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Our Honest Review of AYR Cabinetry After 11 Years of Partnership

When homeowners talk about custom cabinetry, it can mean very different things. For some, it means more door styles. For others, it means better finishes. But in its truest sense, custom cabinetry is about how cabinets are built, not just how they look.

At Capozzi Design Build, we’ve partnered with AYR Cabinetry, based in Napanee, Indiana, for over 11 years. During that time, AYR has consistently delivered what very few manufacturers still do: true, furniture-grade cabinetry built by cabinet makers—not an automated production line.

This is our honest, long-term review of AYR Cabinetry—where it excels, who it’s best suited for, and why it continues to be a trusted part of our cabinetry offerings for kitchen remodels.

Why our relationship with AYR matters

AYR Cabinetry is located in Napanee, Indiana, a region long known for skilled woodworking and furniture craftsmanship. This area has a deep history of cabinet making, and that heritage is still evident in how AYR operates today.

AYR remains founder-led and independently operated, and we have a direct, personal relationship with ownership. That matters. When details need refinement, questions arise, or truly custom solutions are required, we’re working directly with the people responsible for the product—not navigating layers of automation or customer service.

That level of accountability shows in the final result.

Built the old-fashioned way—by cabinet makers

One of AYR’s defining characteristics is how cabinetry moves through their shop.

Rather than relying entirely on automation, AYR uses skilled craftspeople to review, refine, and correct highly detailed shop drawings. These drawings don’t just approve the project—they become the instruction set used throughout the shop to build the cabinetry.

That human oversight matters. It’s how proportions stay correct, details remain intentional, and complex projects are executed with consistency rather than compromise.

Furniture-grade construction, not production cabinetry

AYR cabinetry is gang-built, much like fine furniture. Cabinetry is built as larger, unified assemblies rather than a collection of small boxes joined together during installation.

What this allows:

Long cabinet runs are built as single pieces
Islands up to 10 feet long (when site access allows)
Fewer seams and joints
Cleaner, more refined visual lines

This approach is fundamentally different from how roughly 95% of cabinet manufacturers operate, where modular boxes are assembled in the field.

A face-frame cabinet that maximizes usable space

While AYR builds face-frame cabinetry, its construction method pushes the limits of what face-frame cabinets typically offer.

Because cabinetry is gang-built and planned as a system:

Interior storage is maximized
Dead space is reduced
Cabinet interiors feel intentional and furniture-like

This makes AYR an excellent option for homeowners who prefer framed cabinetry but still want exceptional function.

True customization—without artificial limits

AYR is one of the few manufacturers where custom truly means custom.

They will:

Build corbels to any width or height
Create radiused wood hoods
Fabricate specialty details without catalog restrictions
Coordinate with local artisans, including woven baskets for onion and potato drawers

These are not upgrades or add-ons—they’re integrated into the cabinetry itself.

Drawer boxes and interiors: among the best available

AYR’s standard drawer box is among the most premium offered today.

They use a French dovetail drawer box, a joinery method with longer, more gradual dovetail angles. This creates exceptional strength while allowing the joint itself to become a refined design detail rather than something hidden.

Additional interior features include:

Optional walnut drawer boxes and interiors
Cabinet interiors are finished to match the exterior as a standard
Shaped shelf edges with decorative trim included as standard

This is cabinetry built with a furniture-maker’s mindset, not a cost-reduction mindset.

Materials, finishes, and styles

AYR cabinetry includes:

All-plywood construction
Full overlay and inset door styles
A curated—not unlimited—selection of door styles and finishes

Like Bernier, AYR limits options intentionally to maintain finish quality and consistency. While often associated with traditional and furniture-grade kitchens, we’ve also used AYR successfully in contemporary settings where craftsmanship and material quality were the top priorities.

Who AYR Cabinetry is best suited for

AYR is an excellent fit if:

You value craftsmanship over mass production
Furniture-grade quality matters to you
Inset or high-end framed cabinetry is your goal
Subtle detailing and interior quality are important
You’re investing in a long-term solution

From a practical standpoint, AYR tends to be the best fit in homes valued at $700k and above, and it is especially well-suited for $1M+ homes, where the level of craftsmanship aligns with the overall investment in the property.

AYR is not intended to compete with production cabinetry—and it doesn’t try to.

Our final assessment

After more than 11 years of partnership, AYR Cabinetry continues to set the benchmark for furniture-grade, face-frame cabinetry.

Quality: A+

The craftsmanship, materials, joinery, and level of customization are outstanding. AYR builds cabinetry the way fine furniture is built—intentionally, carefully, and with longevity in mind.

Price: B (and appropriately so)

AYR is not priced as production cabinetry, nor should it be. The investment reflects the labor, materials, and craftsmanship involved. Importantly, AYR is not out of line for what you receive. The value is strong when evaluated honestly.

Like Bernier, AYR invests in the product itself—not in mass marketing. You’re paying for cabinet making, not brand recognition.

Bringing it all together

There is no single “best” cabinet line—only the right cabinet line for your priorities.

AYR represents the upper tier of furniture-grade, face-frame cabinetry, while other lines we offer may better serve different budgets, layouts, or design goals. Our role is to help you understand those tradeoffs clearly, so you can make confident decisions.

Schedule a planning session with our design-build team.

We’ll walk you through cabinetry options, explain where each line excels, and help you choose what best fits your home and your investment.

You may also want to read:

Anne Capozzi Wins Innovators 2023 Design Award from Kitchen & Bath Design News

The publication Kitchen and Bath Design News (KBDN) listed Anne Capozzi among their 2023 Innovators in their October 2023 issue. KBDN says their 2023 design award winners are influencing the future of kitchens and baths with their dedication to design and remodeling. This is only the seventh class of Innovators KBDN has named. What’s more, the class comprises just 28 individuals from around the country.

KBDN’s 2023 Innovators change lives with custom solutions and completed projects. But they also educate, volunteer, present, and mentor. These design award winners are entrepreneurs, organization members, and local leaders. And they have kept the industry moving forward despite the labor shortages, long material lead times, and rising costs of recent years.

Anne’s History of Innovation

Anne deserves this design award for the countless times she’s made advancements in her field. After joining her family’s cabinet shop in the early 1990s, she doubled company revenue and built a team of on-staff carpenters. In doing so, she improved public perception of carpenters and tradespeople.

Launching Capozzi Design Build in 2004 gave her even more opportunities to progress kitchen and bath design. She was one of the first people in Ohio to hold three specific certifications at once. Those certifications are Certified Kitchen Designer (CKD), Certified Living in Place Professional (CLIPP), and Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS). Capozzi Design Build was also the first company in the Cleveland area to showcase a working kitchen that incorporates the “Cooking Trifecta”. The Cooking Trifecta features a Galley Workstation, a two-burner induction cooktop, and a steam oven.

Your Chance to Work with a Design Award Winner

Being named a 2023 innovator is a great honor for Anne. She will continue innovating in kitchens and baths for homeowners throughout Northeast Ohio. If you want a kitchen or bath that could win a design award like Anne did, contact us today.

Jefferey Y.

Anne Capozzi brings experience, taste, great listening skills and innovative products to kitchen and bath design. The end result is a kitchen or bath the homeowner can delight in, knowing it will function as well as it is beautiful. The end result is more value for a given project budget.

Aubry A.

The Capozzi Design Group team is very knowledgeable and made the process of our kitchen remodel seem easy. Anne understood exactly what we wanted and made suggestions about materials and design that exceeded our expectations. She gave us choices from among what she knew as the best options, which made the decisions easier. Anne is very patient, helpful, and friendly. Our contractors recommended her, and I believe she made it easier for them, also, since she had laid out for them exactly what needed to be done. We are extremely happy with the results. I am convinced that, without Anne and Kevin’s expertise, the process would have been much more stressful, difficult, and much less satisfying.

Marybeth B.

The Cappozzi Design Build team is wonderful to work with! Anne helped me make design decisions from start to finish. Questions were answered in a timely fashion, and my kitchen is not only beautiful, but very functional and a joy to cook and entertain in. The CDB team was also a delight to have in my home working for the several months it took to complete the renovation. I would definitely recommend them for remodeling projects!

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