When it comes to designing with some of our contemporary door styles, there’s one trait that homeowners are often looking for: consistency in color and graining. This is a topic that often comes up when Dura Supreme designers visit our training facility at our headquarters in Minnesota. It’s often asked how one should determine which door style to order for consistency with our contemporary slab wood doors. At Dura Supreme, we offer three styles of slab wood doors; Camden, Moda, and Metro.
All three of these door styles offer a contemporary look and feel to the cabinet design. However, all are very different in how they look overall. It can be challenging to know which one you should be recommending to clients. It can also be a challenge for clients when researching their options. In today’s blog, we’re going to take a look at these doors side by side and give you some insights on what to look for when designing with them.
The Camden Slab Door Style
Our Camden door is a true solid wood door and is available in both our Crestwood (framed) and Bria (frameless) cabinet lines. Because this door is made of solid wood, you will see the natural wood that is selected in all its glory! It can be absolutely stunning, especially when using one of our rustic wood species. The Camden door is 3/4″ thick and made up of individual boards (staves) that are glued together to create one solid piece. The staves of the door are assembled so the grain is alternating from one board to the other, thus creating a door that is more stable as the boards will warp against each other rather than with each other. There is no need for solid battens on the back of the cabinet door.
As stated above, you will see the natural variations of the wood species and that can include mineral streaks, pitch pockets, color variations, as well as random and open knots with our Knotty Alder and Rustic Hickory. All of those beautiful characteristics are what add to the overall beauty!
Dura Supreme’s Camden door style in Rustic Hickory with a Cappuccino stain.
This contemporary kitchen features Dura Supreme’s Camden door style in Red Oak with a Pebble stain mixed with the Allura door style in Grey High Gloss Acrylic.
Dura Supreme’s Camden door style in Quarter-sawn White Oak with a Sesame stained finish.
Kitchen design by Plain View Design + Build, Bismark, North Dakota.
Our Camden Door is available in all of our wood species as well as the stains associated with each one, so there is a lot to choose from when it comes to the overall look and feel of the room. With that said, we can paint our Red Oak in any of our available paint colors, including black. Below is a stunning example of how a painted Camden door in Red Oak gives the color consistency while also adding texture that you can visually see as light reflects off the graining.
Dura Supreme kitchen design by Sammie Cook of Liberty Bay Cabinetry & Interiors with Aesthete Studios, Mill Creek, Washington.
The Moda Slab Door Style
The Moda door is a 3/4″ MDF slab door that has a wood veneer applied to the front and back, as well as wood edgebanding on all four edges to complete the look. It is offered in Maple, Cherry, and Quarter-sawn White Oak in a vertical grain pattern (available in both Crestwood and Bria), and only Quarter-sawn White Oak in a horizontal grain (available in Bria only). Recently we introduced our Moda door in an inset style, perfect for those Mid-Century Modern vibes that is a popular look in contemporary designs. It can be stained with any one of the finishes that is available with each of the wood species. Because it is a real wood veneer it can have some of the characteristics and variations that are inherent in the particular wood species being used, so be aware of that if considering this type of door.
Dura Supreme’s Moda Vertical grain door style in Quarter-sawn White Oak with an Alabaster stain.
Bathroom design by Ana Gomez of Evolo Design, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Photo by RVP Photography.
Dura Supreme’s Moda Vertical grain door style in Maple with a Toast stain.
Bathroom design by Happy Home Services of Port Charlotte, Florida.
Dura Supreme’s Moda Vertical grain door style in Quarter-sawn White Oak with a Morel stain.
Bathroom design by Dana Langreck, CKD of Bella Domicile, Fitchburg, Wisconsin.
Photo by Shanna Wolf Photography.
Dura Supreme’s Moda Vertical grain door style in Cherry with a Butternut stain.
Kitchen design by Happy Home Services of Port Charlotte, Florida.
Dura Supreme’s Moda Horizontal grain door style in Quarter-sawn White Oak with a Morel stain.
Bathroom design by Sandra Daubenmeyer of KSI Kitchen & Bath, locations in Michigan and Ohio.
Photo by Martin Vecchio Photography.
The Metro Slab Door Style
Our Metro door is an Exotic Veneer Wood door. Within the exotic veneers, we offer Walnut and Bamboo which are natural, as well as Shale and Straight Grain Oak which are man-made, or engineered. A couple of things to note with Metro doors; the grain can be horizontal or vertical with the exception of Walnut, which only comes with a vertical grain. Also, there is much more consistency in the graining and coloring of Metro doors because of its engineering except for Walnut, which will offer some variations due to its nature. Unlike the Moda door, which offers stain finishes based on the wood species being ordered, Metro offers natural or limited finishes in its offering. If consistency is what you are looking for, this is the cabinet door for you!
Dura Supreme’s Metro Horizontal grain door style in Natural Bamboo exotic veneer.
Kitchen design by KSI Kitchen & Bath – locations in Michigan and Ohio.
Dura Supreme’s Metro Horizontal grain door style in Natural Bamboo exotic veneer.
Kitchen design by KSI Kitchen & Bath – locations in Michigan and Ohio.
Notice the consistency of the Metro Vertical door style in Straight Grain Oak Natural in this kitchen design.
Kitchen design by Bella Domicile of Madison, Wisconsin.
Photo by S. Photography.
Dura Supreme’s Metro Vertical grain door style in Walnut exotic veneer with a Toast stain.
Kitchen design by Anissa Swanzy of SKD Studios, Newport Beach, California.
Photo by Darlene Halaby Photography.
Dura Supreme’s Metro Vertical grain door style in Walnut exotic veneer with a Toast stain.
Kitchen design by Anissa Swanzy of SKD Studios, Newport Beach, California.
Photo by Darlene Halaby Photography.
Dura Supreme’s Metro Horizontal door style in Natural Shale on base cabinets paired with the Camden door style in Cherry wood.
Kitchen design by Guided Design Cabinetry and Interiors of Chicago, Illinois.
Photos by Matt Mansueto Photography.
Metro Shale Horizontal on bases with Camden Cherry
Design by Guided Design Cabinetry and Interiors of Chicago, IL
Photos by Matt Mansueto Photography
The More You Know
There are a few things to be aware of when considering these three door styles:
- Camden & Moda doors are available on Crestwood Framed Cabinets and Bria Frameless Cabinets. Metro can only be ordered in Bria Frameless.
- The Moda and Metro door styles will have 2 mm edgebanding applied on all four edges, then veneered front and back.
- Pay attention to the drawer fronts. The drawer fronts’ grain will not always match the doors below.
- The Metro door style (both vertical and horizontal) and Moda-Horizontal have a maximum cabinet height of 96″. If you need taller cabinets you will want to consider stacking cabinets to reach the overall height needed.
The three different slab wood doors that Dura Supreme Cabinetry offers will give you a beautiful contemporary look and feel, but you need to be aware of what the overall look will be like depending on the material that you use. Hopefully, the info shared here can help clear up any dilemma on what door style will do for the overall effect you’re looking for. For inspiration, you can check out our Inspiration Gallery, and for any additional information on our contemporary doors, contact your nearest Dura Supreme Cabinetry designer.
Until next time, be well!
