Wood Tone or White???

**TheRootedNomad** · 05-12-2008, 06:42 AM

OK ladies I need to ask for some comments on kitchen cabinets. Here's the situation....

We have slowly been redoing our 50+ year old house. Not just decorating but moving walls and so forth. One of the problems for us with the house is that the kitchen is TOO small. It doesn't allow for a table that sits any more than 4. We frequently have triple that amount. Everything in the kitchen is in rough shape as well. The counter top is even still the kind with the metal trim and rivets.

Anyway, when we take out the wall between the kitchen and the living room we will be putting in new cabinets since that space will get extended with the wall removal as well. I love wood. I love the way it shines and "feels" warm when its taken care of. It can also makes things feel smaller and dark though. I also love white. White goes with anything and makes things seem bright and clean and uplifting. It doesn't feel as elegent though and I seem to spend a lot of time wiping white down. Currently our cabinets are a badly painted white that I'm forever scrubbing down. So the question is ....

Do you prefer white or wood tone cabinets and why???

**FrugalMomof3** · 05-12-2008, 07:33 AM

I would honestly say white, since it makes the kitchen brighter AND will also make the room appear much bigger than it is but if you go with wood, they are also beautiful

**SewCrafty** · 05-12-2008, 07:38 AM

I ahve knotty pine, I love it, BUT it gets just as dirty as white would IMHO so you choose.

**PrairieRose** · 05-12-2008, 08:10 AM

I prefer wood b/c I've had painted cabinets before and as you mentioned there's always plenty of washing down to do with them. With my wood cabinets I just use pledge on them about once a month and even though they may not be as perfectly clean as they'd be if they were white (b/c I'd spend more time scrubbing on them) I'm happier with them. I also love the warmth of wood.

**Dancing Lotus** · 05-12-2008, 08:24 AM

I have white and the lower cabinets are always dirty. I'm sick of washing them. On day (when pigs fly) I want to replace them.

**Cricket1** · 05-12-2008, 08:33 AM

In our last house, we had white painted ones that were always a mess. I have two young boys--'nuff said. However, as you pointed out, the room was bright and cheery. Now we have wood and room is definitely darker, but I rarely wipe them down (probably gross) and the warmth of the wood is beautiful. I guess between the two, I prefer the wood. You can always add extra lighting to brighten up the room.

**nuisance26** · 05-12-2008, 09:52 AM

~I have oak colored wood and I hate it. I love cherry and pine tones but oak is the worst. Guess I just don't like the orange-iness of oak. I don't like white cabinets either. I agree with the other posters that they would appear dirty alot. It's possible to have both options and have it look wonderful! My dad painted my mom's old kitchen cabinet frames a country white but left the wood toned doors alone. It was cozy and clean looking.~

**marym** · 05-12-2008, 08:44 PM

We just did a kitchen remodel last year. I had white and changed to maple. I like the warmth of the wood.

**Bethany** · 05-12-2008, 08:53 PM

I love white cabinets if they're done right. I think that they can look cheap and dirty if you get cheap ones. We're also remodeling and we're installing white cabinets and all white appliances. I know what you mean about them getting dirty, but my kids are a bit older and I don't mind cleaning.

**DaisySue** · 05-13-2008, 10:57 AM

Myself I prefer wood. I love the cottagey or country kitchens I see with painted cabinets, but I believe with a simple wood cabinet style (we put in new plain oak cabinets that are a warm honey tone 2 years ago) you can change your paint colors and styles in the kitchen easily.

**JustJoy** · 05-13-2008, 10:59 AM

I plan on having my cabinets redone soon and I'm going with white

**della92** · 05-13-2008, 12:08 PM

I like wood better than white. We have maple cabinets, black countertops, white walls, black trim and crown mould. When my kitchen is clean I absoluetly love it. When it's dirty I absolutely hate it! On the black tops you can see every crumb from a sandwich. So I were doing it again, I'd rethink the tops (although let me say again, I love the look when its clean). I'd also think long and hard on the appliances, stainless steel is hard to keep clean with children.

**MomK** · 05-15-2008, 05:53 PM

I prefer wood. I've always had wood though. My current cabinets are a light oak, and I wipe them down once a week. They never seem to really NEED it, but I know there's dirt there I can't see!

Good luck with your remodel!

**forHISglory** · 05-15-2008, 06:15 PM

I prefer wood. I visualize a kitchen as a warm room with heart, and wood seems to symbolize that more than a sterile white.

But here's a point to consider: What are your floors like? If you have wood floors, then sometimes wood cabinets get "lost", and white tends to stand out more.