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Cherry wood is beautiful, as long as it isn't stained too dark, but I prefer it in small doses - a table or a single cabinet. Definitely not lining my kitchen walls.
White kitchens will always be my preference, although I do like maple. Heck, I'd even prefer oak cabinets in a kitchen over cherry.
I don't care for the dark cherry that is popular now. Its too dark, heavy and overpowering, especially to be hanging on walls. Looks top heavy and too formal for a kitchen. Reminds me of formal dining room sets from the 50's.
I've seen some natural cherry cabinets that were nice. But, overall I prefer either white or a medium tone maple.
Oak doesn't appeal to me in cabinets or furniture although I like it on floors.
I think of natural cherry as a very high end wood. I do not like, and I think this is what the OP is saying, when they are stained that awful burgundy/brown color. Natural cherry is very beautiful, and I have no problem with it.
To me, what I don't like is the fake "Williamsburgy" stuff, like mommy and daddy had because it was "elegant".
White kitchens are cheap looking to me.
Last edited by gentlearts; 02-14-2014 at 04:40 PM..
They remind me of the dark cabinets in the 1970s. With the avocado appliances and the big fork and spoon made of teakwood on the wall.
I actually LIKE the dark cabinets of the 1970's but I still hate cherry wood. It has that weird reddish tint that doesn't look good with anything, even avocado! A friend of mine just re-did his kitchen with beautiful white quartz counters but even that didn't help the ugly cherry cabinets. In his defense, he doesn't like them either.
Cherry wood is actually a beautiful, wonderfully-grained wood and very hard. And it smells great. I think alot of people are making reference to cherry-stained wood whether the wood is maple, oak, or whatever.
I think it depends on the style of the house and the kitchen design. I don't like seeing it as some standardize cabinetry that is supposed to "look classy" --reminds me of Queen Anne reproduction furniture popular during the 1980s-90s which was also made of cherry or cherry-stained wood.
Our kitchen cabinets are white (came that way) and if I had any other choice, it would be a natural/light-colored maple. We don't get as much light as I would like in this kitchen so we prefer it light (but not all white because I agree it does look sterile).
I think it depends on the style of the house and the kitchen design.
My sentiments, exactly. And it also depends on the how the rest of the house is decorated.
For example, white cabinets are my least favorite--I've seen some that are kinda cheap looking, or give a medicinal feeling to the kitchen. But sometimes white is the perfect choice. I've seen plenty of homes where the white cabinets matched the rest of the decor and the style of the house, and added a breezy light feel--and no other color would have looked as good in those homes.
In general, I think real cherry/oak/maple/etc. will look much better than having a cheap wood stained a cherry/oak/maple color. It sounds like most of the people who dislike a color are disliking a heavy stain coating on a piece of cheap wood.
Having said all this, here's what I think most of all. I think that the color of kitchen cabinets is one of those things that you only notice when buying a home. Or if you're remodeling. After you move in you adjust to whatever you happen to have, and you probably won't spend a moment thinking about it. So, if given a choice I wouldn't choose oak or maple, but if I buy a house that happens to have them--well big wazoo. I might notice it for about a week and then the next ten years in that house will go by and I won't have spent even a minute thinking about what color my kitchen cabinets were. There are just so many more important things in life to think about.
My sentiments, exactly. And it also depends on the how the rest of the house is decorated.
For example, white cabinets are my least favorite--I've seen some that are kinda cheap looking, or give a medicinal feeling to the kitchen. But sometimes white is the perfect choice. I've seen plenty of homes where the white cabinets matched the rest of the decor and the style of the house, and added a breezy light feel--and no other color would have looked as good in those homes.
In general, I think real cherry/oak/maple/etc. will look much better than having a cheap wood stained a cherry/oak/maple color. It sounds like most of the people who dislike a color are disliking a heavy stain coating on a piece of cheap wood.
Having said all this, here's what I think most of all. I think that the color of kitchen cabinets is one of those things that you only notice when buying a home. Or if you're remodeling. After you move in you adjust to whatever you happen to have, and you probably won't spend a moment thinking about it. So, if given a choice I wouldn't choose oak or maple, but if I buy a house that happens to have them--well big wazoo. I might notice it for about a week and then the next ten years in that house will go by and I won't have spent even a minute thinking about what color my kitchen cabinets were. There are just so many more important things in life to think about.
We are very different people.
If I had cabinets I hated, it would always bother me until I changed them. I am sort of OCD I guess.
I think of natural cherry as a very high end wood. I do not like, and I think this is what the OP is saying, when they are stained that awful burgundy/brown color. Natural cherry is very beautiful, and I have no problem with it.
To me, what I don't like is the fake "Williamsburgy" stuff, like mommy and daddy had because it was "elegant".
White kitchens are cheap looking to me.
If you buy quality wood cabs that are stained or painted they won't look cheap looking. I've seen some that were gorgeous. But if you don't like white, there are a million other finishes to have.
I like white kitchens too (especially in farmhouses or very contemporary settings), but they are becoming overdone just like Cherry cabinets were. I don't want to be like everyone else - I want my home to reflect my taste not what the current trend is.
White cabinets have their place and I have seen white kitchens that were fabulous. However, our house is classically traditional in style with earth tones throughout so white cabinets aren't a good fit for our home.
Our kitchen cabinets are original to our house - 25 years old, classic simple lines and solid wood. They are made from an imported/exotic wood and had a stain on them similar to mahogany. They were in amazing condition and much too good to replace - replacing with the same quality would have cost a small fortune. Replacing them with plywood based cabinets would never be an option.
What we did is we slightly darkened the cabinets further with gel stain - I think the color is called Java - it is a subtle difference, less mahogany-like and more neutral. Gel stain is amazing - the grain shows through beautifully and the cabinets look absolutely new. My husband did all the work and it took only a couple of weeks to redo all the cabinets. The slightly darker but more neutral color looks great with our marbled granite (cream background with marbling of gold, silver and black).
Wood is classic and goes with any style. Trust me - the over production of white kitchens will look dated soon. Really look at the overall style/color scheme of your home - are white cabinets really a good "fit" or are you compelled to have an "everyman" style kitchen because that is what is currently "in"?
Update rather than replace is my advice unless you have endless money to replace cabinets when trends change. By the way gel stain only works on solidly constructed wood cabinets not the cheap plywood based cabinets that many mass-produced kitchens currently have.
Last edited by Cattknap; 02-16-2014 at 01:06 AM..
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