What is Shaker Kitchen Furniture?

A Shaker kitchen uses plain, five-piece doors: a flat centre panel held in a square-edged frame of two rails and two stiles, with no mouldings or decoration. The style comes from furniture made by the Shakers, a religious community that valued simplicity, usefulness and honest workmanship. Done properly, the doors sit in-frame and the cabinets are made like furniture.

The White Kitchen Company makes in-frame Shaker kitchens in solid wood with no MDF, hand-painted in any Farrow & Ball or Little Greene colour, made in 10–12 weeks and delivered fully assembled. Shaker cabinetry starts from £1,180 per metre including painting and VAT, complete kitchens start from £11,808, and single Shaker units can be bought online.

Where Shaker style comes from

Shaker furniture was developed by the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, known as the Shakers. Their guiding principles of simplicity, utility and honesty showed in their furniture: plain in form, carefully made and built to be used every day.

The lack of ornament was deliberate. With nothing to hide behind, the quality of the joinery and the proportions of each piece did the work. That is why the style still looks right in both period houses and modern ones.

What makes a kitchen Shaker style

The five-piece door

A Shaker door is made from five parts: two vertical stiles, two horizontal rails and a flat centre panel. The frame gives the door its strength and the panel can move slightly with the seasons, so the door stays true over time.

In-frame doors

In a true Shaker kitchen the doors hang inside a solid timber frame rather than sitting over the front of the cabinet, as most flat-pack units do. The even gap around each door is one of the clearest signs of a well-made in-frame kitchen.

Simple handles and butt hinges

Knobs and cup handles suit the style best. Traditional butt hinges, rebated into the door, are visible on the frame and are part of the look. Ours are solid brass, in chrome, brass or antique brass.

Shaker or flat drawer fronts

Drawers can follow the door with a framed Shaker front, or use a plain flat front. Many kitchens mix the two, with flat fronts on shallow top drawers and framed fronts below.

How to tell a well-made Shaker kitchen

Many kitchen companies sell a Shaker-look door. Fewer build the cabinet the way the style intends. When comparing quotes, ask about these points.

Made as furniture, not flat-packed

Each unit should arrive as a complete piece of furniture. Ours are delivered fully assembled.

Traditional joints

Look for mortise-and-tenon joints in the frames and dovetailed drawers. Our drawers are solid oak with dovetail joints.

Solid wood throughout

Ask what the carcass is made of, not just the door. We use no MDF, MFC or chipboard: Paulownia carcasses, beech frames and doors, and poplar panels. See how our solid wood kitchens are made.

A hand-painted finish

Shaker kitchens are usually painted. We hand-paint ours in any Farrow & Ball or Little Greene colour, with bespoke colour matching for a small charge. More on this in our painted kitchens page.

Does Shaker style suit every kitchen?

Because it is so plain, Shaker works in cottages, townhouses and new builds. Colour, handles and worktops change the feel far more than the door does: dark colours and brass feel traditional, pale colours with stone worktops feel lighter and more modern. Browse our kitchen project gallery for examples.

What a Shaker kitchen costs

Our cabinetry is priced per metre, including painting and VAT: from £1,180 per metre in the Cottage range, £1,818 in Town House and £2,372 in Manor House. Each kitchen is made in 10–12 weeks. See kitchen prices or our bespoke kitchen cost guide.

Shaker kitchen questions

What is a Shaker kitchen?

A Shaker kitchen has plain five-piece doors: a flat centre panel held in a square-edged frame of two rails and two stiles, with no mouldings or decoration. In a well-made Shaker kitchen the doors sit in-frame and the cabinets are built like furniture.

What is Shaker style furniture?

Shaker style furniture is plain, carefully made furniture based on the work of the Shakers, a religious community formally called the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing. It has no ornament, so the quality of the joinery and the proportions of each piece do the work.

Is a Shaker kitchen the same as an in-frame kitchen?

Not always. Shaker describes the door style, while in-frame describes how the door hangs inside a solid timber frame. Many Shaker-look doors are fitted over the front of the cabinet instead. A traditional Shaker kitchen is in-frame, with an even gap around each door.

How much does a Shaker kitchen cost?

At The White Kitchen Company, Shaker cabinetry costs from £1,180 per metre in the Cottage range, £1,818 in Town House and £2,372 in Manor House, including hand-painting and VAT. Complete kitchens start from £11,808, and each kitchen is made in 10–12 weeks.

See Shaker kitchens in person

Explore our Shaker kitchens, then book a showroom visit in Pitsford, Northampton, a home visit or a phone consultation.