If you’re renovating your house or apartment, be sure to pay close attention to what you’re doing in your kitchen. As the heart of your home, the kitchen will often be the most difficult room to redecorate. Between being used for food preparation, eating, and casually relaxing, this room is likely where you spend most of your waking hours.

Choosing the perfect kitchen cabinets carefully can be the difference between having a kitchen that is attractive for a few years and one that can quickly look dated. Not only should you consider your family’s current and future needs and comfort, remember that a modern-looking kitchen with ample storage space can be an important selling feature when you decide to sell your home in the future.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the wide variety of kitchen cabinet options available. Here are five helpful tips to help you decide how to choose the right cabinet doors for your home:

1) Avoid blindly following fashion trends. Many of the popular cabinet options are quickly outdated. Everyone remembers the blinding avocado and gold kitchens of the 1970s, but not many people would go out of their way to choose a kitchen decorated that way now. Selecting a timeless classic look for your kitchen cabinets is more likely to give you a kitchen that will still be considered attractive in a decade or two.

2) When you stick with a traditional handmade kitchen cabinet design, you are not restricted to plain or old-fashioned fixtures. You can get as creative as you like with your drawer pulls and cabinet knobs, as replacing them later is an inexpensive way to give your kitchen a new look.

3) Solid hardwoods that can be restored later are always a safe bet. Remember that fancy detailed engravings or raised beads and panels require extra care in dusting, cleaning and polishing. Choosing a traditional European style for your kitchen cabinet doors adds an additional element of elegance to your kitchen. A classic handcrafted kitchen cabinet made with the full “mortise and tenon” joint ensures that the cabinet will last a lifetime.

4) Custom kitchen cabinet doors have an understated sophistication that looks beautiful in any setting. Remember that dark cabinets get dirty faster than lighter colored ones and will require extra care. Finishes or Stains offer a variety of alternate colors and finishes if you prefer. Some of these decorative layers add texture to the surface, such as crackling, weathering, or glaze.

5) Mounting Calgary kitchen cabinet doors can be done in many ways. Traditional door overlays, where the cabinet box can be seen around the hinged door, is the most common variety. The least used are the recessed doors. These doors are set into the cabinet box and the front of the door is flush with the front of the box.

Regardless of the styles that appeal to you, custom millwork adds warmth and sophistication to your home. Hardwood kitchen cabinets and cabinet doors are not only stylish and durable, they will help you maintain the value of your home.