Hmmm. Are you saying that he's hesitant to stain wood?

I like 5-piece drawers myself instead of slabs. It depends on the look you're going for. You haven't said that.

By oversized drawers do you mean wide or deep or both? We strongly encourage drawers over regular cabinets around here. Deep drawers can hold a lot. You'd be surprised what you can store in them. Pots, pans, big mixing bowls, small appliances, and medium-ish appliances.

I encourage you to post your layout to see if your 70's kitchen can be improved.

OT, I'm in the NW also. I hear you about the gray days. Don't we have a nice weekend coming?

What about quarter sawn oak?

What about cherry, left natural? It will darken with age but if left natural will always fully show its beautiful grain. Cherry gets to be a beautiful warm color if left natural.

I had planned on using maple all along and then at the last minute switched to Hickory. Here's why. I wanted a medium light color but not so light as natural. I liked the look of Alder but was warned that it is soft and I am as hard as any kid on my cabinets. Suddenly I saw Shiloh Hickory and it was gorgeous. I'm getting it with a glaze and a light distressing. Hickory is VERY hard and durable. It has a slightly rustic look but not over the top. Incedentally, glazing, distressing and 5 piece drawer fronts are all standard with Shiloh. Not an upcharge. Also, I am doing the white cabinets for my uppers. I wish I knew how to post a photo in the body of my reply, but I'll be glad to send you one if you contact me.

I think whether something is dated has a lot to do with how it's used. Shaker cabs are classic, hard to go wrong, IMO.

Did you see the thread on bright wood kitchens? There might be helpful info or a kind of wood you hadn't thought of; definitely eye-candy!

Here is a link that might be useful: Show me pics of your bright, wood kitchens!!

I think I found out how to show a picture of the cabinet colors and materials I described in the previous post. https://picasaweb.google.com/DCOGNAC/ShilohHickorySoftWhiteWSlateGlazeKashmirWhiteGranite?authkey=Gv1sRgCPOsp7WJg4CWMw#5613620791695194610

Here is a link that might be useful: Hickory Cabinet w/mild destressing and glaze

Just curious. What type and color floor will you put with that? Because I have maple cabinets in a similar color and am uncertain what floor to use.

Not really a part of this conversation because I went with white maple cabinets. Why? because I just came in from my run, am soaking wet and facing yet another grey, rainy day in the NW (On the Canadian side).We've already broken records for the coldest April and May since 1955 and the least amt of sunshine since then as well. So far, no point in going to the gardening sites. I'm just complaining and I knew breezygirl would understand.

However, we did put natural maple cabinets in our bathrooms and as much as I like them they would be very light in a kitchen. I think they fit better in a contemporary space.

Since you are in the northwest, have you considered fir? I have tons of fir trim in my house and fir windows and doors in the kitchen. It is warm and bright.

You know, having lived in the NW almost my entire life, I have to say that I don't understand the expectation that wood will be used in it's natural state significantly in a house just because of where you live. I get enough fir for my taste just looking out any window in my house. I do love Doug firs, but I love them outside my house where I can appreciate them as a living organism. And yes, blfenton, it's pouring rain and dark at my house right now.

Putting aside my rant and getting back to the OP, fir might be a good choice if you really want natural wood and enjoy the specific NW kind of look.

I'm sure, Circus. I wasn't criticizing. I guess the rain is making my cranky this a.m. I've had enough people tell me to use fir in my reno because of my locale. I don't understand it. It was time to voice my opinion on it I guess. Like blfenton, white cabs appeal to me more because it brightens up my house.

I am guessing that the cabinet maker just prefers wood to not be stained. My primary cabinets are natural red birch - I love it - more grain and a slightly darker tone than maple (my floors are maple.) It is definitely not "red" like a cherry but has more color than a white birch (I think red birch is the heartwood, but don't remember.)

There is a photo of my kitchen in the "bright wood kitchen thread" the tone in real life is more like the first photo than the second.

Another thought is beech or butternut (more grain maybe a bit darker.)

You might think about beech. I was thinking maple, but wanted to go unstained, and it was just too light. So I ended up going with beech. The grain reads similar to maple, but it's darker while still being what I would consider fairly light.

Hi, wow, thanks everybody for your thoughts....To answer some thoughts, my cabinet maker feels the beauty of the wood comes through with the less stains and gels and glazes used. Also, if a colored finish chips off, it is more noticeable. He is certainly capable of either staining a wood or toning it and will do so if that's my preference. The maple with some color is still a finalist.

I am familiar with fir and love the truly old floors like at my grandma's home (circa 1918). Hadn't really considered it as kitchen cabinets. My cabinetmaker did have a sample of beech. There were tiny lines in it (particularly in the solid wood), and I wasn't sure if that would bother us once built so I am ruling out beech. But, I agree, beech is a nice color, light but warm too. Loved, loved the quarter-sawn oak I've seen, but a bit higher pricepoint. Hickory is probably a bit too pronounced of a grain for us, although I loved colorlady's palette.

Sparklekitty, I did see your photos and they are great! I am leading toward a different granite but your gray color is lovely with it. In the photos posted, we see some whiter area under the sink that my builder thought was probably a sapwood part of the tree, and he said that happens with cherry too.

I will get a sample door of red birch next week.

Is your door a straight craftsman or a cope-and-run (sort of an edge around the recessed)? My husband and I had originally been sure we wanted a raised panel but we have migrated. If you have more photos and are are able to email them to me privately, I would love that. I turned that option on for this account.

Finally, how would I post my layouts? I could take a stab at it. I actually like many things about my U-kitchen but we are making moderate changes.

Thanks,

Lynn

we love our vertical grain fir cabinets....beautiful grain, warm and bright, seems durable so far, finished with Rubio Monocoat oil. Apologies to those who have seen this photo before. The table is cherry, the cabinets, shelves and trim are fir, the windows are 100-year-old restored fir windows.
lynn

{{!gwi}}

Hi, that's a pretty kitchen too! Where did you source your cabinets? I am waiting on the red birch quote but this is also nice. You've got such a big kitchen though; I can't fathom a length of space that has three windows like that.

Colorfast, the cabinets were built here in New Haven
lynn