Storage needed beyond the kitchen
A beverage station, desk nook or laundry cabinets made alongside the kitchen keeps the finish and door style consistent.
Serving Des Plaines & nearby Mount Prospect, Park Ridge
Custom Kitchen Cabinets in Des Plaines, IL
Cabinets designed and built for your Des Plaines kitchen's exact walls, ceilings and appliances, then installed by the same team.
- Local crews working in Des Plaines ZIP 60016, 60018
- Design, permits and every trade on one schedule
- A written, itemized estimate before any work
When Des Plaines kitchens need custom cabinets
When a kitchen has odd dimensions, tall ceilings or a style worth matching, built-to-fit cabinets are the honest answer. We measure your Des Plaines kitchen in detail, send drawings for approval and handle construction, finishing and installation in one job.
Door style or detail you can't find
Beaded inset, a narrow Shaker rail, a specific profile from an old door — we can make the detail you want instead of the closest catalog match.
Cabinets that stop short of the ceiling
Tall ceilings make standard uppers look small. We build cabinets that use the full height, with stacked upper doors or glass on top if you like.
Wide gaps and fillers everywhere
Previous cabinets show three-inch filler strips at every wall and appliance. Built-to-fit boxes close those gaps and gain storage.
Storage that doesn't fit how you cook
Catalog interiors are one-size-fits-all. We design drawers, dividers and pull-outs around what you own and where you use it.
Odd dimensions that stock sizes can't fill
Off-standard walls are where catalog cabinets look patched together. Building every cabinet to the measurement removes the filler strips and dead space.
Small appliances crowding the counter
An appliance garage with a lift-up or pocket door hides the toaster and coffee maker while keeping them plugged in and ready.
A pantry wall that wastes space
A floor-to-ceiling pantry wall sized to the room holds more than a pair of stock tall cabinets with fillers between them.
What the project covers
- Design visit and detailed measuringAn in-home design visit with precise measurements and a list of what each cabinet has to hold.
- Drawings and renderingsYou review drawn elevations and 3D views and sign off on them before construction starts.
- Wood, door and finish samplesSpecies, door profiles and finish samples so you choose with real pieces, not screen colors.
- Building the cabinetsConstruction of each cabinet to its measured size, including pull-outs and dividers.
- Tear-out and site prepWe remove the existing cabinets, protect the house and prepare walls for the new boxes.
- Panels, crown and trimFinished panels for appliances and exposed sides, plus crown and light rail.
- Hardware and final adjustmentEvery hinge and slide adjusted and the hardware set straight before we call it done.
Finishes and options
Paint-grade constructionFor painted cabinets, maple frames with MDF center panels resist the cracks that solid panels can show at joints.
Maple, cherry, oak and walnutEach species looks different: smooth maple, warm cherry, open-grained oak and deep brown walnut.
Painted, stained and two-tone finishesChoose any paint color, a stain matched to your trim, or mix them between perimeter and island.
Inset vs. full overlay doorsFull overlay hides the frame and gives a little more opening; inset shows the frame and suits older homes.
Framed and frameless boxesFramed cabinets have a face frame and suit traditional and inset work; frameless cabinets give wider access and a clean line.
Before and after: kitchens near Des Plaines
Before
In progress
AfterDes Plaines kitchen, postwar Cape Cod: custom kitchen cabinets
This one is a postwar Cape Cod in Des Plaines. The kitchen as it was: 1970s dark pecan-stained cabinets. The reason for the call: dated cabinets that didn't fit the room or the house. Finished kitchen: built-to-fit cabinetry to the ceiling in white uppers and deep green lowers with satin brass pulls and warm walnut butcher block counters. The job covered drawings and renderings, wood, door and finish samples, plus building the cabinets.
Before
AfterCustom Kitchen Cabinets in a 1950s ranch, Mount Prospect
A 1950s ranch in Mount Prospect, a typical kitchen for Mount Prospect. Before: original birch cabinets painted white decades ago, sagging doors, chrome pulls. The main complaint was failing cabinets and too little usable storage. After: built-to-fit cabinetry to the ceiling in charcoal gray with brushed nickel bar pulls and black honed granite counters. On site this meant drawings and renderings, wood, door and finish samples, plus tear-out and site prep.
Custom Kitchen Cabinets in Mount Prospect →
Before
AfterCustom Kitchen Cabinets in a 1950s ranch, Elk Grove Village
The site: a 1950s ranch in Elk Grove Village. What we started with: dark walnut-stained flush-panel cabinets with brass pulls. The main complaint was catalog-size cabinets with fillers everywhere. After: built-to-fit cabinetry to the ceiling in white uppers and deep green lowers with matte black pulls and light marble-look quartz counters. The job covered design visit and detailed measuring, tear-out and site prep, plus panels, crown and trim.
Custom Kitchen Cabinets in Elk Grove Village →
Before
AfterDes Plaines kitchen, postwar bi-level: kitchen cabinet installation & replacement
Finished: new cabinets in powder blue with matte black pulls, installed level and ready for light marble-look quartz counters.
Kitchen Cabinet Installation & Replacement in Des Plaines →
Before
AfterDes Plaines kitchen, 1950s ranch: kitchen design & layout planning
Finished: a new layout with an island, cabinets in light greige uppers and muted blue lowers, black honed granite counters and two glass pendants and recessed lights.
Kitchen Design & Layout Planning in Des Plaines →From first visit to final walk-through
- Design consultationWe measure the kitchen, look at the style of the house and talk about storage and budget.
- Drawings and estimateElevations, a materials list and a written, itemized estimate for build and install.
- Approval and buildAfter approval we build and finish the cabinets, which often takes several weeks.
- InstallationWe remove the old kitchen and install, fit and trim the new cabinetry.
- Final fit and walk-throughDoors and drawers adjusted, punch list finished, and we review the work together.
Custom Kitchen Cabinets questions from Des Plaines homeowners
Can you build panels for panel-ready appliances?
We do — panels and surrounds for built-in refrigerators and dishwashers are a regular part of custom kitchens.
Is it cheaper to buy cabinets or have them built?
Stock cabinets usually cost less up front. Custom makes sense when the room is irregular, when fit and finish matter most, or when you want details no line offers.
How long do custom cabinets take?
Building and finishing usually takes several weeks after you approve the drawings, which is often longer than stock or semi-custom lines. Installation then takes days.
How much do custom kitchen cabinets cost?
Size of the kitchen, wood species, door style, finish and interior fittings drive the price. We give a written, itemized estimate after measuring.
Which wood is best for kitchen cabinets?
For painted cabinets, maple and MDF panels. For stain, it's taste: maple for smooth, cherry for warmth, white oak for grain, walnut for dark richness.
Des Plaines contractor registration: do kitchen contractors need it?
Contractors must register with the City (via the online portal); registrations expire Dec 31. We take care of that before work starts.
Does custom cabinet project need a Des Plaines building permit, and who files it?
Permits go through Community and Economic Development Department - Building Division, phone 847-391-5380. When your scope needs one, we prepare the application and schedule the inspections.
Do I need a permit for custom cabinet project in Des Plaines?
It depends on the scope. Des Plaines's rule in short: A building permit is required for any residential kitchen remodel; non-structural work uses the Kitchen/Bath Non-Structural permit ($150 fee, rough and final inspections). We handle the permit when one is needed with Community and Economic Development Department - Building Division.
Do you work in my part of Des Plaines?
Yes. Our crews work across Des Plaines — ZIP 60016, 60018 — and nearby Mount Prospect, Park Ridge, Elk Grove Village.
Working in Des Plaines
- A lot of Des Plaines kitchens date from the 1960s. We know these layouts well and what is worth keeping.
- Most Des Plaines homes are single-family. We protect floors and driveways and leave the site clean every day.
- We know how Community and Economic Development Department - Building Division handles kitchen permits and pull them for you.
ZIP 60016ZIP 60018
Custom Kitchen Cabinets nearby
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Other kitchen services in Des Plaines
Kitchen Cabinet Installation & ReplacementNew cabinets installed, leveled and ready for counters.
Kitchen Design & Layout PlanningLayouts, 3D plans and material picks before work starts.
Kitchen Island & Peninsula InstallationNew islands and peninsulas with seating and storage.
Kitchen RemodelingFull kitchen remodels, from layout to last cabinet pull.
Kitchen Cabinet PaintingFactory-smooth painted cabinets without replacing them.