rather than a set of separate parts bolted together.
The mix of white polyurethane cabinetry with solid American oak shelving and bench detailing is a deliberate balance. An all white kitchen can feel clinical, and an all timber kitchen can feel heavy. Using oak in the open shelving and bench areas, where it’s seen and touched, while keeping the bulk of the cabinetry in a durable polyurethane finish, gives the warmth of timber without the maintenance load of a full timber kitchen. The design criteria was a permanent built-in breakfast table and a floating timber top.
The storage decisions came straight from how the family actually uses the space. Inner drawers in the pantry exist because deep, single shelf pantries force people to dig through everything at the back to find what they need at the front. Bin drawers with an inner storage drawer solve the same problem in miniature, keeping bin liners, cloths or cleaning products close to where they’re used instead of stored somewhere else in the kitchen.
Why custom joinery is a better choice compared to a flat pack
Homeowners renovating a kitchen usually land on one of three paths: flat pack cabinetry from a big box hardware store, a volume kitchen supplier working from a set range, or custom joinery built for the space. Each has a different trade off.
Flat pack cabinetry is the cheapest option up front, but it’s built to standard sizes. Odd shaped rooms, awkward corners or a specific ceiling height often mean gaps, fillers or wasted space. The materials and hardware are usually a lower grade, and there’s no one accountable for the design decisions beyond the person assembling it.
Volume kitchen suppliers offer more design input than flat pack, but they’re still working from a limited range of cabinet sizes, door styles and finishes. Custom requests, like the shadow line detail or inner pantry drawers used in this kitchen, often aren’t available, or come at a cost that erodes the price advantage.
Custom joinery is built specifically for the space and the way the household actually lives. Every measurement is taken from the real room, not a standard size. Every internal drawer, cast iron handle and colour panel is chosen for a reason, not picked from a limited catalogue. The trade off is a higher starting cost than flat pack, but the result is cabinetry that fits properly, uses hardware built to last, such as Blum Legrabox soft close drawers, and comes with a workmanship warranty behind it.
For a kitchen that’s used daily for years, the practical difference between a flat pack solution and a custom built one, in fit, function and how it holds up, is usually the deciding factor for homeowners who’ve weighed up the options.
The photo gallery of the completed kitchen
The finished kitchen balances a clean, classic shaker look with practical, considered storage.
Open shelving in the island gives the homeowners a place to display their own collection of teapots and keepsakes, while the working side of the kitchen, from the pantry to the bin drawers, is built for daily use. The American oak detailing and black woodmatte accents run consistently through the doors, kick faces and open cabinetry, so the whole space feels designed as one piece rather than assembled from parts.
This all ties into the home as a whole which is open plan living, relaxed, open and spacious.
