New This Week: 4 Fabulous Kitchens With Wood Cabinets
See how wood cabinets in various stains, species and looks give these kitchens warmth and style
Wood kitchen cabinets have many benefits. They add warmth to a space that’s commonly filled with cold appliance surfaces. They provide subtle visual interest with various grain patterns. They tend to hide dings and scratches better than painted cabinets. Plus, people often feel an inexplicable inner tug toward natural materials — they just look and feel good. If you need further convincing, check out these four kitchens that stylishly incorporate wood cabinets.
2. Midtone Skip-Sawn White Oak
Designer: Laura Tays of Tays & Co Design Studios
Location: Nisswa, Minnesota
Homeowners’ request. “This adorable home is lovingly called ‘the teardown’ by the owners,” designer Laura Tays says. “Originally, it was never their intention to leave it standing. It was old, dark, outdated and, as you might imagine, ‘icky.’ The low ceilings in the entire home and cramped layout just wasn’t going to work for this fairly tall family. For fun, the homeowner and his son decided to start demoing the place and just remodel it themselves. They took it pretty far but realized they needed help in layout and design.
“This kitchen needed to feel larger and function better than the original layout, all within the small footprint. A big save for this space was that the refrigerator was able to tuck into a nook at the entrance of the kitchen. This saved 10 square feet of working space.”
Wood cabinets. Skip-sawn white oak. “As much as we love painted cabinetry, and use it often, there is just something timeless, special and elevated about wood cabinetry,” Tays says. “We chose a skip-sawn rustic white oak and sanded it just enough to retain the character but not snag anything, and then came up with a custom stain to add just a bit of gray undertones in order to balance out the orange or yellow tones you often get in natural oak.”
Other special features. Handmade stone tile in a basketweave pattern that runs countertop to ceiling and floor to ceiling around an entrance to the kitchen. Rose copper cabinet hardware. Quartzite countertops in a leathered finish. Reclaimed-wood beam.
Designer tip. “The reclaimed-wood beam you see at the end of the peninsula was not original to the home,” Tays says. “We needed to find a way to add character and texture, as well as a place to stop the tile and break up the open floor plan just enough to separate the dining room and kitchen. This was the perfect solution and ended up being one of our favorite features in the space.”
Cabinetmaker: Alpine Cabinetry; wall paint: Cloud White, Benjamin Moore
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Designer: Laura Tays of Tays & Co Design Studios
Location: Nisswa, Minnesota
Homeowners’ request. “This adorable home is lovingly called ‘the teardown’ by the owners,” designer Laura Tays says. “Originally, it was never their intention to leave it standing. It was old, dark, outdated and, as you might imagine, ‘icky.’ The low ceilings in the entire home and cramped layout just wasn’t going to work for this fairly tall family. For fun, the homeowner and his son decided to start demoing the place and just remodel it themselves. They took it pretty far but realized they needed help in layout and design.
“This kitchen needed to feel larger and function better than the original layout, all within the small footprint. A big save for this space was that the refrigerator was able to tuck into a nook at the entrance of the kitchen. This saved 10 square feet of working space.”
Wood cabinets. Skip-sawn white oak. “As much as we love painted cabinetry, and use it often, there is just something timeless, special and elevated about wood cabinetry,” Tays says. “We chose a skip-sawn rustic white oak and sanded it just enough to retain the character but not snag anything, and then came up with a custom stain to add just a bit of gray undertones in order to balance out the orange or yellow tones you often get in natural oak.”
Other special features. Handmade stone tile in a basketweave pattern that runs countertop to ceiling and floor to ceiling around an entrance to the kitchen. Rose copper cabinet hardware. Quartzite countertops in a leathered finish. Reclaimed-wood beam.
Designer tip. “The reclaimed-wood beam you see at the end of the peninsula was not original to the home,” Tays says. “We needed to find a way to add character and texture, as well as a place to stop the tile and break up the open floor plan just enough to separate the dining room and kitchen. This was the perfect solution and ended up being one of our favorite features in the space.”
Cabinetmaker: Alpine Cabinetry; wall paint: Cloud White, Benjamin Moore
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3. Horizontal-Grain Walnut
Designer: Pamela Lin-Tam of Urbanism Designs
Location: Sunnyvale, California
Size: 288 square feet (27 square meters)
Homeowners’ request. Fix a previous homeowner’s remodel and return the home to the classic midcentury modern style that Eichler homes are famous for. “Our clients love to cook and entertain but the kitchen footprint was underutilized with a lot of empty space that became a magnet for clutter, and there was not enough storage or counter space,” says designer Pamela Lin-Tam, who converted the former galley layout to an L configuration with an island.
Wood cabinets. Horizontal-grain walnut base cabinets. “For midcentury modern Eichlers, walnut cabinetry fits in well,” Lin-Tam says. “To keep it bright and airy we added upper white cabinets to balance out the wood. We added walnut trim details around the white uppers to tie in the walnut lower cabinets.”
Other special features. Traditional Japanese-inspired patterned backsplash tiles. Porcelain countertops. “The upper white cabinets were built all the way up to the ceiling and are custom designed to go around the Eichler beams to maximize space while looking integrated and seamless,” Lin-Tam says. “For a very clean, minimal look, there are no handles on the cabinets, as everything is recessed or push-to-open.”
Designer tip. “Using two-tone cabinets can balance the wood to make the uppers bright and airy,” Lin-Tam says. “The walnut trim on upper white cabinets helps to tie it in to look more cohesive. We used neutral materials for the flooring, cabinets, countertops and backsplash but then added color afterwards with accessories like bar stools, cookware and hand towels. In this way, you can add personality and warmth, but it is easier to change up later on so there isn’t a long-term commitment.”
Designer: Pamela Lin-Tam of Urbanism Designs
Location: Sunnyvale, California
Size: 288 square feet (27 square meters)
Homeowners’ request. Fix a previous homeowner’s remodel and return the home to the classic midcentury modern style that Eichler homes are famous for. “Our clients love to cook and entertain but the kitchen footprint was underutilized with a lot of empty space that became a magnet for clutter, and there was not enough storage or counter space,” says designer Pamela Lin-Tam, who converted the former galley layout to an L configuration with an island.
Wood cabinets. Horizontal-grain walnut base cabinets. “For midcentury modern Eichlers, walnut cabinetry fits in well,” Lin-Tam says. “To keep it bright and airy we added upper white cabinets to balance out the wood. We added walnut trim details around the white uppers to tie in the walnut lower cabinets.”
Other special features. Traditional Japanese-inspired patterned backsplash tiles. Porcelain countertops. “The upper white cabinets were built all the way up to the ceiling and are custom designed to go around the Eichler beams to maximize space while looking integrated and seamless,” Lin-Tam says. “For a very clean, minimal look, there are no handles on the cabinets, as everything is recessed or push-to-open.”
Designer tip. “Using two-tone cabinets can balance the wood to make the uppers bright and airy,” Lin-Tam says. “The walnut trim on upper white cabinets helps to tie it in to look more cohesive. We used neutral materials for the flooring, cabinets, countertops and backsplash but then added color afterwards with accessories like bar stools, cookware and hand towels. In this way, you can add personality and warmth, but it is easier to change up later on so there isn’t a long-term commitment.”
4. Rich Rift-Sawn White Oak
Designer: Alexandra Killion of Alexandra Killion Interiors
Location: Houston
Size: 270 square feet (25 square meters)
Homeowners’ request. Update a poorly arranged kitchen with a better appliance layout, a generous island and special storage features such as a lift for a large mixer.
Wood cabinets. Rift-sawn white oak with inset flat-panel doors. “Based on [the homeowners’] love of midcentury design, we wanted to incorporate wood, but in a contemporary, clean style,” designer Alexandra Killion says. “The grain and stain were important to give the kitchen a warm feel without looking dated. We also used floating shelves so they didn’t get too heavy-feeling.”
Other special features. The homeowners have twin boys and wanted the kitchen to have a cheerful, family-friendly look. To balance the wood cabinets, Killion painted the island Light Blue by Farrow & Ball. Nearby there’s a yellow pantry door and colorfully wallpapered breakfast nook. “We also used crisp white countertops and large-profile tiles for the backsplash,” Killion says.
Designer tip. “Using floating shelves to break up the wood really helped make the wood work since the ceilings weren’t extremely high,” Killion says. “The simple, inset cabinet doors also helped update the space.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “The stain color first applied was too dark and orange,” Killion says. “We had to rework all of them to get the correct color, which caused a bit of a mess. Luckily, it all came together beautifully.”
Countertops: Silestone from Cosentino
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Designer: Alexandra Killion of Alexandra Killion Interiors
Location: Houston
Size: 270 square feet (25 square meters)
Homeowners’ request. Update a poorly arranged kitchen with a better appliance layout, a generous island and special storage features such as a lift for a large mixer.
Wood cabinets. Rift-sawn white oak with inset flat-panel doors. “Based on [the homeowners’] love of midcentury design, we wanted to incorporate wood, but in a contemporary, clean style,” designer Alexandra Killion says. “The grain and stain were important to give the kitchen a warm feel without looking dated. We also used floating shelves so they didn’t get too heavy-feeling.”
Other special features. The homeowners have twin boys and wanted the kitchen to have a cheerful, family-friendly look. To balance the wood cabinets, Killion painted the island Light Blue by Farrow & Ball. Nearby there’s a yellow pantry door and colorfully wallpapered breakfast nook. “We also used crisp white countertops and large-profile tiles for the backsplash,” Killion says.
Designer tip. “Using floating shelves to break up the wood really helped make the wood work since the ceilings weren’t extremely high,” Killion says. “The simple, inset cabinet doors also helped update the space.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “The stain color first applied was too dark and orange,” Killion says. “We had to rework all of them to get the correct color, which caused a bit of a mess. Luckily, it all came together beautifully.”
Countertops: Silestone from Cosentino
More on Houzz
Popular Cabinet Door Styles for Kitchens of All Kinds
Browse thousands of home design photos
Find a pro
Shop for your home
Designers: Susan Wintersteen, Phoebe Hewson and Taylor Chapman of Savvy Interiors, which was also the general contractor
Location: Carlsbad, California
Size: 200 square feet (19 square meters)
Homeowners’ request. Replace and update worn 15-year-old finishes and materials.
Wood cabinets. “This client is from Ireland and was drawn to a white European oak,” designer Susan Wintersteen says. “They liked the clean, light feel of the wood grain. A drywall hood gives some contrast and doesn’t compete with the wood tones or overwhelm the space with too much texture.”
The designers collaborated with their clients through Houzz ideabooks and used Houzz Pro software for purchase orders and billing.
Other special features. Taj Mahal quartzite slab backsplash and perimeter countertop. “Doing a full-height backsplash allowed this stone to be the star of the show, especially contrasted with the honed black granite countertop on the island,” Wintersteen says.
Designer tip. “We took the original pie-shaped island and reoriented the space to a far more modern and updated L configuration,” Wintersteen says. “By playing with tone and texture, we were able to balance out the elements of wood and stone and keep it minimalist but elegant and stately.”
Project photography: Dandelion Dreams Photography
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