Wood cabinets are always a classic choice for a kitchen, but white cabinetry has been winning the popularity contest for the past ten years or so. Painted cabinets in shades of blue, gray, and green have also dominated the culinary scene. But now, it looks like kitchen decor is trending back to wood finishes.
Photo by Everingham Design
When I purchased my first home back in the 1980s, I don’t recall too many white kitchens. Everyone wanted wood – with the big question being the color of stain you chose.
Wood cabinets lend a certain amount of warmth to a kitchen perhaps people are feeling the need for comforting spaces in this day technology and social media.
Photo by Everingham Design<
Wood cabinetry pairs extremely well with painted surfaces, so if you can’t make up your mind, choose a combination of both.
Photo by Everingham Design
Wood cabinets are no longer relegated to a smooth, waxed surface. Rough hewn cabinets prove just as classic and beautiful.
Photo by Everingham Design
I’m not really noticing a trend more toward light or dark wood finishes. Light wood is a great choice for a contemporary or Scandinavian look, while darker wood lends itself toward a more traditional or industrial style kitchen.
Photo by Everingham Design
To keep a kitchen light and bright when using wood cabinetry, simply use a lot of white in the room. It’s such a timeless look.
Photo by Everingham Design
Wood cabinets that I personally prefer are ones that show the knots and grain of the wood. I love how the owner of this kitchen opted for a wooden cabinet base for the sink, while the rest of the cabinets are painted a soft gray.
Photo by Everingham Design
What’s your preference when it comes to kitchen design? Do you like cabinets with a wood finish, or those painted in a favorite color?
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Hi Jennifer
I will be honest, I have never been a fan of white cabinets. I prefer wood. I do like a mixed look though and would love maybe a whiskey glazed cabinet on the uppers and a rich wood tone on the bottom cabinets. That would be ideal in my eyes. Thanks for all of the inspiration pics. They are all beautiful!
Yayyy wood cabinets are coming back, that’s wonderful! I’m so glad I never painted mine!
I think wood cabinets are beautiful, however I do not like the Hickory cabinets I have seen lately to much difference within the wood. Beautiful pictures by the way!
So glad to hear that wood is coming back. For 20 years when wood was in I had white cabinets. 13 years ago I remodeled the kitchen and went with wood cabinets. That’s when wood was out and white came in.
Always have, always will love the beauty and warmth wood has to offer. These kitchen cabinets are stunning! Hopefully, they are making a comeback, for me they never left! Classic!!!
I have had my solid oak stained cabinets for over 35 years. I like the look of wood that has been stained and you can see the beauty of the woodgrain. Additionally, I love to cook and I think it would be a pain to keep white cabinets looking pristine.
Some of mine are wood with glass fronts and and my lower cabinets are white and i love them. I don’t really follow trends that close but it will be nice to see wood again.
Would love to see a picture of your cabinets. Am wanting to add more upper cabinets with glass fronts to off set the different age in the stained oak cabinets.
We have wood cabinets in our home too. Ours are maple with a bit of glaze. We love them and with all the painted furniture we gave it breaks things up.
Enjoyed this post.
Cindy
I lived with subdivision-builder oak cabinets for over 20 years before I finally painted them white – and I’ve never regretted it. However, builder oak is not the only wood available and high end wood cabinets in high end homes remain beautiful and relevant.
White kitchens will always be my favorite but I do like to break it up with some wood. Our island is a stained wood and I love how it adds warmth to the kitchen. Your examples are very pretty too!
Shelley
Hi Jennifer I heard this was coming… we just remodeled to gray and white cabinets. Oh no! Laura
These wooden cabinets are so beautiful and match with your house interior.
Where can you get a wood cabinet for the sink, like in the picture?
We completely redid our big galley kitchen five years ago when white was all the rage. We opted for white birch cabinets. We love this wood that is not too figured but mellow and warm. Then we jazzed it way up with bright red countertops! So many said we would get tired of the red countertops. Not a bit! Absolutely love them! Couldn’t possibly have gotten away with them with white cabinets. Beautiful with the birch.