Both these door styles are beautiful, but I don't think they go together.

I agree, the top one does look tropical -- thinking Phillipines or Bali or Hawaii. The raised panel style looks much more traditional & formal to me, and belongs in a traditional home.

Maybe a shaker style lower door (and drawer) would go with the upper louver style. The profiles would be the same, just the center panel would be different.

And while I like the look of the louver door, I wonder how much of a dust collection agency those louvers would be? Not to mention spatters......

I should say up front that the top door reminds me of the cheap, hollow core, dak, ugly 1971bi-fold closet doors I just ripped out of my house. The color of the top door is nice, but the louvers are hard to keep clean. Its hard to get into the little corners and up in between the slats.

Also, I don't think those two doors go together well. A door for the base that reflects the inset panel style of the top door would be better. I think redheads suggestion of Shaker could work.

I love the top one! Sorry, breezy :) To me it says plantation, bali, open doors, palm trees. ala plantation shutters! It also says fun different, not like everyone elses!

The second looks traditional. I think rh is right, the lower should be shaker or the same or slab to not conflict.

I agree with above. They don;t go together. The top one is all about straight, the bottom one is more angular.

Shaker would be a better match - but a narrow shaker. I'm with Breezy on this one as well - the top one reminds me of all the louvered closet doors that I just got rid of throughout our house.

You really have to be a fan of either obsessive cleaning or inch-thick filth to put louver doors in a kitchen.

i want to see beach house - but im seeing saloon.

i cant see the 2 together either - sorry

The top one reminds me of the inside of a sailboat. Louvered doors for ventilation. Tropics too.

Cute in the right setting...But it will be a pain to clean.

Raised panels are classic always.

If the top door speaks to you, then go for it. I also feel its tropical roots and like how it is not the same old, same old. Don't be put off by the slab drawer front because the hardware breaks up the look, esp. if you use pulls for the drawers. A great thing about the louvered look is many years from now, you can inset glass or some other material, fairly easily and have a whole new look.
If you must add a different style below, then I agree about a simple shaker style. I don't like the raised panel with the louvers. It is like too fancy with too beachy. Each one makes the other look "off".

I love them but agree you need to keep looking for your bottom drawers. You need something that exactly matches the "frame" of the louvered door. If you can do that, you MIGHT be able to put a raised panel in it.

The door is classic and retro and modern and tropical and would have to be done very right to not look closety. And oy the cleaning!

But sure is a nice door! Cleaning be damned, especially if you don't have a lot of uppers.

If you like it, and you plan to be in your home for several years (i.e., you're not doing this for resale), then I wouldn't worry about what we think or what it "says to us". As you can see, it says different things to all of us.

If you really want to know, it looks like the cabinets and doors in my DH's pre-marriage days...a cheap college kids' rental. Sorry, but it does! We all come from different experiences, and those experiences color our feelings/opinions.

The bottom door & drawer front, though, look "classic" in that they will work for both a modern style as well as a more traditional style. An even better style for bridging the modern/urban & traditional would be the Shaker style mentioned above. Your crown molding, appliances, counters, floors, accessories, etc. would then be chosen to support whichever "look" you prefer.

Keep in mind, slats are a pain in the rear to clean.

Oh, and if you're trying for a "beach house" look, I would go for a light wood or light-colored paint with, perhaps, a bit of distressing. Something that would remind you of bleached driftwood. (Paints like an "ice" green or blue or a white; woods like maple or beech or other light-colored wood.)

As to style, anything simple and not too fussy would work, I think, including a shaker or any simple raised panel door & drawer front.

I think the top looks lika a Bermuda Shutter, which is nice. These are beefier and more substantial than the old rickety bifold.

The teak seems more yacht-like than beachy to me but still a shore type vibe. I would probably pair it with a plainer slab type door.

Thanks for all the feedback. I do like the louvered doors for their uniqueness and tropical vibe, but I was originally planning on going entirely with those raised panels and probably still will. Thanks for confirming that they really don't go well together which is what I was kinda thinking too as soon as I put those pictures side by side. FWIW, the louvers are not actual louvers. There's no open space between the slats. And since the ledges of the slats are facing down they won't catch dust and grime. Cleaning them shouldn't be any more difficult than the raised panels with their many lips and edges.

Just to complete the comparison, here's a shaker style as some people suggested.

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And a sample kitchen.

{{!gwi}}

Hi Grumpydave,

The door says Bahamas. Well let me explain. Recently
I saw this cool style by Medallion cabinetry called
Bahamas. A mix of similar cabinetry. I think it would be
a fun change from so many styles. Here is the pic I am
thinking of. Maybe this can help you with your ideas.
~boxerpups

Using that shaker door for your drawer faces would be quite fine I think. Even a raised panel in a shaker would work well. Just not the one you first picked out and like! :)

(and yes it would too be a pain to clean!)

Beautiful pictures boxer. I like the look; but I guarantee you the practicality will be a PIA. I actually prefer the louvers with the shaker style as a mix.

As long as it is only on the uppers, I don't think cleaning would be much of a problem. In my kitchen, the lowers sometimes get dripped on and have to be cleaned. The uppers stay pretty clean unless you are in the habit of having bottles of soda or such explode. (My son and his friend made a brief foray into brewing soda and there were some exploding bottle incidents and very little good soda before they gave it up, but fortunately not near the cabinet uppers.)

I don't think I'd put them on a hood enclosure like in one of the pictures. Some grease can escape the capture area. We need to clean the outside of that from time to time. Fortunately ours is stainless and relatively easy to clean.

For a beach look I prefer beadboard personally. I agree that the shaker with louvers works better but I just can't imagine those louvers not catching dust. I won't get raised panels for that reason, but that is just how I think :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Beadboard cabinets thread

Ditto on the cleaning issue. I have those on some bi-fold closet doors and they are a PIA to keep clean. Very high maintenance. But if you don't mind that I like the louvers and shaker combo.

Maybe the louvers on an accent piece? It may also help to see a drawing of your kitchen.

It reminds me of a closet door and of a laundry hamper.

Beadboard is beachy too. More Nantucket though, just a thought. Boxerpups pics really bring the Bahama idea home though.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Louvers make me think of closets and bathrooms. Sorry. I also don't think the two doors go together very well.

The louvers need to have a context: used for ventilation. Ignore above comments about climate--they can be used anywhere you need to close off a space but allow air passage. We put in a louvered door on our pantry/utility closet and don't regret it in the least. (Rest of kitchen is "shaker" style 5-piece doors.) The air passage is important in that application, esp because we use a heat-generating appliance in closet as well as using the closet for storage of onions and spuds. If you're buying louvers simply for the "look" ask yourself whether there is another place you could employ same look more wisely and add function as well. Also, some decorating mags use old window shutters as decorating accents. Could you do the same with one or two appropriately finished shutters, perhaps run horizontally for accent in the room? (BTW mags don't mention the dust issue.)

Yes, louvered doors or shutters of any kind do collect dust faster than a perfectly vertical surface; make friends with the brush attachment on a vacuum cleaner or use a wet rag. Easier to clean than blinds, I assure you. Must have well-sanded surfaces--don't put on final finish without doing appropriate sanding. We have one of those (referenced above) bifolds that didn't have good sanding and it's harder to clean than our new well-sanded door.

Well, everyone and their sister has raised panel doors if they don't have shaker. It is a pleasant look, it is a safe look, it is an utterly conventional look.

Louvers have the potential to be different and interesting. They also have the potential to be fussy to clean.

Possibly you can find another look that is different and interesting but not fussy to clean. (Or find the Zen of Housecleaning.)