Fresh Faced Cabinets

09/30/2026

Here's the part of the job most people never see the point of until it's done.

Top: the original base cabinets, with doors. Bottom: the same run finished, rebuilt as stacks of drawers.

Base cabinets with doors mean kneeling down and reaching into the back for the pan you need. Drawers bring everything to you. Pull one open and you can see the whole thing, back row included.

This is what we mean when we say we don't just swap doors. Sometimes the thing that matters most is how a cabinet works, not only how it looks. And the drawer boxes and hardware we add are built to a higher standard than most retail cabinet lines.

Got a cabinet you've given up on? Tell us which one. freshfacedcabinets.com

09/29/2026

Not sure refacing is even an option for your kitchen? Here's a quick gut check.

✓ The cabinet boxes are solid. No water damage, no sagging shelves, nothing pulling away from the wall.

✓ You like your layout. The sink, range and fridge are where you want them.

✓ Nothing's broken, it's just dated. The kitchen works fine. You're just tired of looking at it.

✓ You'd rather skip the tear-out. You want the result without living through demolition.

Yes to all four? Your kitchen could be a great candidate.

Missed one or two? That doesn't rule you out. The right plan might mix refacing with some new cabinetry or a few changes, and that's work we do too.

And if the layout itself is the problem, we'll say so.

Send us a few photos of your kitchen and we'll take a look. freshfacedcabinets.com | 314-270-1233

09/28/2026

Ever wonder why some kitchens look custom-built and others look like they came in a box? Most of the time, it isn't the cabinet boxes. It's the details layered on top.

1. Crown molding. A finished top edge makes the upper cabinets look like part of the architecture instead of boxes hung on a wall.

2. Hood surround. Wrapping the range hood in matching cabinetry turns an appliance into the centerpiece of the wall.

3. Glass-front door. One well-placed glass door breaks up a long run of solid doors and gives you somewhere to show off the good dishes.

This is the part of the job Dave calls adding "more pretty parts," and it's a big reason a builder-grade kitchen can end up looking custom.

Which of the three would change your kitchen the most? Tell us in the comments.

09/25/2026

Quick question for anyone who has been living with a kitchen they don't love.

If you could make one upgrade first, which would it be?

A. A new look. New door fronts and a finish you'd actually pick today.

B. Corner storage. A corner cabinet you can finally reach into.

C. Drawer organizing. A spot for everything, including whatever lives in the junk drawer.

D. Custom details. Crown molding and trim that make cabinets look built for the room.

No wrong answers, and picking more than one is allowed.

Comment A, B, C or D below.

09/24/2026

Dave has a way of saying in one sentence what takes most companies a whole web page.

The “pretty parts” are the things you actually see every day: door and drawer fronts. When the cabinet boxes behind them are sound, they are matched to the new finish instead of being torn out.

“Add more pretty parts” is adding more matching cabinets to improve the look and function of the existing layout.

“We top it off with more pretty parts” is where it gets interesting. That's the crown molding, trim, decorative panels and hardware that make a builder-grade kitchen look like it was built for the room.

Keep what's good. Change what matters. Dave and Stephanie have spent more than twenty years in renovation, custom furniture and refinishing, and that's the eye they bring to every kitchen.

Curious which parts of your kitchen are worth keeping? That's the first thing we look at. freshfacedcabinets.com

09/23/2026

If you put in new granite a few years ago, the last thing you want is a cabinet project that means tearing it back out.

This kitchen kept its granite. Look at both photos and you'll see the same stone, the same dishwasher, the same corner and the same layout.

What changed is everything around it. Dark, reddish raised-panel doors became clean shaker-style fronts in a warm natural wood tone, and the whole room went from heavy to bright.

That's what keeping what's good looks like. The countertops were already an upgrade, so they stayed. The cabinets were the part holding the room back, so that's where the work went.

And the cardboard in the before photo? That's the granite and the floor being protected while the work happens.

Updated your counters but still not in love with the cabinets? Send us a few photos and we'll tell you what's possible. freshfacedcabinets.com

09/22/2026

Every Fresh Faced project follows the same four steps. We call it the Fresh Faced Method™.

1. Keep what's good. First we look at what's already working: the cabinet boxes, the layout, the pieces worth saving. Not every cabinet should stay, and we'll tell you which ones shouldn't.

2. Change what matters. New door and drawer fronts, added cabinetry, drawers and storage, crown, trim, panels and hardware, in whatever combination your kitchen actually needs.

3. Transform. The goal is a kitchen where people say "that looks like a new kitchen," not "those cabinets were refaced."

4. Enjoy. You're back in a kitchen you love, with far less disruption than a full tear-out.

Keep what's good. Change what matters. Love your kitchen again.

Curious what step one would look like in your kitchen? Send us a few photos. freshfacedcabinets.com | 314-270-1233

09/21/2026

We also provide closet systems with our sister company Up Closets Of St. Louis

Most people find us through a closet. Then they walk us through the rest of the house.

The pantry where everything ends up on the counter. The garage that has not had a car in it since 2019. The mudroom that is really just a pile by the door. The laundry room with one wire shelf over the machines.

Same team, same design process, same install crew. Closets, pantries, garages, mudrooms and laundry rooms.

If the closet is the one keeping you up at night, start there. Just know the rest is on the table.

Book a free consultation at upclosets.com/st-louis.

09/21/2026

Out of everything a homeowner could say in a review, Brian mentioned the two things that matter most when your kitchen is the work site: showing up when you said you would, and leaving the house clean at the end of the day.

A kitchen project happens in the middle of your real life. You still need coffee in the morning and dinner at night. Punctuality and a clean job site aren't extras for us. They're two of the standards Dave and Stephanie hold every project to.

"They showed up on time and cleaned up at the end of every day. We highly recommend them for painting and refacing cabinets." Brian Y., South County

Thank you, Brian.

Planning a kitchen update but dreading the disruption? Ask us how the process works. freshfacedcabinets.com

09/18/2026

If your kitchen has arched cabinet doors in a honey-colored finish, you can probably guess the year it was built.

Top: honey-stained maple, arched raised-panel doors, and years of wear.

Bottom: the same kitchen, same window, same spot for the microwave, with clean shaker doors in a deep painted finish and brass hardware.

The layout was never the problem here. The look had just stopped feeling like the people living in it.

You don't have to live with the arch. When the fronts are new, you get the same door styles and colors you'd have with brand new cabinets, without tearing the kitchen out to get them.

Wondering what your arched doors could become? Send us a couple of photos and we'll show you your options. freshfacedcabinets.com