A pantry wall that wastes space
Deep pantry cabinets lose cans in the back. We build shallower pantry units, roll-outs or door racks so everything is visible.
Serving Northbrook & nearby Glenview, Highland Park
Custom Kitchen Cabinets in Northbrook, IL
Cabinets designed and built for your Northbrook kitchen's exact walls, ceilings and appliances, then installed by the same team.
- Kitchen remodels across Northbrook ZIP 60062
- One project manager from drawings to final walk-through
- Permits and inspections handled for you
When Northbrook kitchens need custom cabinets
Stock cabinets come in three-inch steps; real rooms don't. We design custom cabinets for Northbrook kitchens to the measured inch, build them in the wood, finish and door style you pick, and install them with scribed edges so they look like part of the house.
Finish options too limited
If the shade you want isn't in any catalog, we finish the cabinets in exactly that color, or match an existing stain sample.
Small appliances crowding the counter
A dedicated coffee or breakfast cabinet keeps the counters clear. We wire it with outlets and give it a heat-safe interior.
Wide gaps and fillers everywhere
When half the run seems to be filler strips, sizing each box to the wall makes the kitchen look intentional.
Appliances that should disappear
If you want the fridge to look like a pantry and the dishwasher to vanish, custom panels and surrounds make it happen.
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.
Island that should look like furniture
A built island can carry a different color or wood from the perimeter, with legs, corbels or a paneled back for the stools side.
Storage needed beyond the kitchen
We often extend the cabinet work into the mudroom, laundry or dining room so the built-ins match.
What's included
- Design visit and detailed measuringWe measure every wall, window, ceiling height and appliance opening and talk through how you use the kitchen.
- Building the cabinetsConstruction of each cabinet to its measured size, including pull-outs and dividers.
- FinishingPaint or stain applied before delivery, so the finish is even and cured when it reaches your house.
- Tear-out and site prepWe remove the existing cabinets, protect the house and prepare walls for the new boxes.
- Installation and scribingCabinets leveled, anchored into studs and scribed to walls and ceilings on site.
- Panels, crown and trimFinished panels for appliances and exposed sides, plus crown and light rail.
- Hardware and final adjustmentPulls installed, doors and drawers tuned for even gaps, and a walk-through with you.
Finishes and options
Framed and frameless boxesWe build both: framed for a classic look, frameless for modern slab-door kitchens.
Inset vs. full overlay doorsFull overlay hides the frame and gives a little more opening; inset shows the frame and suits older homes.
Maple, cherry, oak and walnutEach species looks different: smooth maple, warm cherry, open-grained oak and deep brown walnut.
Painted, stained and two-tone finishesPainted perimeter cabinets with a stained island, or the reverse, is a common custom combination.
Paint-grade constructionFor painted cabinets, maple frames with MDF center panels resist the cracks that solid panels can show at joints.
Custom Kitchen Cabinets before and after — Northbrook homes
Before
In progress
AfterCustom Kitchen Cabinets in a postwar Cape Cod, Northbrook
The site: a postwar Cape Cod near Techny. Before: dark walnut-stained flush-panel cabinets with brass pulls. What bothered the owners most: catalog-size cabinets with fillers everywhere. The result: built-to-fit cabinetry to the ceiling in white uppers and deep green lowers with matte black pulls and light marble-look quartz counters. On site this meant tear-out and site prep, installation and scribing, plus hardware and final adjustment.
Before
AfterCustom Kitchen Cabinets in a 1960s ranch, Highland Park
A 1960s ranch in Highland Park, a typical kitchen for Highland Park. The kitchen as it was: 1970s dark pecan-stained cabinets. The main complaint was catalog-size cabinets with fillers everywhere. 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. On site this meant building the cabinets, finishing, plus panels, crown and trim.
Custom Kitchen Cabinets in Highland Park →
Before
AfterA Mount Prospect postwar bi-level: before and after
A postwar bi-level in Mount Prospect, a typical kitchen for Mount Prospect. What we started with: original birch cabinets painted white decades ago, sagging doors, chrome pulls. The main complaint was failing cabinets and too little usable storage. The result: built-to-fit cabinetry to the ceiling in charcoal gray with brushed nickel bar pulls and black honed granite counters. Work included finishing, panels, crown and trim, plus hardware and final adjustment.
Custom Kitchen Cabinets in Mount Prospect →
Before
AfterKitchen Cabinet Installation & Replacement in a postwar bi-level, Northbrook
New cabinets in warm taupe with brushed nickel bar pulls, installed level and ready for charcoal concrete-look quartz counters.
Kitchen Cabinet Installation & Replacement in Northbrook →
Before
AfterBefore and after: a 1950s ranch in Northbrook
What changed: a new layout with an island, cabinets in warm white shaker, light gray quartz counters and a flush drum fixture and under-cabinet lights.
Kitchen Design & Layout Planning in Northbrook →How your custom cabinet project goes
- Design consultationA visit to measure, take photos and hear what the cabinets need to do.
- Drawings and estimateElevations, a materials list and a written, itemized estimate for build and install.
- Approval and buildOnce you sign off on drawings and samples, construction begins; custom work usually takes longer than stock lines.
- InstallationTear-out, then the new cabinets set, scribed, trimmed and paneled.
- Final fit and walk-throughDoors and drawers adjusted, punch list finished, and we review the work together.
Custom Kitchen Cabinets questions from Northbrook homeowners
Do you also install the custom cabinets?
Yes. Our crew installs everything we build, including scribing, panels and trim, so one team answers for the fit.
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.
What's the difference between custom and semi-custom cabinets?
Semi-custom lets you adjust a catalog design. Custom starts from your measurements and has no fixed sizes or finish list.
How long do custom cabinets take?
Most of the time goes into making the cabinets, not installing them. We give you a schedule in writing once drawings are approved.
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.
Does custom cabinet project need a Northbrook building permit, and who files it?
Permits go through Development & Planning Services, phone 847-664-4050. When your scope needs one, we prepare the application and schedule the inspections.
Do I need a Northbrook-registered contractor for custom cabinet project?
Village contractor license required, good for one year: general contractors $100; electrical $70. We take care of that before work starts.
Do I need a permit for custom cabinet project in Northbrook?
It depends on the scope. Northbrook's rule in short: Village lists separate permit types: Single Family Alterations - Interior, Electrical (new wiring/outlets), and Plumbing (new fixtures). We handle the permit when one is needed with Development & Planning Services.
Do you work in my part of Northbrook?
Yes. Our crews work across Northbrook, including Techny, Downtown Northbrook — ZIP 60062 — and nearby Glenview, Highland Park, Mount Prospect.
Working in Northbrook
- A lot of Northbrook kitchens date from the 1970s. We know these layouts well and what is worth keeping.
- Most Northbrook homes are single-family. We protect floors and driveways and leave the site clean every day.
- We know how Development & Planning Services handles kitchen permits and pull them for you.
TechnyDowntown Northbrook
ZIP 60062
Custom Kitchen Cabinets nearby
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Other kitchen services in Northbrook
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.