Personally, I love the richness and depth in the cherry door. My girlfriend has natural maple cabinets which I know were expensive, but they leave me 'cold'. Just not enough warmth to them.

I would go with the cherry, and make sure you have good lighting. We went from white cabinets to medium dark- and a medium dark floor in a fairly small kitchen with not too much direct light (property surrounded by very tall trees (I live in the Pacific NorthWest). The lighting has made all the difference- it really never feels 'too dark'.

I love natural birch, but that cherry door is really terrific with your flooring.

thanks raehelen, we have plenty of lighting, but what about during the daytime-- do you use the lights then? Now if it is sunny out I don't turn on any lights during the day.

What did you do for countertops? Light or dark?

Are you kidding me? The cherry is perfect! Use bright paint and counters--avoid the browns that are so popular now--and it'll be bright enough. You can always use some glass-fronted uppers if you're still concerned. Opaque glass is just as good as or better than clear for room-brightening.

I do turn on the lights- especially now that sun is lower (tall trees will cut out even daytime sunlight). But, then again, I always turn lights on at other houses too- I'm getting older, and though I don't wear glasses yet, do like to have more light. And, I probably don't turn them on any more than I did when I had white cupboards- which is really what you want to know- right?

I have very dark counters- but, again, I'm surprised at how much light is reflected off shiny granite...

{{!gwi}}

Cherry, the other is far too close to the floor (which gives you a horribly boring look when finished). There should always be variation between a floor and the other surfaces so it properly anchors the room.

I would do a dark countertop and perhaps a glass back splash (depending on what else you have going on). If you go light, again, no contrast = boring.

thank you all, keep those opinions coming. I also think the cherry is the one we should go with, but I have to convince dh all over again (if red birch came in a darker stain he would be all set)
yes igloochic I was thinking of a dark countertop and haven't even thought about a backsplash yet --at the rate we make decisions countertops will be next year and backsplash in 5 years!

yes raehelen you answered my question about the lights. thanks so much.

anyone else? We are headed to place order, cherry is the winner, but I don't think dh is totally convinced!

another vote for cherry. I like to see a contrast between the cabinets and the flooring and I am afraid the birch won't give you enough contrast.

I think the cherry goes much nicer with your floor. I am going through the same thing. I had a light maple picked out but also wanted a natural white oak floor not enough contrast. Was afraid cherry would be too dark also but after seeing how nice your cherry looks I think I am going back to cherry.

Well just got back and didn't place the order, but because we had to take some more measurements. Gives us a few more days to agonize over the door choice!

Marybeth1 I wish you luck. It is a difficult process!

It is my opinion that the biggest influences on how light a kitchen feels are the horizontal surfaces, particularly the counters. You have not gone too dark with the floor, so that's a good start. I agree with others that the cherry is by far a better choice for the cabs. So, if you are concerned about the kitchen being too dark, I would try to find a lighter counter material you can fall in love with.

I'm glad I'm not too late...definitely the cherry! It looks so rich and deep. I also think a dark counter with lots of light will be great.

[OK, I may be biased in all of this...we have darker stained cherry cabinets + black granite + beige/gray/orange tile.]

I'm looking forward to seeing your pictures during construction & the finished product!

Yes we could go lighter with the counters, I was thinking of dark, but I have not fallen in love with anything yet. I figure I will be living w/plywood tops for a while!

thanks buehl, I have seen your kitchen and I really like it. Still working out how to put in a few pics at a time and not the entire web album!

The remodel is a very slow process. As DH says, he gets 50 cents and hour so what do I expect ;-). Dh is DIY, goal is a budget kitchen without major changes to the layout and I cannot make a definite decision on anything!

As of now, we are picking the cherry w/autumn stain in Dynasty raised panel.
Now if I can just keep this thought tomorrow when I call to order!!

Another vote for the cherry - hands down! Also think a darker granite would look really good.