Am very interested in your query. Who sells the cabs? Where does the wood come from -- rain forest wood is an issue these days.

I am a Federal Furniture Freak as well as a Red Freak and wanted very much to get cabs that satisfied both these manias. Cherry was the best I could afford and actually the beaded babies I liked best were beyond my budget. The idea got tossed aside at a particularly brutal moment in my marriage. Back to oak, sigh.

"Good luck stormin' the castle."

I've seen photos here in the past. They are to drool over! I wish I had mahogany cabinets.

My in-laws had custom made mahogany cabinets installed in their kitchen and baths 8 years ago. I will admit that at first I thought them to be a little odd looking (the cabinets and not my in-laws) but have since come to love their look. The cabinets look great, and have held up very well. Actually, this year they had a matching desk made to attach to the end cabinet and you could not tell the difference between the existing cabinet and the new desk. I would post pictures but my in-laws live in another state.

A lot of the wood being sold as mahogany nowadays is not really mahogany (Swietenia mahogani). The wood used for the beautiful antique furniture we all love came from the Caribbean & Central America (think Cuba & Honduras). This wood was so stable it was even used in ships.
Most of the stuff sold today as mahogany comes out of the Philippines & Africa. They are different species with very different characteristics.
It is still possible to purchase Honduran mahogany although it is very expensive. I have not seen Cuban mahogany as an adult. (My grandmother had a house full of the stuff).

Hmmm...even looking at the Finished Kitchen Blog I only find four (4!) kitchens sorted under the "mahogany" category!!! Why is it not used more often? I don't want to get a wood type that is not good for kitchen purposes. Still figuring this out:)

@florantha - the cabinets are from DeWils...you can get many of their woods for the same price, depending on the stain you choose! I believe the mahogany is coming from Africa.

The main reason it's not used more often is the expense. (Think 100K cabinets if you choose solid wood rather than veneer.) True mahogany is horribly expensive, and thus, you get wood being sold as "mahogany" that isn't true mahogany. Yes, the "substitute mahogany" can be lovely, but it's still also pricy (not as crazy as true mahogany) and it also has issues with being sourced responsibly. So, you've got environmental concerns as well as monetary concerns limiting the usage, which is why it's not so common.

C/A and African are the two "real" mahoganies sold today. Stay away from asian "mahogany" because it isn't!
Honduran mahogany IMO has the nicest grain & color and is reliable. Some african stuff is not genuine, and the quality gets spotty.
Even though Honduran has gone up about 30-50% in the last few years, we still use if for exterior millwork where it ends up painted, but it can be selected for a premium cabinet wood. Any cabinetmaker will be delighted for the opportunity to use it.
A china cabinet I made a few years ago:
{{gwi:1557342}}
Casey

Price! Yikes! Our local lumberyard carries mahogany veneered plywood for about $147 for a standard sheet. Board foot prices started around $15.10...

(I actually got pricing for mahogany about 3 weeks ago for a rifle rennovation project my father-in-law is working on, so those are fairly current prices for our market)

Couldn't you buy Lyptus and have it stained to look like mahogany? I'm not sure on the price difference these days though, every since it got the title "green product" the price shot up.

Mahogany is a great material for cabinets. Very durable and stains well. You really can't go wrong with solid wood, but each type will have different characteristics. It depends on the rest of the kitchen and the style of the cabinet doors.
Just don't go with a laminate or something "cheap"

Here is a link that might be useful: Wood Cabinets

I am pretty sure Zelmar has Mahogany cabinets from Crown Point.

Here is a link that might be useful: Zelmar's Kitchen

I never made it to the finished kitchen blog...I can't believe that its about 5 years now!! And I'm still reading the forum. These are mahagony cabinets and they were affordable at the time. Made by a local cabinet maker. There is no stain.

Mahogany does the same thing cherry does. Starts off light, then gets richer and darker. We treated them with a solution to speed up the aging but that was not necessary as it turned out. However, that is one way to go if you insist on not having to start with light and end up dark.

Our kitchen remodel was unplanned - result of a flood in our home 10/05 -

when I started researching cabs - I thought I was going to purchase painted white cabs. My bro in law is a master carpenter - Literally takes down the tree, brings it to the lumber yard to dry, when ready has it milled. **Think Casey Sombreuil Mongrel's work - I lust after that craftsmanship** After being so close to his fine furnishings and cabinetry I tried to replicate the craftsmanship. He was unavailable due to prior contracts.

When I found our cabinet maker Kennebec Cabinetry in Bath Maine - and visited their showroom I soon changed my mind from painted cabs. I then had the dilemma of choosing between Fir, Quatersawn Oak, Riftsawn Oak and Mahogany. Ultimately we choose mahogany -

For florantha

During install 6/06

Older pic

These are solid wood cabs and show really no signs of wear n tear - the cost was not prohibitive -similar price point of their cherry

Here is a link that might be useful: Kennebec cabinetry

Thanks everyone for your input. Is there any way for me to tell "true" mahogany from the "misrepresented" mahogany? I am hoping for a rich,dark stain in my kitchen cabs and seems the mahogany wood shows the nicest coloring (more than the dark brown cherry or maple)...

Here is a link from GW you may find interesting.
http://www.thathomesite.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0110044126122.html?6

Mongoct, a forum member helped me through this crisis when we did our cabinets. You can find him on the bathroom forum and e-mail him.

Real mahogany really doesn't need a stain. The beauty is in the natural wood as it ages. And I think it ages rapidly. It starts off whimpy looking then gets very rich. You can also instantly age it with a chemical but you don't need to.

Potassium dichromate

jejvtr,
I apologize for not having seen your posting until now. Thanks so very much. I applaud the mahogany look. That kitchen must be wonderful to live and work in.

Not sure what to say about the harvesting issues at this time in the earth's history, but if it's from a responsible harvest source, this is still one of Nature's most amazing products.

I have a 1957 mid-century home with a very long galley kitchen that has mostly mahogany cabinets and drawers. They have been stained over the years (prior to me buying the home) and look pretty rough; they also do not fit the storage needs of today. It has been kind of a painful decision, but I'm doing a complete remodel of the kitchen and replacing all of the cabinets. I simply cannot afford the mahogany replacement -- I'm sure it was affordable in 1957. What I learned is that because mahogany is "endangered" (rain forest product), it is the second most expensive wood -- next to walnut I believe. What I've chosen to do, is use a wood with similar grain (rift sawn oak) and give them a mahogany-ish stain to compliment the red wood ceilings in my home. I sure hope it keeps with the overall style of the home. It's been my mission to keep it close to it's original look.

Sapele would be a better match at the same price as rs oak. Mahogany is not that expensive compared to other exotics.

ksc36, what is Sapele? I think it's too late for me to change now.