Souped-Up Stock Cabinets

Even if you're limited to standard cabinets from a home center, there are ways to ''customize'' your kitchen. Contributing editor Gary Striegler shares strategies for achieving visual interest in any kitchen by arranging cabinets to take advantage of differences in height and depth; by dressing up cabinets with molding, applied carvings, furniture feet, pilasters, corbels, decorative posts, and different toe-kick treatments; and by grouping cabinet boxes into attractive kitchen islands with space for appliances, shelves, or sitting areas.