INTERVIEW WITH LEAH DEAN OF DEAN CABINETRY

Please briefly describe your company’s history and the services you offer.

Dean Cabinetry (formerly John Dean Custom Cabinetry, LLC) is a family-owned business that has been designing and building custom cabinetry for nearly 20 years. We offer pre-made cabinets and are able to build any type of cabinetry (custom cabinets). However, the majority of our work revolves around creating kitchens. First, we spend time getting to know our clients, discussing ideas and layouts, and meeting many times before deciding on a final plan. We want to make sure we understand your lifestyle and individual preferences so that your project will truly reflect who you are.

What are the main advantages of choosing custom cabinetry?

With custom cabinetry, you are able to get the exact style you want. Including unlimited choices in cabinet doors, drawer sizes, colors and wood species. Our number one goal is to create cabinetry that will be both functional and beautiful. We use native woods such as maple, cherry and oak, and exotic woods like sapele, walnut and zebra wood. With our painted cabinets, the color choices are endless.

Can you talk about the cost of custom cabinets versus pre-made cabinets?

Pre-made cabinets come in certain sizes and dimensions and this limits your options. Clients are often surprised to learn that our custom is not always much more than some of the “box” cabinets they’ve looked at. Not only are your cabinets built specifically for your space and needs, but they are cabinets that are constructed to last. Our cabinet interiors are built with 3/4 inch finished plywood, which is almost unheard of in today’s standards. Dean Cabinetry doors come with soft close hardware, so closing your cabinet doors is effortless and quiet! Our solid maple drawer boxes have dovetail joints and utilize full extension under-mount soft close drawer slides. We feel that our custom cabinetry is an extreme value.

Note: Dean Cabinetry offers stock and semi-custom cabinet options in addition to their custom cabinetry to provide the best value cabinet for any kitchen budget. Learn more about the difference between custom and pre-made cabinets (stock cabinetry) here.

How much flexibility would custom cabinets give homeowners who want to remodel their kitchen?

Custom cabinetry offers homeowners limitless possibilities. There is no restriction on any parameter. So if you can show us a photo of a detail you want to incorporate into your project, we can build it. We have clients who bring us tons of photos that they might have been saving for years, and we love this! We often recommend that our clients visit Houzz.com. There they can browse over 2 million photos and create an online notebook of ideas. Visuals from our clients helps us to realize their dream for their project. We create kitchens that last, so we want everything to be perfect!

Does choosing custom-made cabinets mean a homeowner will have to wait longer for the work to be done? What’s the process usually like?

Our standard lead time is 6 to 8 weeks from the time our client approves final plans for their project. At that time, we will give you a date when we will begin installation. We pride ourselves on being organized and timely so that you don’t have to be without your kitchen for longer than necessary.

Is there a particular design trend or a popular style for cabinets that you’ve seen in the Connecticut area recently?

Painted cabinetry is very popular. Although white will always be in style, many clients are choosing other colors for their cabinets. It is also popular for kitchens to have a combination of both painted and wood cabinets. For example, you might see painted upper and lower cabinets with an island that is made of cherry. Clients are also mixing countertop materials. You might see a granite countertop in part of the kitchen with an island that has a wood top.

What’s the best way for people to get in contact with you and your company?

You can book an appointment with us on our website. We can also be reached via email at hello@deancabinetry.com or by phone at 860-643-1501. Feel free to view our projects on our website at deancabinetry.com/projects.

Original article appeared on Connecticut For Sale.