Woodharbor Cabinetry: A Closer Look

A Closer Look At Woodharbor Cabinetry

Allow me to make a couple of assumptions: I would take a guess that every one of us loves a good set of home design photos, and I would also go as far as to say that each of us has our own favorite room or feature to fawn over. Perhaps some love to see a well-designed living room or feel enchanted by an exterior. In this issue of Studio Pages, however, I would like to turn the focus onto a feature that transcends location and serves as the perfect midpoint between form and function: cabinetry.

When it comes to their function, cabinetry uses have been expanded upon many times over; one’s cabinets can be as general or as specialized as desired. Specialized, you ask? Well, we have the more common specializations, like a spice drawer or corner cabinet turntable for cans and the like, but what about an apothecary drawer (admittedly, the jury’s still out on the modern day uses for such a cabinet, but if you have any ideas, please write in)? Or, as a special shoutout to current clients and past Studio Pages contributors, the Radostits, what about a hidden hand towel drawer? As for form, I could say that’s fairly self-explanatory. The number of choices that pertain to your cabinetry aesthetic are far too high for this author to count (I rely far too heavily on my phone’s calculator app); if I were to guess, somewhere in the millions. There are wood species, door styles, finishes, hinges, and other hardware, each of which has a multitude of options within their respective categories.

Now, I find it important to note that my calculations of millions of options come from the cabinet manufacturer we partner with: Woodharbor. Not all cabinetmakers are created equal, and we have learned over our many years in this industry that Woodharbor is certainly worth talking about. Founded in Mason City, Iowa, Woodharbor was borne out of two brothers' appreciation of quality and craftsmanship. Using an artisanal approach to cabinetmaking, Woodharbor is made to order by skilled craftsmen, with a myriad of different design options—spanning both form and function—to create cabinetry that perfectly reflects the homeowner’s needs and style.
​

Bespoke cabinetry is not the only way that Woodharbor sets itself apart from other manufacturers, but it certainly does warrant a bit more explanation. Both the hidden hand towel drawer and apothecary drawers are two options offered by Woodharbor, among a near-infinite number of other cabinet designs. The same goes for style, finish, and hardware; I simply could not do the arithmetic to provide a number of options one can choose from at Woodharbor. What if your dream cabinets aren’t in the catalogue? What if, perhaps, the kitchen of your dreams has hot pink cabinets? Not to worry—Woodharbor is happy to work with you on the customizations you want for all your cabinet-related desires.

​Beyond bespoke, all their cabinets are made in the USA, and a commitment to domestically producing their products offers better lead times and quality control (for your hot pink cabinets, of course!). They also place emphasis on sustainability, as shown by their admission to the KCMA Environmental Stewardship Program. To be admitted, a company must have documented and demonstrated practices for sustainable waste prevention, pollution reduction, and sustainable forestry practices.

​Woodharbor as a company has two distinct product lines. Their main line, Woodharbor, is the line with the “if you can dream it, we can do it” mentality, with hundreds of thousands of options for not only kitchen cabinetry but wherever in your home you see fit to put some cabinets. Of course, limitless possibilities are not always what a homeowner needs; endless options also have an associated cost. For that reason, there is also the Breeze line, which has a semi-custom offering of cabinetry choices (albeit not a limited selection, by any means) at a more economical price point. The Breeze line does not compromise on quality; as Woodharbor puts it: Breeze is “Affordable Elegance, Backed by WoodHarbor Quality”.

​A company really is a reflection of the sum of its parts, and this author would say that Woodharbor hits some of the most important points a manufacturer needs to hit––especially as a producer of products that 

get used in a person’s dream home. For readers of the Studio Pages newsletter, you have likely heard me go on ad infinitum about client experience and its integral role in our firm’s philosophy and process. In that regard, we feel alignment with the values of Woodharbor. Their company expends a lot of effort on educating their distributors, going as far as bringing them out to Mason City (to stay at the only Frank Lloyd Wright-designed hotel still around, might I add!). A multiday training on how the cabinets are made and, arguably more important, how to help the client create the cabinets of their dreams. Three Studio21 team members have completed this training, and one of those three has gone a step further to become our resident Queen of Cabinetry (my name – nothing official...yet!). Karen, cabinet queen, works with our Design+Build clients, providing concierge cabinetry design, pricing, and overall assistance. It’s no easy task, but the cabinets certainly speak for themselves!

​As a firm, we don’t adhere to a mindset that limits our designing capabilities to a specific style; what aesthetics you like is your business, and our business is to make that aesthetic a reality. Woodharbor’s credo reflects those same principles. Each home, and each homeowner, deserves that unique, personalized process and care, whether it’s for their custom home, addition, or their cabinets.

---

Written By: Emma H.

Emma works as the Marketing Manager for Studio21 Architects. She is the writer behind (almost) all of our newsletter articles, and she works hard to make sure all of our marketing materials reflect an architect-approved design quality!