The beautiful character of Antique Chestnut is quite distinctive in the wainscot of this kitchen island

“We love seeing the grain in wood, and want our cabinetry to really show some character. But as lovely as most woods are, they seem kind of, well, bland. Any other choices?”

Certainly! Perhaps you’d like our Wild Cherry; full of dark sap pockets, knots and sap wood. Or you can choose from our Vintage Collection of woods. Eight different reclaimed wood species, including Antique Chestnut, Old Growth Heart Pine and Antique Hickory. Truly gorgeous woods, unique in their appearance. You can see all the different choices on our Wood Species page.

Have a design tip that will help others? Send us your tip!

This Arts & Crafts cherry kitchen looks gorgeous in the early morning sunlight

“I’d love a cherry kitchen, but have been told the color will change. Does it?”

Cherry is a popular choice, with its rich grain and ruddy tone. And, yes, it will age and darken a bit over time, adding to its appeal. However, all woods with natural or stained finish will darken. Cherry just happens to be more affected. The actual amount depends on a few factors: ambient light, direct sunlight and stain color. As you can guess, a room regularly flooded with natural sunlight that contains natural cherry cabinetry will tend to hasten nature’s process. Conversely, a dark and dramatic kitchen with low ambient light will also darken, just at a slower rate.

We can tell you this: In 30 years of creating cabinetry for discriminating clients, we have never had anyone say, “I wish we never got cherry!”

Have a design tip that will help others? Send us your tip!

A current trend in kitchen design is to mix things up a bit with multiple cabinetry finishes in complementary shades and textures.  This impressive Canadian kitchen is a “triple threat”, incorporating three different finishes for a well balanced, beautifully coordinated space!

The majority of the  cabinetry is finished in a soft Buttercream Classic Paint, blending seamlessly with the Aga stove. For contrast, the substantial island is a bright Barn Red Milk Paint, with hints of Pitch Black peeking through the expertly distressed finish.  A third complementary finish is introduced in the hutch area.  Handcrafted from Cherry, this piece is finished in Autumn Brown stain with a Van Dyke Glaze.

The client absolutely loves her kitchen and was excited to share these photos with us, along with some kind words about her Crown Point experience:

“When we were finally ready to embark on a kitchen renovation in our 1830 log home, we searched locally for someone to build true traditional inset cabinetry.  Finding someone nearby who could do this met with dead ends.  Being Canadian, I had little hope we could access a company in New Hampshire, but on a whim I emailed them.  To my delight I received an immediate response from a designer who not only knew exactly where we lived, but had recent experience designing and installing a kitchen near us.”

“The next step was a trip to see the Crown Point facility.  We were greeted at the door with a sign welcoming us to the shop!  We were so impressed with everything about the facility-its precision, cleanliness, dedication to perfection and commitment to timelines!  From there, we worked with our Crown Point Designer, Lois Horan, through an email process that was in every way satisfactory.  She was ever patient and lead us to our final choices with a clear  but gentle vision.”

“In the end, we have a beautiful kitchen.  It’s everything we ever wanted, perfectly in line with the architecture and period style of the house, and like nothing we could have found anywhere else.  If ever I even consider having to move in the future, my first thought is that  I could never leave my Crown Point Kitchen!  The only saving grace might be the chance to work with them again on another project.  Thank you Crown Point for such a wonderfully pleasant experience, with none of the usual headaches and uncertainties seen in a typical renovation.”

-Homeowner, Merrickville, Ontario, Canada

This beautiful Cherry kitchen is the heart of a recently renovated 1901 Colonial Revival home in Wayne, Pennsylvania.  The homeowners looked far and wide, exploring options from many different cabinetmakers, before choosing Crown Point Cabinetry.  The family was kind enough to share photos, and to tell us in their own words why they enjoyed working with Crown Point Cabinetry:

“I have been admiring the photos of Crown Point Cabinetry in the pages of magazines like Old House Journal for 20 years.  But I never thought I would get to the point of actually having them in my own home!  I just thought they would be totally unaffordable. While custom cabinetry of the quality Crown Point offers is not inexpensive, it was more affordable than I had initially thought!  And, it’s a great value when you consider the added value it brings to my home once installed.”

“When you are working with a designer from a distance, it is all about communication.  I had a better sense communicating with my Crown Point Designer,  Mark Wirta over the phone and email, than with any of the other designers who I met in person.”

“From the warm and welcoming showroom to the clean, well organized shop, the employees were obviously proud of the work they were doing.  Crown Point will always get my strongest endorsement.”

Homeowners-Wayne, PA

American Bungalow Magazine recently highlighted a Cherry Craftsman style Crown Point kitchen in their “New and Noteworthy” section!

Located on the water in East Otis, MA, the featured kitchen is a bright, open Craftsman design with authentic details from our Arts & Crafts Designer Series.

What makes this kitchen noteworthy, is that the cabinetry is crafted from Cherry, rather than your usual Quartersawn Oak used in most Craftsman designs.  Here, the warmth of cherry creates a wonderfully warm and inviting place to cook, gather, and simply relax!

The Spring issue is on the newsstands until May, so be sure to check us out on page 45!

We get a lot of really nice notes from our customers, and once in a while we like to share them on the blog.  Today’s note comes from a family just up the road a piece, in New Hampshire.  They recently renovated their kitchen, choosing Cherry inset cabinetry with a natural finish.

“I want to thank you for all of your hard work.  Our carpenter says that yours are by far the nicest cabinets he has ever installed.  The cabinets are like fine furniture.  The layout is flawless!  Many thanks!”

-Homeowner, Madbury, NH

Once you’ve finished singing the “Electric Slide” which just got stuck in your head (our apologies), take a moment to click into our latest update of “From the Cabinetmaker’s Bench.” Here, we post photos of Crown Point cabinetry hot off the presses-er workbench.  Today’s featured cabinet, handcrafted from cherry, is outfitted with an Electronic Furniture Locking System (EFLS)!  A keyed electrical switch ensures the security of heirloom flatware that will be nestled into this cabinet’s felted cutlery dividers.  Take a look!

Crown Point Joins Bensonwood for Habitat Project!

The finished Habitat home sits on a hill, complete with landscaping and a deck overlooking the backyard

Earller this year, Tedd Benson of Bensonwood Homes, contacted Crown Point Cabinetry with a request. Tedd was serving as Project Steward of a Habitat for Humanity home nearby, and was looking for local support. We readily agreed to join the project and Tedd went on to describe the family we would be helping.

Tedd Benson and Crown Point President Brian Stowell go over details on site

A local couple and their eight children were living in a three bedroom mobile home with only one bathroom. These tight living conditions were brought to the attention of the local Habitat for Humanity chapter. Upon hearing about the family’s living situation, Habitat teamed up with Bensonwood and immediately began making arrangements to build an affordable home with enough space for the entire family.

Cherry cabinetry is the perfect complement to the warmth of the beams above

“Both Tedd and I can relate to the family’s living situation; I grew up in a family of 9 and Tedd in a family of 11. We wanted to help out in any way we could,” said Crown Point President, Brian Stowell.

The plan was to build a 2,100 square foot walkout ranch with five bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.

It all came together over a period of just eight days when the house went from foundation to completion! Five hundred volunteers and more than 50 local and national businesses generously donated time, labor and materials to complete the home.

Crown Point chose to help in the best way we know how; by contributing beautiful cherry custom kitchen cabinetry! 

After the completion of the home, a dedication ceremony was held. More than 100 visitors and volunteers toured the home and then gathered together to recognize those who contributed to the project’s success.

A carving above the front door represents the family and pays homage to all of those who came together to build the home

The homeowners are very grateful for their new home. Like all homeowners, they made a down payment, and will pay a monthly no-interest mortgage, taxes, insurance and maintenance costs. The family put in a great deal of volunteer hours working on their own home and will also volunteer on a future Habitat project.

Crown Point is proud to have been part of this project!