Walk into any kitchen and its collection of cabinets is likely to be the first thing you notice. That’s for a good reason. No other element in the room commands so much real estate, serves so many practical needs, or makes an aesthetic statement quite as powerfully. Kitchen cabinets are a unique blend of design and function: what they look like has a lot to say about the overall architectural style of the house, but in the end what they do is hold boxes of breakfast cereal and stacks of plates. Just in a nice way.

Homeowners have almost too many choices when it comes to specifying cabinet details — everything from the species of wood and how it’s finished to cabinet pulls and hinges. Cabinets can be ordered in a variety of price ranges, and from local shops or national manufacturers. Prefer IKEA cabinets made from a kit? That’s another option.

Kitchen cabinets typically represent the biggest cabinetry investment in a house, but by no means are they the only one. There are others cabinets to consider, such as bathroom vanities, medicine chests and the built-ins that can be found in virtually any room in the home. All of them can be tailored to a homeowner’s budget and sense of style, and they all are opportunities to blend smart design decisions with sensible choices on materials. Providing you get some good advice.

Whether you’re looking for design ideas to pass along to a local cabinet shop, wondering how to repair or repaint existing cabinets, or venturing into the shop to build your own, you’ll find detailed suggestions on both construction and design in Fine Homebuilding’s extensive collection of articles.