Arts and Craft Door Options

[stevo wis]

Hi Folks,
I am doing our kitchen in White Oak Craftsman Style. My original design was to make separate upper and lower inset doors with a rail between them as shown in the left cabinet shown in the attachment . The upper doors are 8 1/2" high and I can see where it will be difficult to get anything high stored in there. One idea was to actually combine the upper and lower into a single door that looks like two. The middle cabinet does that and would look almost identical to my first design, except that the horizontal rail would be part of the door and would have to be cut into two pieces. I think it should be ok to glue up though a lot of work. The horizontal lines could be done with a shallow saw cut and could actually be less parts the the original. The last and easiest option would be to forget the horizontal rail and just again groove and simulate two doors. I kind of like the middle one, but know it will be complex to pull off. Any thoughts anyone?
thanks,
Stevo

[roger wiegand]

The only concern would be with a very tall door warping. I like the middle option, how tall is that door? I don't think small doors very high up are at all useful. At least if the door opened from below you can see what's up there. Unless you really need the high storage I'd consider making the upper doors a non-functional fixed panel.

[Jamie Buxton]

I like the left option. But with a door that's only 8 1/2" tall, I'd hinge that door along the top edge.

[Vince Anthony]

Your kitchen sounds like it’s going to look amazing! Combining the upper and lower doors into a single door with a faux rail (like the middle cabinet) sounds like a sleek solution, even if it's a bit of extra work. It keeps the look consistent and gives you more functional storage space. If you're up for the challenge, I'd say go for it! But if you want to keep things simpler, the last option with a grooved simulation could be a solid and less complex choice. Good luck with your project!