RTA Kitchen Cabinets: Planning, Process, and Cabinet Joint Review

Note: in exchange for my honest review in this blog post, Cabinet Joint generously provided a discount on our kitchen cabinets. All comments and reviews are fully my own, as well as honest. I would never steer you wrong!

cabinet joint RTA cabinet kitchen - greige cabinets with black countertops

When we first began planning our renovation, it became apparent quite quickly that my kitchen dreams were, well… out of reach.

The local cabinet quotes that we received were enough to make my eyes bug out of my head.

$75,000? For cabinets? I simply cannot.

“Maybe we’ll just do without,” I thought. Alas, they’re cabinets. We need them.

And so… my kitchen dreams shattered before my eyes.

Goodbye, dovetail.

Au revoir, beautiful craftsmanship.

Adios, my beautiful kitchen.

I then considered using IKEA cabinets with custom fronts, but the idea of playing IKEA Tetris with such a monumental project felt daunting. That, and it was pretty expensive, too.

Enter: RTA Cabinets.

WHAT ARE RTA CABINETS?

RTA, or “ready to assemble” cabinets, are cabinets that are shipped to you flat packed and unassembled - leaving the assembly (and savings) to you. RTA cabinets can be either custom or stock, and it was important to me that ours felt custom. Luckily for me, Cabinet Joint has the most customizable options on the market.

I won’t lie and say that this option wasn’t a *little bit* daunting, but the idea of having the custom kitchen of my dreams for a fraction of the price won out in the end.

I then spent weeks scouring websites, reading reviews, and trying to find a company that struck a balance between customization and affordability. Most companies had very, well— uncustom options, and it showed.

That’s when I found Cabinet Joint.

WORKING WITH CABINET JOINT

Friends, I really can’t express what an excellent experience we had working with Cabinet Joint.

Based in Pennsylvania, this company’s product is just as beautiful as the people running their business.

From my first interaction, I was truly blown away by the caliber of customer service and kindness that I experienced from every single employee. Not only do these people know cabinetry— they truly love it, and it really does show.

They helped me design every detail of our kitchen, thinking of things I never would have. For instance, a double-binned trash can (for both trash and recycling.) The amazing Kathryn Kimmel of Kimmel Design helped along the way, suggesting functional options for corner cabinets and putting words to my wants when I couldn’t quite express them.

For months, we discussed and reworked designs.

Not only was the Cabinet Joint team patient with me, they were eager to ensure that we got everything we wanted - including a custom hutch that spanned from the floor to the ceiling.

They worked so hard for us and with us to make sure that every detail was considered and planned.

When we finally placed our order, I was nervous. Was this too good to be true?

DELIVERY AND ASSEMBLY

The cabinets arrived in a huge amount of boxes which we put in storage until we were ready to assemble. Though we’d tried to plan our timeline better, renovation (and life) rarely goes according to plan!

When it came time to assemble them, I was in the hospital in Boston with my daughter and unable to do it myself. My dear friend Corie swept in like the superhero that spent several weekends in our cold, unheated and maybe haunted historic home, assembling them herself.

SHE IS AN ANGEL. (Find yourself a friend like Corie. But you can’t have mine!)

THE DETAILS

Seeing them installed was like something beyond my wildest dreams.

For the island, we chose Cabinet Joint’s Regent Blue (color matched to Sherwin Williams’ Naval), with a marble slab. Though we’d been warned against marble, I have to say that I fully disagree with the naysayers. It’s held up well with our 4 kids and is truly beautiful. Plus, when and if it etches, we can always have it buffed (something we couldn’t do with a manufactured stone!)

For the perimeter cabinets, we picked Cabinet Joint’s Hearthstone Gray (color matched to Sherwin Williams’ Anew Gray). Though we’d originally planned to top the perimeter cabinets with soapstone, the price and upkeep gave us cold feet. Instead, we chose black granite and I LOVE IT. Functional, kid-friendly, an excellent pop of contrast, and about 1/3 of the price of soapstone. Win, win, win!

Pro tip: If you’re looking into Cabinet Joint, I would highly recommend purchasing their sample kit, as it was incredibly helpful when we chose our colors. There were some colors that I loved online (and even in person!) but bringing them into the actual kitchen itself to see how the light hit them was invaluable. It’s definitely a worthwhile choice with an investment like cabinets.

To complete the kitchen, I added vintage rugs (sourced from estate sales, thrift stores, and my attic), pinch pleat curtains with Lulie Wallace’s Katherine fabric in Dusty Blue, and vintage blue and white china that I’ve collected over the years. A beautiful painting by my friend Kate Waddell Rawal added the perfect pop of color to the blank wall. The lighting was sourced by my sister, The Acquired Home, who can help you order the same!

I am so thankful to Cabinet Joint for filling a much-needed gap in the market - serving those of us with big kitchen dreams but a more modest budget. I highly recommend them and am so very happy with how they turned out!