March 26, 2024

On a visit to the Wellborn Cabinet booth at KBIS 2024, Mara Villanueva-Heras, chief marketing officer of the Ashland, Ala.-based company, showed off the new Boardwalk finish to KBB during our Editor’s Eye. Used on oak wood in the “Industrial Inspired” vignette, she pointed out the motivation for developing the finish was to provide customers with a budget-friendly design doppelganger to the popular but pricey white oak look.

The larder cabinet in the display offered a design surprise on the inside. An iron metal ladder frame, produced by Wellborn’s partner Element Designs, supports two-inch-thick Boardwalk-finished planks in a fresh interpretation of wall-based storage. A coffee bar sits at counter level in the larder.

Another highlight of the set was the walk-through pantry, which furthered the conceit of creative cabinetry areas that accent a space, rather than consume it. On the access door, the Wellborn design team removed the top cabinet door to mimic a transom window. Inside, a composition of cabinets – including a plate rack, a tambour-fronted countertop cupboard and a variety of open shelves and cubbies – was painted in the HGTV Sherwin-Williams Color of the Year, Persimmon, as part of the Wellborn ColorInspire program, which also includes colors from paint brands Benjamin Moore and Valspar. While this iteration of the pantry was dedicated to storage, Villanueva-Heras noted that it can also house a back kitchen or a butler’s pantry.

Additional new Wellborn Cabinet products that debuted at KBIS 2024 included the Cleaning Utility Cabinet, a six-inch-shallow, 24-inch-wide assembly comprising a 61-inch-tall and 17-inch-tall cabinet that make an efficient and convenient end unit. The Wastebasket Cutting Board Cabinet features a hole strategically located on the pull-out wood block, allowing food scraps and trimmings to drop directly into the trash bins on the lower pullout.

The family-owned company also introduced four door styles and two additional finishes for 2024.