Reveal or No Reveal on Drawer and Sliding Shelf

[Al Weber]

I'm most of the way through building a cabinet to hold a small wine refrigerator and some bottles on the top shelf. The back and sides are basically panels set into the legs and each section has a small bead on the lower edge to match up to a wide panel on top that I cut and beaded and floats in the groove to allow seasonal expansion and contraction. There is a sliding shelf and a drawer on the front facade both also with a small bead on the bottom to match the sides. And yes, the design is flawed with the shelf below the drawer so that both can't be open at the same time without a mess. But my question is whether I should include a setback for a reveal for the drawer and shelf to match the sides and back or to flush them to the rails? I've attached a photo to give you an idea of the issue. Personally I think I want them flush with the rails but I can see them set back with a reveal to match the sides and back. Just looking for opinions here. By the way, both the drawer and the shelf will have some type of knob for opening. Thanks in advance.

[Jim Becker]

I'm all about matching, so if there are reveals used elsewhere, I'd continue them for consistency. But even if everything was flush here, I'd "fake" a reveal with a ~.125" wide groove around the panels to accentuate the contrast and provide nice, clean lines around the panels. But that's me... :) :D

[Bill Dufour]

I would set then back a fraction. If you make them flush they will not be. Paralax will make them look slightly off flush from any angle other then straight on. Do you really expect to close them each time within 1/1000 of an inch including seasonal wood movement? You do realize the interior RH will probably be higher then the exterior most of the year and cause movement issues.
Bil lD.

[Andrew Seemann]

I usually put reveals/setbacks on inset drawers because we have so much seasonal movement here in MN that flush drawers never seem to want to stay flush what they are supposed to be flush to. Plus I think it looks better with the little shadow line from the setback.

[Warren Lake]

if you want do to drawers and doors like a the old guys set them back to make a reveal. Flush doesnt stay flush. for all the years ive looked at stuff they said that people didnt do I see they were right. It wasnt their idea it was how they were taught. Im not sure my set back likely approx 1/16 or just under a hair if square edges beaded different

[Phil Mueller]

If I’m understanding it correctly, and the drawer front is going to be curly maple, I would set it back from the rails to match the panel depth.