When we watch home design shows (i.e. House Hunters), we're always struck by how many people say, "Oooh, I love the dark wood kitchen cabinets." Usually, they're cherry, and frankly, we'd take bright and white over cherry any day. But these wood kitchens we love—proof that wood can be modern, clean, and warm (but still cool).
TOP ROW:
• 1. Cool angles and vintage green tiles, from Living, Etc.
• 2. Rustic, light-colored island, from Elle Decor.
• 3. Glossy walnut in a small NYC kitchen, from Elle Decor.
• 4. A wall of cabinets hiding appliances, from Metropolitan Home.
• 5. Paired with modern lighting, from Elle Decor.
MIDDLE ROW:
• 6. Oak panels and yellow accents, from Country Home.
• 7. Smooth and handle-less cabinets, from Living, Etc.
• 8. Raised panels and wainscoting, from Point Click Home.
• 9. Horizontal slats in a Zen kitchen, from House Beautiful.
• 10. Dark chocolate cabinets and granite counters, from Metropolitan Home.
BOTTOM ROW:
• 11. Would you use this wood? From Living, Etc.
• 12. Red oak paired with stainless steel, from Metropolitan Home.
• 13. Walnut and white, from Elle Decor.
• 14. Wide beams and open shelving, from Point Click Home.
Related: Kitchen Gallery: Bright White and Warm Wood
(Images: Living, Etc.; Simon Upton; Roger Davies; John Reed Forsman; Wendell T. Webber; Eric Piasecki; Jason Predock; Mali Azima; Emily Minton Redfield)
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Thanks for confirming my suspicion that I do not want a dark kitchen. I fear that most of these would become gloomy to me after living with them a while. I am not the sort that wants to (or can afford to) remodel a lot. For that reason, I think a bit more design neutrality and an eye to ease of cleaning appeal to me. There are some nice ideas here but the effect, overall, is cloying.
I'd love to visit a kitchen like these at a friends place every now and then. They are different. But bright and white is where my heart is at...
That first picture makes me think of the kitchen in the house from Tom Ford's A Single Man: John Lautner's Shaffer Residence.
Some of the woodgrains in a few of these kitchens are creeping me out though.
Only the last one looks good IMO because it appears to have some connection with preparing food.
Agreeing that the woodgrain in some of these is way over the top...nightmarish. Some great ideas in a few of these photos though.