Command Center Cabinets for Every Style
Every house has a spot where the mail, the keys, the chargers and the permission slips end up. A command center gives that pile a home: a short run of cabinets with drawers for the small things, a counter to set things down on, and storage above for what does not need to be out. Built from the same cabinets as the kitchen, it reads as part of the room rather than as furniture added later.
Where it goes
Put it on the path people actually walk: beside the door from the garage, at the end of a kitchen run, or on a short wall between the kitchen and the hallway. Keep it out of the cooking zone, so nobody is sorting mail next to the range. Two to four feet of wall is enough for most families. Plan an outlet close by if you want to charge phones there.
If you are still working out the kitchen itself, our guide to kitchen layouts shows where a short run like this fits in each shape of room.
The cabinets that build one
- Drawer base cabinets. Drawers hold the small things that disappear on a deep shelf: chargers, batteries, pens, keys and takeout menus. A wide drawer takes paperwork lying flat.
- Wall cabinets above. Doors hide what you do not want on show. A glass door wall cabinet suits a display shelf or a cookbook collection.
- A tall pantry cabinet. At the end of the run, a single door pantry cabinet becomes a locker for bags, the vacuum or bulk supplies.
- Fillers and end panels. A filler where the run meets a wall lets doors and drawers open past the trim, and an end panel finishes an exposed side so it looks built in.
Not sure what a term means? The kitchen cabinet glossary explains fillers, end panels, toe kick and the rest in plain English. For standard heights, depths and widths, see kitchen cabinet sizes.
A door and finish for every style
Choose the door style first and the finish second. We sell two shaker kitchen doors: Sterling, with wider rails for a classic look, and Studio, with slim rails for a cleaner, more modern line.
- Traditional or farmhouse. Sterling in Snow, a near white, or Quarry, a soft grey. The wider rail sits naturally in a classic room and takes almost any pull.
- Modern. Studio in Snow for a bright, quiet wall, or Caviar, a near black, to make the command center a feature.
- Coastal or relaxed. Sterling Coastal or Studio Coastal, a greige stain on genuine white oak, light and easy to live with.
- Rustic or warm. Sterling Wood Ridge, a warm blonde stained wood that hides everyday marks well.
A command center is also an easy place for a second finish. A stained run beside a painted kitchen, or a dark finish on one wall, adds contrast without committing the whole room to it. Read more about door styles and painted vs stained finishes.
Before you order
Hold the finish in the room first. A full sample door is $19.99 and a quarter door sample is $4.99, shipping included, and the sample price is refundable. Order a sample door.
Then measure the wall carefully, including outlets and switches, using our kitchen measurement guide. Or send your measurements for a free kitchen design, and a designer will lay out the command center with the rest of the room.