The Henderson’s love of natural wood comes only second to our love of natural light. In fact, it’s my personal thesis that you NEED a lot of wood in conjunction with natural light in order to still feel cozy. But can you have too much wood? Specifically in a kitchen? I think the old me would have said “Yes” because I love mixing things up and I love color. But I look at our kitchen here and so many others online and I think – I actually don’t think you can have too much wood – when done right. Wood is classic and timeless, warm and organic, not to mention (and why I’m here today) so much less maintenance.
The reason for us leaning into wood isn’t just aesthetics – painted cabinets chip so much easier than wood, and I prefer a camouflaged ding that you can barely see in the wood grain over an obvious paint chip. Now when I presented this agony to Anne’s husband, Richard, who owns Versatile (the sister company to Arciform that custom makes windows, doors, and cabinetry) he assured me that the painted cabinets can be practically chip-less if done right (and that’s all in the hands of the cabinet fabricator and painter – many of which do not do it right for long term). I have hired many “professional” cabinet finishers on many kitchens and all of the cabinets have still chipped within the first year. He was shocked and said that he’s never had that complaint. I even checked in with the Silverlake Hills house client yesterday and asked them if their cabinets have chipped – this one:
They said that “yes they chip” and that every other year they pay the original painter $150 for touchups. Now that is not that much, but I think it’s rare for the original painter (with the original exact paint color and finish) to do this. But I know for a fact that we had these custom cabinets professionally built and painted off-site, they cured for days between coats. To me, they shouldn’t chip!
That’s all to say we are skeptical about painted cabinetry (although Rashida’s post gave me hope and Richard said she is doing it EXACTLY right so only time will tell). Our wood cabinets at the mountain house are real wood, and just sealed with a matte wax, the black is stained reclaimed wood. I KNOW that we beat them up HARD, but nary a chip in sight. Sure if you look close you can see a ding or… 20, but it’s just different than a chip.
The Farm Kitchen (Kinda)
Now here’s an old rendering of the kitchen that was not even close to done and a billion things have changed, but just wanted to give you a sense of what we are working with – a big island, perimeter cabinetry, and fridge column next to a bar. NOTHING HERE HAS BEEN DESIGNED, meaning this is just for space planning and layout, no finishes have been selected. Thus the beginning of the exploration.
After speaking to Richard yesterday I feel more confident that they can deliver a practically chip-free painted cabinet, but I still want to explore with you how an all wood kitchen would look like.
I’m officially obsessed with this island. On that floor (note the awkward wood floor patching that looks AWESOME) and the knobs and framing that is a bit darker wood (looks like cherry?). Just so stunning. Now, what if the cabinets on the perimeter of that same kitchen were wood? Would it be too much? See here:
They did white on the perimeter but wood on all the counters. Now if they had done wood cabinets with marble on the countertops would that be too much wood? I think not. Also yes, note the wood pendants – these people love wood as much as we do 🙂
Now, this kitchen is a bit darker than we’d go but I think the all-wood look is just so pretty. The glass cabinets, farmhouse sink, and stone backsplash shake it up but otherwise, it’s a lot of wood (and it looks so pretty!).
While this kitchen might be a bit too modern for us, the use of the exact same wood on island, perimeter, and fridge columns is something I would NOT have done, but seeing it I’m like, “yah… this looks GREAT”.
This is the kitchen I keep going back to. Wood island. Wood island top. Wood cabinets and wood windows. The only thing that isn’t wood is the floor, countertops, and tile – but even if the floor was wood I think I would love it.
I know that you might be like “this isn’t farm-house-y” but I disagree. It’s just not “modern farmhouse” and instead has a more simple shaker vibe. As much as I love charming old details (which I do and we are still playing with how to bring them in) this looks warm and simple and just stunning.
The more I look at all of these the more I think I actually love all the wood. Sure it’s not eclectic or eccentric but I can do that with the styling. I love how that above kitchen shook up the profile of the drawers on the right cabinetry. So pretty!
So after much thought, my official conclusion is that you CANNOT have too much wood. I think for a more traditional/eclectic style you’d want to mix the wood tones (maybe the island is darker than the floor, for instance) but the seamless look is awesome for more contemporary spaces (like the mountain house). But like anything in design – you can DO ANYTHING if done right which is not super helpful but sadly it’s the truth. But what do you think? Would a “too much” wood kitchen be too much (or little) for you?
Opener Image Credit: Design by studio Lifestyle | Styled By Gena Sigala | Photo by Sam Frost
I love this! Wood is the new paint! I’ve got a painted kitchen that I painted myself and cured for weeks and it chipped too – it has some hard knocks when we sanded our floors (which we really should have done before we did the cabinets, but you live and learn) but the corners at the tops which were nowhere near the sander have chipped too.
The wood is so beautiful and I love these – I think your mountain house kitchen is stunning and the first time I’d seen wood cabinets look so nice (I like the mid-century plywood kitchens too but that’s a very different style). I think you need the marble or stone shininess to balance the wood, I’m less keen personally on the wood or muted-toned worktops as there isn’t as much contrast as the white.
wow! I looooove the modern one with the beautiful window at the sink. Just the floor tiles would give me too much of a pain of cleaning the grouts… But with a hardwood floor – Totally YES!!!
There is never too much natural wood! Just be cautious with stain colours. Orangey oak and darkish cherry is still very present in my memories…
Our last house had white painted cabinets that never chipped – like I don’t remember one single chip. We bought it new and lived there for two years. Zero issues. Then this past December, we moved. I got my dream inset cabinets. Our kitchen is beautiful…but our cabinets already need a few touch ups. So, I do think there is truth to the fact, that when they’re done right, painted cabinets should not chip.
another thing I miss about our last kitchen is our maple butcher block we had on the island. It was so pretty, and I loved it so much. As far as all wood goes, my vote is go for it!
I love natural wood and that last kitchen is just – dare I say perfect?! It is so calming. I think monochrome wood kitchens will come back and the days of one colour on the island and one colour on the cabinets is limited (particularly with paint). It’s been a trend for a while but can’t see it being a timeless design choice.
Our house came with pretty Amish made oak cabinets. Where others might see the 90’s, I see the potential for an English-ish, cottagey, timeless kitchen. I’ve long thought I would not jump on the bandwagon of painting them because I think stained wood is timeless. I have painted finishes elsewhere in my house that makes the whole house fresh.
I love the kitchens with wood you posted. One big thing to consider is how does the wood age (I mean will the wood change color)?? In my previous home I had unstained natural maple kitchen cabinets. They started out blonde (the look I wanted) but they yellowed drastically over the years – to the point where they looked BRIGHT YELLOW (NOT the color I wanted). I also have a handmade unstained natural cherry dining room table and chairs that has turned orange over the years….I SERIOUSLY want to change the color but I’m not sure what to do (bleach it? stain it? The factory finish on it still looks good.)
you can get that dining set refinished. it’s probably just the polyeurethane on there that has oranged.
Astrid, some varnishes and stains tellow with age (as do some brands of silicone sealers).
If you sand them, as Lovely suggested, make sure you re-seal with a product that boasts no tellowing and you’re good for yearrrrrs!!!
I love natural wood and the wood island in the first photo. We always had stained cabinets and I never wanted painted cabinets until our last home, where the custom cabinets (new) had already been painted. I was skeptical but In 14 years we had almost no issues with chipped cabinets. Now I don’t want to go back to stained cabinets. Even though beautiful, I prefer more contrast. Now my favorite kitchens almost always have painted cabinets or a combination of both. For me, wood floors and cabinets are just too bland.
I don’t know why, but I always thought Shaker was more painted simplicity than raw wood?!
Curious about this chipping issue….I moved into a gut rehab and have no idea where the cabinets are from. They have chipped a bit and my handyman said that they “came from the factory painted and can’t be touched up”, I can’t tell if they are real wood or not and they are painted a light gray. Has anyone had this problem or heard of this ?
Hi! They’re probably thermofoil. Lots of gray and white cabinets come with a factory finish that isn’t actually paint—it’s a material melted onto the door during production. You can’t paint to match them precisely but you can disguise inconspicuous chips with paints.
I like every kitchen pictured in this post (the dark Electric Bowery one being my favorite). However, when I saw the photos of the farmhouse kitchen as it looked when y’all first bought the farmhouse, my first thought was “too much wood”. I went back to one of your first-floor walk-through posts to see if I could figure out why, and I think it’s a combination of the unbroken row of cabinets going across the top of the window which looks very “heavy”; and the medium-toned wood. I think wood features in homes are most attractive if they’re either very light or very dark.
i LOVE these kitchens that are posted. i love wood kitchens. they’re so warm and organic.
Love this. I’m just not willing to work that hard (painted cabinets) when there’s a naturally beautiful more carefree option (when I do renovate now chipped painted cabinets). Appreciated your work in analyzing /articulating what makes good wood on wood kitchens work (different woods tones) as I had not noticed that in my Pinterest board. All my wood on wood kitchen Pins are under the heading ‘zen cabinets’: for me the design must be pretty quiet like some Asian cupboard designs or shaker. I call it ‘touch me wood’ because it’s so simple that it’s radiance makes me want to hold on to take all that beauty in.
I love love love wood kitchens they’re just so warm and welcoming to me. I’ve been blessed with an all around wonderful and very handy dad who build the wood kitchen cabinettry in my childhood home, in the flat he moved into after my parents seperated and in the first flat I moved into. So I’ve basically been surrounded by (handmade) wood kitchens my entire life and am always a little confused by the shiny plastic-y, somewhat-too-low ikea-kitchen in the flat share I moved into next (no worries my beautiful wood kitchen is still in storage and will absolutely come live in my next apartment!!) As far as durability goes: they laaaaaaaast!! You wouldn’t want to leave them unfinished obviously – mine and my dads are waxed, the one in my childhood home is oiled – and you do have sand them and touch them up every few years (or every year if you’re a stickler like my dad which is probably better ;)) They will discolour a little bit over time – usually they darken a bit simply because of the finish and time, though you can get some of that back by a thorough sand down – but… Read more »
Lisa, you’re so lucky to havd a dad like that!
aw thank you Rust! I reall am 🙂
I would love to see pictures! What a talent : ) I really admire builders.
I looooove these kitchens. The wood is so cozy and inviting. I’m surprised by all the issues with painted cabinets chipping, but definitely filing that info away for my next renovation…
My white IKEA cabinets are that fake painted stuff, and while they might not look as pretty as real painted cabinets, those suckers are dang near indestructible!
Hi Sarah! If you know, would you mind sharing which doors you have (like the IKEA name)?
I am planning a kitchen reno on a relatively small budget. I know there are options like Semihandmade but if I can get an even more affordable white door from IKEA that holds up, that’d be great!
Also, I agree all these wood examples are gorgeous!
Not Sarah obviously, but wanted to chime in that we installed an ikea kitchen in our last home and I’m pretty sure they were the Veddinge (they definitely weren’t the glossy ones, they were very smooth but more matte, and I’m pretty sure they weren’t the Haggeby because the edges weren’t as square). We lived there 10 years and no chips or dings and everything wiped down beautifully. Would totally recommend.
Thanks so much Michelle! Really appreciate this!
Hi Vera! We went with the Grimslov fronts and I’ve been very happy with them! So sorry for the slow response. I think IKEA is an awesome option for a small budget (like ours was) and would definitely do it again in the future.
These examples are all beautiful. My only fear is that going too wood-heavy in a kitchen is a rising trend that will soon feel quite dated. It’s just such a strong statement, and it seems like the strongest statements tire out the fastest. I know “timeless” is kind of a myth, the holy grail we are all chasing and never quite achieve (just look at your wedding dresses, people!) so if we love a look, we should go for it. But I feel safer at least ATTEMPTING timeless for my new reno. I’m planning white shaker cabinets, lots of glass (even some glass cabinets over windows) and a walnut end-grain island top. Not that anyone asked.🙂
WHAT???? My Princess Diana inspired very poofy skirt, enormous sleeved, rose bedecked wedding dress is TOTALLY timeless!!! 😉
Absolutely!!
Shannon these are great points. Bigger statement = bigger chance of feeling dated. But I love what you say about just going for something you really love too!
Sounds like your kitchen will be about as timeless (and gorgeous!) as possible!
Thanks Vera!
You mean my daughter WON’T want to wear my strapless embroidered ballgown from 2004?
Ha ha ha. Such a good point.
I think the more natural the elements, the more timeless. Wood, marble, stone, metal, they are undeniably pervasive because they’re so damn simple. A stone floor in a sunroom isn’t going anywhere, a black and white marble bathroom will always be just fine and wood cabinets can certainly stand the test of time. The beauty of well crafted, simple wood (I’m not talking a bunch of stained colors or embellishments ) is that no matter what the Design Gods tell you, your kitchen is golden. Look at the existing kitchen cabinets in the farmhouse now, plenty of people think they’re beautiful.
Simple wedding dresses will always stand the test of time.
First, I love those collection of wood lights. If you follow the Idiom of “ Too much of a good thing”, then you agree with Shannon. And, I agree with her. I think of the 80’s white kitchen and shiny brass. Now it is a muted brass, but it is everywhere now, ho hum. In 5 to 10 years, I will know exactly when someone built or remodeled their home. The same goes for white and gray/blue houses.
I GASPED when I saw the Electric Bowery kitchen – its stunning!! I don’t think I will ever live in a house with a whole ass marble wall but it sure looks beatufil in conjunction with the dark dramatic wood. The cabinettry almost has an old timey apothecary feel to it for me with the small brass accents and the ladder especially – dramatic yet cosy at the same time – beautiful! Sadly the link ot the AD-tour doesn’t work for me – has anybody been able to find the rest of the home tour? I would love to see what that looks like <3
whoops it DID work on the second try so never mind 😀 and the whole house is gooooorgeous and whimsical just as expected – so definitely recommend 😉 https://www.revistaad.es/decoracion/galerias/esencia-espanola-este-piso-california/11965/image/796826
And if that link doesn’t work here the house is on the designers website http://www.electricbowery.com/crescent Just look at the gorgeous sun room and the dining room is just so cosy yet playful to me 🙂
Thank you for sharing this!
stunning house and design!!
Wow, they have some amazing homes on their website. Thanks for calling them out, Lisa!
We have had white-stained ikea cabinets for 10 years, with basically no wear. I’m sure you aren’t considering ikea 🙂 but if ikea can deliver white cabinets that don’t chip, I’m sure it’s possible!
Wow! Do you happen to know if they still carry the same doors (since a few years back they changed their cabinet system)?
White stained sounds pretty and more durable than white painted!
We got them with the old system. The downside is that the underlying wood has a slight pink tint, which I don’t love; but it just required a bit of care with picking the wall color.
Makes sense! Thanks Emilie!
Love this post.
My house in wood on wood on wood. So glad we stuck to it when building, lots of people tried to talk us out of it because it’s not what is popular (a white kitchen). So cozy and warm, so much character.
I live in Northern MN where all wood everything is real and painting any of it is considered sacrilege by some. An all -wood kitchen for me would depend on what else is happening in adjacent spaces. Too much wood starts to feel busy and my eye starts looking for a place to rest. A kitchen is already a busy hub. I painted my wood cabinets white and it feels so much more peaceful. In your new house with the space I think it could look great. My little bungalow kitchen felt cramped and smothered because the floors were also wood. Too much brown town. I’m sure you will nail it. Its all about balance
…have to second everything said here – consider the rest of the space beyond the kitchen as I am sure you will. Also want to reiterate how much wood darkens over time so maybe wood where you can remove it for a sanding job in 10 or 15 years.
I’m definitely team wood, especially in a farm or country house!! Also, I would love Versatile/Arciform to share their no-chip painting tips if possible.
yes yes yes, light wood EVERYWHERE. it’s scandi and shaker and beautiful.
What’s up with chipping paint? I painted my own cabinets and top-coated with three coats of poly – no chips. If you have a good layer of top-coat, you’ll be fine, but if you just have paint on cabinets, of course it’ll chip eventually.
Good point, and you can get matte polyurethane too.
Ya, I can’t get past the chipping paint. My kitchen is painted with BM Advance and we have never had a chip. It’s been three years. No topcoat. But all my kitchens have been painted, since 2004, some with topcoat and some without, and I don’t remember ever having a chipping issue. Maybe my family and I are just gentle?
Love it! My cabinets chip constantly and it drives me nuts. (And they’re painted black which makes it that more noticeable). My aunt remodeled her kitchen about a year ago with all wood custom cabinets and it looks stunning – wood floors and wood cabinets. Her kitchen gets lots of natural light and is in a rural setting on a lake and it just made sense.
Ahhh, the light, raw wood of the last kitchen. Beautiful. The darker ones were a little harder to get behind, but the last image is just timeless and gorgeous. Go for it.
We are 8 weeks out from our kitchen reno and planning LOTS of wood elements. We have beautiful oak floors and are doing our cabinets in a soft white oak, no uppers, and a big 9 foot window across the sink. Our large island is going to painted something warm and neutral, like BM Revere Pewter. Counters are going to be a leathers/honed soft grey granite with white veining. Nothing shiny, lots of natural elements. And… the main focal point of the reno: a large antique butcher block from a local butcher shop in Brooklyn tucked into the corner of the island (similar to the attached image). I’ve had it tucked away in my garage for a few years waiting for its moment to shine!
This sounds gorgeous! I’d love to see after photos!
Bravo!! We built our own log cabin
..talk about a lot of wood…I went “Graphite/almost black, with wood grain showing through” cabinets…I LOVE IT!! Granted it’s not “brilliant” when evening comes…but “bright” enough for us. Integrated appliances…black
..sealed the deal
franki
I do love all the wood. I was wondering how a wood backsplash would look. There are no examples of that. I have a travertine backsplash and was wondering how it would look going over it with wood.
Huge vote up for wood cabinets! I know painted white cabinets are simultaneously on trend and classic, but they are such a nightmare to keep looking nice (especially with kids in the house). Our first house came with white cabinets and I was giddy with them, initially…a year in, I realized it was the worst part of our house, haha! Our new house has wood cabinets and they are SO MUCH BETTER, in every way. Warmer, easier to maintain, always look nice, etc. I do think all wood cabinets, floors, and countertops would be a stretch. My dream kitchen is slate floor, wood cabinets, white marble countertops. I do really love a beautiful green painted kitchen, but from my experience, the cabinets do chip inevitably :-/
Agree! With three boys and a not-so-neat husband, I curse my white, recessed paneled cabinet doors regularly. Would go flat front and wood if I could do it over again.
Difference btw painted cabinets and creating for the wood millwork to feature, is painted ages unfavorably (eventually depending on the process), where as time is kind to wood.
IE I just spent a year to get 18th century, very wide and long, very foot worn with that “burnished” glow from foot wear floor boards. Where time and constant use where the “friends” to woods beauty.
I get it you can’t have wood everywhere, I had however many wood paneled rooms and as much as I oh and ah at them, and would always like in a home, it is also good if possible to get different materials for different feel rooms.
You already have so much wall surface space taken up with those glorious windows and light that you don’t have to worry about the biggest consequence of full wood rooms.
team wood here!
I love a balance of wood and paint myself. I have light wood floors and countertops in my kitchen with with white painted drawers and a stone backsplash. It feels very clean and fresh and calm. I have no chips after 10 years but I am ready to repaint them as they are worn from cleaning. I am going to replace the knobs with wooden ones to giveit a more scandi feel. I have too many memories of all wood kitchens that seemed dark and dirty to me so I would never go that route.
Love it.
It’s all about what you like. Wood is beautiful. For me it gets to a place where it feels almost oppressive if there’s too much, but it’s so personal. Do what makes you happy.
WOOD ALL THE WAY!! I grew up with a farm house kitchen with wood cabinetry (obviously not as chic as these examples ha!) but looking at this brings me so much warmth & joy! Like country house meets a retreat oasis?? I LOVE it. I also love the idea of bringing in stone surfaces & tiles. I think you can totally lean into the wood vibe (read: DO IT!!), but keep some checks and balances with other textures (i.e. counter tops)
Too much wood! I’m getting flashbacks of my parent’s kitchen growing up…
Also – just thinking about ease of cleaning…wood countertops kinda gross me out, but if it were kept to just the island, maybe.
Yes! I love the look of wood cabinets, but it feels intimidatingly tricky to get it right. We’re renovating our kitchen next year and I’ve been obsessing over the green Portland House kitchen, but keep coming back to the warmth of wood. Somehow mixing these wood kitchens with the Portland kitchen would be my dream. Needless to say I am VERY excited to see what you choose for the farmhouse kitchen!
I. Love. Wood! Especially sustainably-sourced and even moreso, recycled timber!!!
I prefer old, old wood to new wood, hands down! It gas a story and soul.
For me, the only potential issue with wood everything, is that the mountain house is FULL of CA light beaming in left, right and centre!
Portland light is different and that makes me wonder if SO much wood would ‘darken’ the visual of the area??? But, I don’t know Oregon light!
I’m in Portland, probably no more than five miles from Emily’s new house (I don’t actually need to know the exact location), and our kitchen is full of maple cabinetry and abundant east-facing windows. I switched out countertops to quartz, white with gray streaking, and the backsplash is white glass. Painted walls are custom, sort of greenish blue based on a ceramic bowl. The room feels like spring year round. Rumors of gray dinginess are exaggerated, in my opinion .
Yay wood! That Studio Ezra kitchen is amazing. You CAN have too much wood if the grain is a busy pattern, then you add in more busy patterns in the flooring, backsplash and countertops etc. But you’re a pro and will get it done just right!
These are all really beautiful examples and I love the idea of wood cabinets. I’ve never had an issue with my painted cabinets chipping, but I don’t have kids and we are pretty easy on ours. That being said one thing to think about is the difference in light between Southern CA and Oregon. Even with tons of windows the quality of the light is worlds apart and the PNW does not get that soft warm glow. Too much wood can suck the life out of a space here if it’s too dark and conversely a lighter tone can be a little flat with how overcast it is most of the time. I think a nice balance between wood and non-wood surfaces is probably the best option. Since you have a private and pretty piece of property bring the outside in and have the view outside those kitchen windows be a highlight.
That’s what I was wondering!
I love all of these wood elements, but I do think wood can be too much if it’s used everywhere. I think my eyes crave a little contrast. I love the last kitchen, but would prefer wood floors and a soapstone countertop. I love my soapstone so much. It’s so warm and classic. I am a little regretful that I did white shaker cabinets. They are factory finished, and are wearing from cleaning and where water splashes too often.
We have wood cabinets and floors in our kitchen, and I used to want to paint them, because the wood grain is really high contrast so it feels super busy. Anyone know how to counter that? Special stain? Thanks
Beautiful and fitting. Consider a reclaimed stone or brick floor in kitchen. Dogs and water (from wet seasons) will TRASH them in the kitchen, along with regular food spills, chair scraping, cleaning . . . never doing it again. Will be a nice contrast to your wood kitchen, too.
Ooooh, I love brick floors!
I love all wood. We’re designing a new custom house and I’m doing all wood. Wood floors, cabinets, uppers, shelves. I have painted cabinets now and even redid our basement painted the trim – all super strong enameled paint and it chipped after just months. I refuse to have that in my kitchen again when we have a 3 & 5yr. old. Hell – they’ll probably be harder on it when they’re tweens!
We might do a dark/charcoal stain on the buffet cabinets and island – but I just can’t with paint. IMO it’s for the walls. (but then again, I do come from the most gorg. 100yr. old craftsman 4 square so I’m partial to gorgeous wood) But LUMBER these days! $$$$
Reading thru the post and comments I was wondering if the topic of stain vs painting would come up.!? In my smaller galley style kitchen the uppers are white and the lowers are a dark charcoal gray stain as you mentioned. I love how the grain of the wood cabinets peeks thru when the pacific nw light manages to sneak past my walnut tree into the house… (Though if I was renovating today, I would Shou Sugi Ban my lower cabinets like Emily’s Mountain House island -in a heartbeat!).
Big fan of simple designed, natural finished wood cabinets. Combined with white walls and lots of natural light, the wall of windows bringing green from nature inside would be so pretty, fresh, and organic. Love how the character of the wood shines through with a clear finish and the tone deepens over time because it continues to be a living, breathing material. I explored many different wood species before choosing with our new build. Each has its own way of aging. Love the raw wood look when they are new and with age they just get richer looking.
Love that first photo! It looks exactly like what a shaker farmhouse should look like (not the current trendy modern farmhouse style). I love wood but I really like contrast. If everything is wood (floors, ceiling, beams, island, countertop and surrounding cabinets) then your eye has nowhere to land and it all gets lost. I guess if all of it is special (nice wood grain and tone) then none of it is special. I think the white perimeter cabinets and walls makes that top photo kitchen special because it emphasizes the island and pendants.
Not the top one. The shelter collective one.
Great post – I love exploring one specific topic this way!
My preference in any space is to see roughly 60% white, 40% wood, with hits of black.
So the wood could be cabinets, counter, blinds, anything. It just needs enough white for balance.
And in general, I like for anything heavy-looking to be on the bottom half of the room. So darker wood or black would be used on lower cabinets or island, with thin black lines higher up (as lighting, art frames, window frames, etc.)
That’s just what my eye likes! 🙂
I absolutely LOVE the mountain house. Can’t wait to see what you do here!
I guess I will have to be the dissenter…I hate all that wood. It is dark. It is dreary. It is uninspiring. Depressing. Monotone. Yuck. Please paint something.
Agree with you on all counts! I do love that island- more than the ones you showed in the earlier post. I bought a 13-year-old house with fairly dark wood cabinets and I’d like to update the kitchen, but i don’t want to do a total, expensive gut job on it (although I do fantasize about rearranging everything). Several neighbors are painting their cabinets but I am leery. Wondering if sanding them down and lightening them would be successful. As far as your kitchen, or a new kitchen, I love the look of white oak.
SWOON and DROOL and YYYEEESSSSSSSSS WOOD!!
We live in an Oregon craftsman and the kitchen cabinets are all wood. Quarter-sawn white oak, and honestly it looks a bit like the kitchen of your new home (pre-reno). When we first moved in, I thought, ugh, is that going to feel so dark? (I’ve always had white kitchens before). But because the wood is high quality, and really custom and well-made, and because the wood itself has such a gorgeous grain, I’ve never felt it was dark or gotten tired of it. I still love it, and it wears really well. I cook a LOT; like I abuse my kitchen I use it so much, and that wood is amazing. Anyway, just wanted to throw that out there.
I love a white kitchen but I reluctantly concur that it’s hard to maintain, and if it’s not a chip, then it’s showing every little speck. I also love wood. Although sometimes it feels dark or heavy, I really think down the line the white washed looking pale wood is going to go out of style. The kitchen with the wood island and terra-cotta tiles looks DRY to me. I think for both maintenance and aesthetics a different finish would be better.
This is welcome news for us. Over 30 years ago, we remodeled our kitchen with wood, white handmade look glazed tile (square – I don’t think subway was a trend then), black accents, ceramic tile floor to match the wood tone (similar to the Ezra kitchen). At the time, Tuscan was style, we just reinterpreted it differently. We had just purchased a handmade japandi (they didn’t call it that then, but it is the best way to describe it) dining table and chairs and struggled to find a wood that would complement it in a semi custom line. We chose hickory sap wood, which the sales people warned us we might not like – pale wood, random patterning. I’ve never seem anything similar to it until Emily’s reclaimed wood mountain kitchen. Now that it’s time to move to re-wirement (not a typo), I was afraid the kitchen would not appeal to young buyers. Al realtor suggested we paint it, but maybe I’m on the cusp of a trend! Yay! Point being I’ve loved a wood kitchen for every year we’ve had it. It has warmed a bit over time, but it is in incredible shape, barely a ding or dent… Read more »
Love an all wood kitchen. We had one with two shades of maple, as well as a cork floor. Go for it!