Expertise: Custom Cabinetry

Custom cabinetry transforms a house by creating a unique and personal space while also providing homeowners with flexibility in design, materials and functionality. From selecting materials and finishes to customizing shelves and drawers, the possibilities are endless, allowing for one-of-a-kind results. Guiding clients through the whole process means combining style with practicality, making sure the design goes with the home's character. To find out more, House & Home spoke with Dan Dilworth, owner of Dilworth's Custom Design.

Since custom cabinetry is an investment, what should homeowners understand about the value it brings compared to stock or semi-custom options?
The beauty of custom cabinetry is you're building it for your space and needs. If you have accessibility problems, custom cabinetry can help you with those areas without supplying a bunch of unnecessary fillers. The other thing with custom cabinetry is you get to pick the wood, color and style. The amount of your selections multiplies almost infinitely depending on your budget. One of our clients wanted gray cabinets on the outside and all walnut on the inside. The drawers, the shelves, everything inside was a stained walnut. It was absolutely beautiful, but it was definitely custom, not a run-of-the-mill cabinet. With the quality of materials, you can get a lot pickier with the ones you decide to use.

When a homeowner comes to you with a vision, how do you guide them from concept to completion while balancing design, functionality and budget?
One of our first visits is in the home, and you get a good feel for what kind of home it is—how many people, their ages and whether it's a family with kids. It's also with the style of their home. If it's a traditional two-story colonial house in a regular suburban community, we look at the existing traits of the home, such as the doors to adjoining rooms, the hardwood floors, the style of the staircase. All of this is telling you that an ultra-modern kitchen may not be a good fit. It won't fit your house unless you're changing many other things. If they sell the house, that room wouldn't match the rest of the home and it may struggle to sell. We try to protect homeowners from having a really odd room that doesn't match the rest of the home.

Can you walk us through your design-and-build process and how you ensure quality craftsmanship in every stage of a project?
As far as design goes, we have a full showroom with six kitchens and three or four bathroom vignettes. We really try to show a pretty good view of what we can offer people in real life size, so that way they're not picking from a tiny swatch. Some people don't understand that when we're remodeling their kitchen or bath, we're not just replacing what they see. We're transforming the whole room to bring it up to today's needs and codes. We tell them we need to make sure we bring electrical to code, bring the lighting up to today's lighting and want to make sure everything is structurally sound. We're going to tear the floor out down to the subfloor and the walls to get rid of all of the drywall to make sure what we're putting back is going to last for the next 20 to 30 years. We want to really spend the time to do it right and do a really high-quality job to make it last—that's been our MO for 35 years. We focus on the whole project, not just the piece that you see.

What sets your company apart from other cabinetmakers and renovation companies?
One of the biggest things is that we handle the whole project. Not only do we do the full design service, but we also build our own cabinets in our Phoenixville location and complete the whole remodel with little to no subcontractors. Beyond that, we take care of the whole thing, from moving walls, windows and doors when necessary to finished details of hooking up the new appliances. We also fabricate quartz and granite countertops at our shop, and that makes us far different than every other company. It's become a game-changer because we can make [adjustments] at the last minute before it's fabricated with zero effect to the schedule. It's really made it so much easier for us and for our clients to know that they only have one phone call to make, and we're here to take care of them.

Dilworth's Custom Design
Phoenixville, Pa.
(610) 917-9119
DilworthsCustomDesign.com

Published (and copyrighted) in House & Home, Volume 25, Issue 12 (March/April 2026)
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