Clive Christian is a fabulous cabinet manufacturer – a very, very high-end cabinet manufacturer that focuses on details like no other. Their millwork is so impeccable that their cabinets with the Edwardian style and the preponderance of moldings transcend kitchens and enter the realm of libraries, bathrooms and closets.

Since I didn’t want to drop $250,000 just for cabinets in my kitchen, I studied one of their designs, picked it apart and based my kitchen upon it.

This was my inspiration. Rod Stewart dropped the money this kitchen.

Their kitchens are wildly appealing to me because they look like what you would find in a hundred-year-old manor house, with minor tweets made and appliances inserted into fireplaces to convert the room into a kitchen.

While they look brilliant, they frequently opt for finishes that aren’t the most practical or well-wearing for a normal family. A white marble countertop looks great…but how long will that hold up in the real world. Since their target market is the very wealthy, it just may not be an issue because with the first few stains, maybe they would replace the porous marble countertops and have full-time help that wipes away every little smudge that hits those finishes.

You can take plain cabinets and a kitchen devoid of architectural details and add them. It equals serious equity. I did a post on adding molding to the top and bottom of my cabinets, Taking Plain, Stock Kitchen Cabinets and Making Them Look Custom…and Expensive, and of adding crown molding to our kitchens, Ordinary to Extraordinary with the Crown Jewel – Molding.

Maybe there will be some inspiration in these pictures for you…