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cpanther95_gw

Where have all the classic deep red cherry cabinets gone?

cpanther95
16 years ago

I've been through the whole spectum of cabinet colors over the past couple of years and we're down to the last week before pulling the trigger on style and color. We were pretty sure we wanted maple with a spice/nutmeg glaze, then transitioned to creamy off-white distressed cabinets. Now just before locking down my decision, I've got the urge to just stick with the classic dark cherry that has always stood the test of time and has that "fine furniture" quality to it.

Am I alone? Is it as timeless as I'm thinking, or have I overloaded on cabinet colors and the fear of dating my kitchen with the latest and greatest at this point in time?

I do like the quarter sawn oak an awful lot though. ;)

Comments (23)

  • tradewind_64
    16 years ago

    cpanther, my sister just did a kitchen gut and remodel and she put in custom slab door cherry cabinets. Although I am not sure what you mean by dark red. These are unstained cherry, which seems kind of medium toned naturally, but with reddish/pink undertones. They look AWESOME.

    I keep bugging her to let me post pics of her kitchen on here, but so far she has not provided me with any pictures. I will harrass her (nicely, of course) a bit more.

    I think cherry is a gorgeous wood and wonderfully timeless, especially the natural cherry, with no stain, just the clear finish, which darkens with time. (I have a cherry kitchen table, and it's aging gloriously). I also love hickory and am thinking of doing that when I finally get my bathroom done and can move on to the kitchen.

    So many pretty things to choose from :-)

    Joanna

  • mommyto4boys
    16 years ago

    We too were not planning on cherry, but fell in love with it after looking at samples done by our cabinet maker. They are installed and look stunning! I'm so happy with our choice. I did want to "mix" things up a bit, so we are going with a cream (with glaze) for the island. opposite look of what seems more "norm." We also chose brazillian cherry floors and the cream island just seems to break things up nicely. I feel as if the cabinets will always be in style, kwim?!

  • oruboris
    16 years ago

    Gone where all the wood has gone-- swallowed by a sea of white paint.

  • cpanther95
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    "Deep red" wasn't a good description - I'm talking about what buehl posted.

  • cpang74
    16 years ago

    I think the style of the doors and handles are what date a kitchen more then the color of wood? Pick what will look good with the hardware and counters you are envisioning and what you feel makes a space warm and invited or cool and crisp...what style or you wanting to create?

  • yanalg
    16 years ago

    here's ours (Decora Arlington Cherry):

    that was the only color/wood species we considered, Brookhaven has same stain (Cordovan Cherry?) and so does Merillat Masterpiece 9can't recall the name though).

    Here is a link that might be useful: my deep red cherry kitchen

  • live_wire_oak
    16 years ago

    I think that any REAL wood in close to it's natural tones will NEVER be "out of style". However, just as a lot of people are sick of "golden oak" cabinets because the builders during the 80's used the poorer quality ones to death, "deep red" cherry is getting a bit of a "lash back" in decreased popularity. Again, mass builders are the culprit, as is the increased mass market furniture production coming here from China. Much of the Chinese made furniture or cabinets doesn't even use cherry wood, but it's called "cherry" because it has that thick layer of red brown tinted lacquer over a lesser wood that obscures the grain almost entirely. THus, cherry in a redder stain has become associated with this lesser quality "cherry" in a lot of people's minds. (Much like mahogany or teak is so scarce that now just anything is covered with a dark red brown lacquer or a golden brown lacquer and called "mahogany" or "teak".) Good quality real cherry wood cabinets with a light tinted stain so the grain is readily apparent will always remain valued, although not so common, simply because premium cherry costs a LOT. Using premium cherry with only heartwood doubles or triples the costs of cabinets, and average people who want "cherry" cabinets don't want to spend $75K on them. THus, you see a lot of "cherry" kitchens with darker stains that obscure the amount of lighter sapwood more successfully. The lash back against oak, made cherry a lot more popular in the late 90's, and again, raised the price of truly premium cherry, so the builder's grade cabinet companies and the Chinese imports got involved, and you have another wave of "anti" against a particular cabinet type---the "red" cherry.

    Cream glazed cabinets or "Shaker style" will probably be next on the "hit list" of being "too common". ;~)

    Bottom line is get what YOU love. No one else is paying YOUR bills or cooking in YOUR kitchen. And if anyone comments about how "out of style" anyone's NEW kitchen is, then they don't deserve to be invited back into your home!

  • alku05
    16 years ago

    Live_oak is right; get what YOU like.

    We chose what we liked and it happened to be a not very reddish dark stained cherry. Actually the cabinet color is very close to the old 70's cabinets we tore out. I guess the wood color was the only thing we liked from our old kitchen, LOL.

  • spoonwood
    16 years ago

    We love our classic cherry cabinets. This photo brings out the brown tones a bit more than the reddish tones, but they look so different depending on the time of day.

  • theresab1
    16 years ago

    cherry cabinets here as well- in a shaker style so I may be out of styel on two fronts! We got what we liked and ignored trends as much as we could.

  • Jodi_SoCal
    16 years ago

    This is the clearest photo I have of my cabinet color. I took it to show the toe-kick drawer we have.

    Cabinets: Valley Custom Doors Cherrywood with a Brandy stain and chocolate glaze (http://www.valleycustomdoor.com/)

  • ljsandler
    16 years ago

    I have 3 different shades of cabinets in my kitchen and I LOVE them all--especially together. Each looks like a piece of furniture. But the majority shade by far is the classic medium-dark cherry color. I love the elegant, classic nature of the look. My new kitchen table is also stained to match the classic cherry color.

    Perimeter:

    Hutch (dark, dark cherry stain):

    {{gwi:1391980}}

    Island:

  • minnt
    16 years ago

    We have cherry, with just a light stain and I am amazed at how it has darkened even over a month. We have a cherry dining room table that started the color of our cabinets that is now 10 years old and it is a deep, dark cherry. Not quite red, but perfect.

    Here is a link that might be useful: My Blog

  • paul_ma
    16 years ago

    Here are my Cordovan stained cherry cabinets

  • Shantharam Keshava
    16 years ago

    Hi,

    All these discussions look good.

    We are also close to deciding on Mandarin Coffee or Nutmeg or ginger on Cherry for our kitchen cabinets.

    Where could you get a good deal on the cabinets. I have a contractor who can install.

    Any guidance would be good.

    Thanks
    Shantharam

  • Buehl
    15 years ago

    Shantharam...a lot depends on where you live...do you want stock, semi-custom, or custom...etc.

    This is probably too late for you, but I thought I'd try answering your question for you anyway just in case & maybe help others out as well!

    Ours are Omega semi-custom from EXPO Design Center. But if you check the Omega site you'll be able to locate dealers in your area. I suspect all cabinet makers have similar dealer locators on their websites. Many people have had great luck with small, local cabinetmakers...getting custom for the cost of semi-custom or even stock cabinets...BUT, be sure to check their work before committing. You do often get what you pay for!

    HTH!

  • berryberry
    15 years ago

    Our Cherry cabinets with a Toffee Stain. We love the richness of the color

  • reno_fan
    15 years ago

    In our area they died a slow and painful death. They were part of the initial "holy trinity" (coined by a fellow Gwebber) of new cabinets/granite/stainless.

    They were done a lot in the late 90's and early 2000s, and paired almost exclusively with dark green granite. I think when done well (like posted above) they're beautiful, though.

  • afr66
    15 years ago

    I've found it isn't just cherry cabinets that seem to be out of favor, but stained cabinets in general. We are getting a beautiful maple cabinet with an autumn stain (which actually looks a lot like a medium natural cherry) and I'm having trouble getting ideas for counters, backsplash and flooring because I don't see that many examples of kitchens with stained cabinets. I'd guess about 70% of kitchens in magazines have painted cabinets so it hasn't left me with a lot of inspiration photos . . . . I do love those white kitchens, of course, but don't get a lot of useful info from them!!

  • Valerie Noronha
    15 years ago

    Mine are in Cherry Autumn, which is a very light stain so the darkening was aparant

    Here they are going in:
    {{gwi:2106561}}

    Here they are about six months later:

    And here it is today, one year after the remodel:

    As you can see, it is still darkening.

    I just wanted to share a pic of one of my favorite stained pieces. This is an antique solid mahogany game table, all distressing is due to the effects of time. I never was a big fan of new furniture made to look old, but there is just something about old wood....

  • pjdp_2007
    15 years ago

    A WOMAN IN A CLASSIC BLACK DRESS, WEARING A NICE SET OF PEARLS IS IT. I AM A K.D. REMEMBER ALMOND CABINETS WITH AN OAK BAR/PULL AT THE BOTTOM , WHITE CABINETS, AVACADO OR HARVEST GOLD APPLIANCES. CLASSIC MEDIUM STAIN ON NATURAL OR SELECT CHERRY CAN LOOK GOOD 100 YEARS FROM NOW. CHERRY DARKENS WITH AGE. I HAVE FURNITURE IN CHERRY AT LEAST 75 YEARS OLD. FRENCH BLUE COUNTERS ALSO GO GREAT. ANY SAWN OAK IS TO0 WILD A GRAIN FOR ME UNLESS YOU LIVE IN THE YUKON. buy a kitchen not a single door. NATURAL FINISH CHERRY IS TOO RUSTIC ALSO, SINCE THE BOARDS ARE DIFFERANT COLORS AND NEED TO BE TONED BY APPLYING STAIN.

    Here is a link that might be useful: corner appliances

  • Buehl
    15 years ago

    Valinsv--they looked really nice initially...but I think they're even better now! They're gorgeous!