If you've ever remodeled your kitchen, you may have thought of a brand called Semihandmade while searching for chic, affordable cabinets. If you're not familiar, the brand makes cabinet doors that fit IKEA cabinet bases, as well as custom and pre-made cabinets that are, as the name suggests, semi-handmade.
The brand recently launched an exciting collaboration with renowned designer Leanne Ford – the perfect way to personalize your kitchen with the designer's signature style. Semihandmade founder John McDonald says he couldn't be more excited about the partnership: “Semihandmade has always been committed to providing accessible, high-quality products at competitive prices. Before pivoting to IKEA, we were a one-man woodworking shop called Handmade. Working with Leanne to find the right manufacturer who could fully realise her unique vision was the perfect opportunity to return to our artisan roots. It's a smaller, less scalable approach than we've taken in the past, but we couldn't be more excited.”
The designer is passionate about the line because it gave her an outlet to create the products she was looking for herself: “I told them if they could find a way to make the perfect white oak cabinets, I'd work with them. I took a little road trip to work with Alex, a talented craftsman in Ohio. recipe The white oak cabinet fronts did not turn yellow or orange even after they were sealed. White oak is most beautiful in its natural state, and that's what we tried to create (and succeeded!). And of course, we had to create the perfect warm white cabinets; a bit of a blank slate that could be translated to the homeowners' unique style. We are very proud and honored to have worked with them.”
Photography: Erin Kelly, design: Leanne Ford
3 Cabinet Door Options
The collaboration features three different door styles: Shaker, slab, and frame. While you might automatically think of Shaker cabinets in the kitchen, Ford's collection gives you a great opportunity to think outside the box. She says the beauty of the collection is that each door can be used in any room of the home. “They're all designed to be super versatile and can be used in any room of the home, from media consoles to bathroom vanities, garden sheds, closets, kitchens, and more.”
Finishing
Ford created two different finishes for this collection: the white oak cabinets have the beauty of an unfinished style, “with the fronts sealed and protected so they still have all the beauty of aged white oak.”
Meanwhile, the Paperwhite style is based on Sherwin-Williams' Shoji, Ford's favorite shade of white.
Either choice is hard to go wrong in any space. “These two finishes are completely timeless and will suit any space, and with a variety of profile options they work well in any style of home: traditional, modern, or any fun style in between,” she explains. “In a way, with this collection, I feel like we're offering a crayon for everyone. Here's your baseline, and now it's time to create what you love from there!”
Photo: Erin Kelly / Design: Leanne Ford
Hardware Inspiration
Each cabinet style lends itself to a different type of hardware. “The slab and frame profiles allow you to get creative with the hardware. Because they're already pretty simple, you can play around with really large hardware and use something impressive.”
For the Shaker style, Ford suggests using smaller, simpler hardware, which creates a more timeless, traditional look.
At Church Lane Project, where the cabinets were installed, the vintage hardware was powder coated to match the cabinets. “This allowed us to achieve a very simple, cohesive color scheme while still preserving the shape of the vintage hardware. When we're not using the vintage hardware, we opt for the handmade metal pulls that we sell in our store, which have a minimalist, clean look, but because they're handcrafted, they still have soul and character.”
Another way she customizes hardware is by wrapping it in rope and suede. “It makes it look a little more interesting, it's softer to the touch, and the best part is, you can replace it if it gets dirty!”
