i wouldn't paint the trim white. but to be honest, i'm having a pretty tough time visualizing this type of kitchen in your home. if you do go this route, i can't wait to see how you pull it off. good luck!

I have to agree with kateskouros...your inspiration pic looks a little out of place in the style home you are building. I do think it can work, if you include some rustic elements that would tie in to the rest of the house. Honestly, in this situation, I would have to call in a designer to work with who could help. I would personally want and need some pro advice! You home looks like it will be wonderful!

Thanks for replying... It took me months to realize that I could do this kind of a kitchen in a more rustic home so I can understand how it may be hard to imagine. I figure that the wood floor and the logs are the elements that will tie the kitchen to the rest of my home.

So, if this WASN'T a post and beam house, just a traditional home with wood trim, what would you say about the window trim in my kitchen?

Here's an example, they even have the white trim:
{{!gwi}}

Your inspiration pictures have white trim, but with your style home I would avoid white at all costs. I have a hard time imaging these kitchens in your home. In my opinion, wood floor and other beam elements are not enough to tie that kitchen into that style home.

if we were talking rustic like a farmhouse i'd say, sure, go for it.
but what you're proposing on building is a full fledged log cabin. of course when we speak of design, we like to say there are no rules. but there is a strong argument for designing areas which are in keeping and appropriate to the architecture of the home.

whatever you decide, i'd love to see the end result. ;-)

Here are two I found online with white and off-white cabs...looks like they did stained wood trim on the windows. But neither of them did tile backsplashes, which probably makes a big difference in tying into the rest of the home, as well as into the windows:

To make it look less schizophrenic, I'd leave the trim alone, i.e., stain it like the rest of the trim in the house. That way at least the window will tie in; otherwise I fear it may look like a Victorian scullery dropped accidentally into the middle of the Yukon.

I am also having a hard time imaging your vision -- can you share a bit more about your process of coming to such disparate design conceptions under one roof?

I think both of those kitchens look silly--especially the vain attempt to "tie in" the top kitchen with the house with rusticated chairs that don't fit in the kitchen or the house.

Many people have successfully built sophisticated log cabins. Google modern rustic, or modern Adirondack. These two kitchens are not examples of it.

I think this idea is the step too far that will finally shake the faith of even the most ardent OTK believers. Like when Caligula made his horse a senator.

Thanks everyone for replying.

hlove ~ Thanks for including those photos.

Circus ~ I love the look of flared log posts and the open floorplan with a loft. I really dislike wooden cabinetry (looks dated too quickly). I also really don't like brown and beige and gravitate towards the cool watery colour tones (with wood for warmth). I would hardly describe my choices as "schizophrenic" (or any design choice for that matter-it is demeaning to people who suffer with that illness and who are probably already ostracized from general society).

Zoe ~ Thanks for including those pictures. I'd love to see how your white trim will look.

Marcolo ~ I guess modern rustic does describe what I'm going for?

FWIW, we are not building a log cabin, it's a 6000 sq foot house framed with logs (so all of our walls are drywall).

I don't know anything about design but I saw the following kitchens on a GW posting called 12'Ceiling with Beefy Beams.The first picture is in the link "Grandmas Kitchen". The second kitchen was called "rustic with classic"
Maybe something along those lines would work in you new place. It sounds like it is going to be a fabulous house
{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

Thanks badgergal! I also saw the beefy beams post. I love the Grandma's kitchen, right down to her wide plank floors.

I think some of the pictures other's have posted seem to go a little better with your home's design, at least from the one picture we've seen.

But to answer your original question, I would stain it first. You can always paint over stain if you don't like it, that's not the case if you paint it first.

With all of the exposed wood in your house, I can see why you may want white cabinets. Your house will be beautiful and you can do whatever you desire. After seeing the digital rendering, I oould see painted cabinets looking great in there, but not white - maybe a gray green, or a charcoal, or even black.