How did you make up your mind on color of Kitchen cabinets?

amother

Thu, Dec 25 2014, 1:33 am

How did you finally make up your mind on color of Kitchen cabinets?

I always wanted light cabinets, and they make the kitchen look larger, but I hear theyre much harder to maintain. Everything shows, youre always wiping or kitchen looks filthy. I hate cleaning. Im a relative slob.

Im considering either very light wood (almost bone color) or cherry cabinets, because I HATE the medium toned woods that people are getting these days. Those in between colors remind me of the goldish or light brown kitchens of the 60's. I like either extreme- very light or cherry which is pretty dark.

WWYD?Any advice.

Is there a finish on cabinets that makes it more user friendly?

tryinghard

Thu, Dec 25 2014, 9:15 am

I had my heart set on white (well really cream) painted cabinets. The night before I had to finalize my choices, I panicked over the same dirt concerns you mentioned. Since I had already settled on the company and style, the choices were pretty narrowed down for me already. As much as I would love espresso finish, I really did not want a dark kitchen. Since I was already set with maple with the paint finish, I really didnt want to go up a price bracket by switcging to cherry. I was leaning towards a light maple but I was told it will turn more yellow with time. There were a few that I looked at and really didn't like and so I essentially used process of elimination...

Rubber Ducky

Thu, Dec 25 2014, 9:43 am

I have painted creamy white cabinets because I love them! And because I love them I'm willing to take a bit more care of them. But in general, stained cabinets need less wiping down than painted.

It's the vertical surfaces that make a kitchen feel larger or smaller, so a light color like clear maple or white will make the room feel bigger than, for example, espresso finished cabinets.

Leahh

Thu, Dec 25 2014, 10:14 am

I recently redid my kitchen and had the same concerns as you. I wanted light so the kitchen wouldn't look dark but didn't want the maintenance. My husband wanted dark. So I finally gave in to the dark and got a light countertop, backsplash, and floor. I also insisted on stainless steel appliances. I felt black would add to the darkness, white wouldn't match and would get dirty too fast so I wanted stainless steel. Overall the price was a bit higher but I got a good deal because I bought all appliances at once from one place.
I have to say that I do not regret my decision. The light countertop, backsplash and floor make a huge difference and brightens the kitchen. Another thing to take into account is windows. If you'll have any and where they'll be because they will also help brighten the kitchen.
look online at pictures of kitchen and you'll see the differences in colors and that should help you. I saw a kitchen similar to mine and realized it's not as bad as I thought it would be so I went with it.

OOTBubby

Thu, Dec 25 2014, 10:56 am

I am building a house from scratch and dealing with these things now. I really didn't know what I wanted other than that I don't like the cherry wood look and I don't like the yellowish wood look that used to be popular.

It was suggested that I go to Houzz.com to go through the photos of kitchens to see what appeals to me. Well, I went through every photo there (must have been close to 100,000) and while I did start to get a feel of things, I didn't see anything that really, really hit me.

I knew I wanted a light colored kitchen and light colored cabinets. I liked the look of painted cabinets and would have chosen that in a pale creamy gold color, but I think that stain holds up much better than paint from every day use. I was hoping that I can get a maple cabinet in a natural/gold stain (without it looking too yellow). However, I still didn't a feel for the overall cabinetry.

I know that I need a more modern look as the house's architectural structure (in part due to it's shape which is due to the property size and shape) is modern.

Then a month or so ago, I saw an ad for a kitchen designer in one of the Jewish magazines that struck me as that's it! It was the look I wanted. While the cabinets in the photo look painted, as I said above, I hope to get a similar color with staining in a natural/gold maple. The photo also had an island with the cabinets stained in a very dark wood (but not with red cherry tones) which I liked too. I think I would do that on my island.

Basically to answer your question, keep looking and looking at pictures. If you run out of the ones on houzz.com (pretty tough to do that); look further on the web. You can buy design magazines too. Eventually you'll find something (or a combination of things) that will hit you.

mommyla

Thu, Dec 25 2014, 12:41 pm

If you have the option of flat doors (not inset or shaker), those are much easier to keep clean as there are no crevices for dirt to get stuck on. It's a more modern look but lower maintenance.

To answer your question, I work in an interior design-related field so I knew exactly what colors I wanted when I did my kitchen. But that probably doesn't help you! Like OOTBubby said, look through Houzz and see if anything catches your eye.

I personally don't like cherry cabinets at all, but like a previous poster suggested you can lighten it up with a lighter counter, backsplash, and even floor, but keep in mind that those are probably harder to keep clean than light cabinets.

amother

Thu, Dec 25 2014, 1:40 pm

OP here. These 2 kitchens are my idea of beautiful (with same color cabinets only). My budget doesnt allow all the details here though. ; - /

Any thoughts on how to decide between light and dark?

[img]

<small>Traditional Kitchen by East Norriton Kitchen & Bath Remodelers Renaissance Kitchen and Home</small>

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<small>Traditional Kitchen by Northvale Design-Build Firms Creative Design Construction, Inc.</small>

debsey

Thu, Dec 25 2014, 1:45 pm

Here's what happened to me: I went to the kitchen store with one idea in mind (from Houzz) walked in - he had some pics up of kitchens he had done. One of them was exactly what I wanted (light and spacious) but I don't like cream wood.

He was able to pull that picture up on his computer, and play around with different colors until I found the effect I wanted.

My advice is when you do go to the kitchen store, make an appointment and be prepared to spend a lot of time there. The people in the store can do so much with digitally altering images and help you make your decision.

I ended up with something very different from what I THOUGHT I wanted and I love it.
debsey

Tablepoetry

Thu, Dec 25 2014, 4:13 pm

Houzz has glorious pictures. The problem is that the houses there are truly glorious in general. It's risky taking ideas from there as is, since you have to realize that the lighting, the architecture and the general style are huge components of the final effect. It's isn't just the cabinets.

I have painted cabinets now (came with the house) and I like that eventually I can change the colour if I want. You can't do that with natural wood.

I personally prefer the lighter, fresher feel of painted wood. But you have to decide what you are most attracted to, and what works with your home's general style. I don't find painted wood so hard to maintain, but then again I don't mind if the corners are a bit dirty here and there.

Slab doors were suggested for ease of maintenance. It's true they are much easier to clean, and I know many Israelis who got them for that reason alone (some Israelis are nuts about cleanliness). But as said above, it is a modern look, and you need a modern kitchen for that.

Maybe if you tell us your general style it can help. Modern? Traditional? Country?

sky

Thu, Dec 25 2014, 4:27 pm

mommyla wrote:

If you have the option of flat doors (not inset or shaker), those are much easier to keep clean as there are no crevices for dirt to get stuck on. It's a more modern look but lower maintenance.

And definitely not bead board cabinets. I have shaker bead board and they are a pain in the neck to clean (but beautiful).

debsey

Thu, Dec 25 2014, 5:25 pm

amother wrote:

How did you end up ordering what you thought you didnt want? Only from seeing it on the computer screen?

What were the differences between what you thought you wanted, and what you love now?

TIA

I thought I wanted a light kitchen, maybe white, but when he showed me the actual cabinet in real life, (he had in stock the actual cabinet door of the one I liked on Houzz) I didn't like the way it showed fingerprints and dirt. In the showroom, it was dirty! Imagine what it would be like with a family full of kids touching it!

Then I noticed this picture on the wall - and the dimensions looked similar to my kitchen. I really liked it. The cabinets were gray - fairly dark, but the whole effect was really nice. I asked him to show it to me (the exact cabinet), and again, he had that door in stock. I told him "something like this but much lighter" So he pulled up the picture, and he lightened the shade until I liked it. It's a very lightly gray stained wood. Looks very natural, and the graining makes fingerprints not show nearly as much. It has stud detailing - I just love it. I like the look of the grain very much, which I thought I would not like.

I like that "natural wood" look but I don't like a white stain, because the wood looks pinkish to me. I had honestly never thought of a gray stain until I saw that picture, and then, once he was able to lighten the shade, I loved it.

amother

Thu, Dec 25 2014, 6:46 pm

Tablepoetry wrote:

Houzz has glorious pictures. .....Slab doors were suggested for ease of maintenance. It's true they are much easier to clean, and I know many Israelis who got them for that reason alone (some Israelis are nuts about cleanliness). But as said above, it is a modern look, and you need a modern kitchen for that.

Maybe if you tell us your general style it can help. Modern? Traditional? Country?

OP here. I love Houzz, and I am only considering very traditional style cabinets (raised panel, the more molding the better). I would never consider straight modern looking cabinets. Grooves on moldings needs more dusting, not a major cleaning hassle. Its the ketshup, etc smudges and stickiness that shows more on light cabinets. The two pics I posted, one light cabinets, one dark, are close to my ideal, but I dont want 2 colors combined and I cant decide which to choose. And time is passing....Pesach is closer and closer.