Door Styles
Recessed Panel Door
Also known as: Flat Center Panel Door
A cabinet door where the center panel sits lower than the surrounding frame, creating a subtle shadow line. Also called a flat-panel door, this style is closely related to the Shaker door but may feature profiled edges on the frame pieces for additional visual interest. It strikes a balance between the ornateness of raised panels and the simplicity of slab doors.
Common questions
Is a shaker door the same as a recessed panel door?
A shaker is the best-known recessed panel style — a flat center panel inside a square five-piece frame. All shakers are recessed panel doors, but profiled variants exist too.
Recessed panel vs raised panel — which is better?
Neither is better; recessed panels read clean and transitional-to-modern, raised panels read traditional. Recessed styles currently dominate American kitchens.