Face frame and door/drawer rail and stile widths

[Wes Billups]

I'm really struggling with a design question and would like some input from the experts on here. I am in the design stages of an 84" vanity for our master bath. I plan on building it with beaded face frames and then just a basic inset rail and stile doors and drawers with flat panels. My problem is the dimensions (widths) of each of these components. I built a small mock-up of the design but due to the small size I'm not sure it answered all of my questions.

What width do you use for beaded face frames? I've used 2" in the past but the bead seems to change what looks correct.

I'm also wondering what the best rail and stile width for the doors and drawers should be. For my sample I made them all the same width (face frame = rails = stiles) and the door looks too flimsy to my eye.

I'd love to see pictures of finished cabinets. I'm still debating on the exact layout of this cabinet. It's for a double vanity. Right now my plan is for two full height doors, no false drawer front, under each sink bowl and then a bank of progressively taller drawers in the center section. The doors will be ≈14" wide (28" opening) and the drawers will be ≈24" wide. I'm having very little luck searching the web as this is an odd size for a single cabinet.

Here's an example of my mock-up. Cabinet Example.jpg

I decided to use walnut for the mock-up as that is what the finished project will be.

I'm not sure how to handle the top drawer in the center section as it'll be around 4" tall. My initial thoughts are to make the top drawer a solid front and then the 3 lower drawers with rails and stiles like the doors. I also don't like the idea of losing drawer depth with a face frame rail between each drawer.

I do have a pencil drawing of my thoughts but don't have a way to scan this in for feedback.

Thanks in advance for the help and sorry to be so long winded,
Wes

[Mel Fulks]

For your specific project I believe what would help most is replacing the doors with with traditionally graduated drawers,
each drawer 1.273 times the height of the above drawer I dont like the fact that in your drawing the construction of the drawer
and door are different ,so they don't line up. The dimensions are almost irrelevant if the door drawer combo has a standard factory look.

[Gene Davis]

Go to Houzz.com, search for beaded face frames and soak in the pages and pages of photos.

Also, go to this guy's blog and see his monthly photo essays. Gulfshore Design.

With both of these viewed, you'll have seen enough to help with your decisions.

And hey, I think your bead's too big. But what do I know?

[Patrick Harper]

I would think more in terms of proportion than measurement. Once you have the proportions down, you can get your measurements from that. I tend to like rail/stile widths of about 1/8th the total width of the door, but you can play with that. It depends on the look you're going for. Smaller will great a more feminine/delicate look and thicker more masculine. Try and echo that same ratio for your bead...maybe 1/4.

[Yonak Hawkins]

For balance, it seems like the width of the frame components, excluding the bead, should be the same as the door rails and stiles.

I don't see the door looking flimsy at all. Maybe if it were full size it might be a totally different look.

[Shawn Pixley]

A few thoughts.

The rail / stile / faceframe dimensions being identical are a good place to start (with the execption of the drawer dividers). For the tall doors however, a thicker bottom rail (say 3" rather than two as an example) offers a better overall proportion. Conversely, if you want to make the doors stand out, make the rails and stiles proportionately larger. The question is what do you want to emphasize?

The bead is out of proportion to the faceframe. I would make it thinner.

I would thin out or eliminate the drawer divider faceframes. With the full height doors below the two sinks, emphasizing that dimension might help with the overall composition.

Personally, I don't care for rail and stile drawer fronts. I the application you are looking at, the top drawer as a solid fron and the lower as rail and stile panels will look odd. Two suggestions: One, make a fifth door unit with the drawers behing the door (admittedly, not a great suggestion). Two, use solid drawer fronts for the drawer units.

How are you envisioning the drawer units? Side mount slides, bottom mount slides, traditional...? What is your thinking for the drawer construction? You mentioned that you weren't doing false fronts. Were you planning to dovetail the drawer sides into the drawer front stiles? For the drawers, your construction techniques affect your available design choices.

if you have a hand sketch, take a picture with your smart phone and post it here to garners others's feedback.

[Yonak Hawkins]

Shawn, you're always on top of these design concepts. Great suggestions.

I have a question : I don't understand your second suggestion for drawer fronts. How is what you suggest different from Wes's drawer ? I myself don't mind framed drawer faces, so no problem in my opinion.

I think your suggestion of full doors beneath the sink is an absolute winner. If eliminating all drawers above doors, maybe inserting banks of drawers mimicking the doors with beading only on the sides and very top and bottom, that is, if the spaces between drawers doesn't chop it up too much. A concept drawing would tell. Although, as I said, I wouldn't mind a frame around each drawer, either.

[Art Mann]

Shawn, you're always on top of these design concepts. Great suggestions.

You would almost think he was an architect or something.