The bamboo is nice, but it does tend to be more yellow, and it suits a more modern vibe rather than Zen Cottage. What about a light gray stained lower cabinet with your white uppers and a medium wood floor in a tone that works with the gray cabinets? This might be a little too cottage, but check out the kitchen below (and a lot more photos in the link). Her cabinets are painted gray, but a stain that lets the wood be more prominent would also work, too. Or a lighter gray to keep things brighter.

The Inspired Room

Here's an example that's more zen cottage (I think):

Decor Pad

And that was just the first couple that I came across. You might be able to find some inspiration photos that are more along these lines or perhaps there is a bamboo in the right tones that will work. But surely you can get something you love and not settle.

Thanks for chiming in. Unfortunately, I've never been a gray person and have made myself promise not to get caught up into this gray trend - which I would then have to live with for a long, long time.

I'd also PREFER for the lowers to be stained wood, as opposed to 2 painted surfaces. Simply because I found the painted cabinets on the lowers harder to maintain in my last kitchen.

Totally understand. What about Ikea's Brokhult doors? They have a light gray stain, but they also have the tone of walnut without the darkness. Or were you trying to avoid Ikea? I almost got them for my studio kitchen, but then decided to go with stainless steel since it's more of an office environment.

My aunt just remodeled and went with IKEA white acrylic on top, the Brokhult on bottom. I like them, but I a) don't really want to do what she did and b) they are stripey/busy and I just think this house is a little small for it. Also...this is what you will see from the front door and what we do in the kitchen has to flow with the rest of the small house like forever. They seem more of a statement than I want to make, or too narrow a statement? Not sure...

The bamboo photos seem a little stripey/busy too. So perhaps keep searching for more bamboo options that are the right tone.

Or stick with the darker walnut or teak that you love but don't use as much of it. Just use it for a few accents and do all white cabinets on the top and do partial white cabinets on the bottom.

I think the walnut or other darker wood might blend a bit with a mid tone wood floor? Do you like that effect? What about a lighter floor with the darker lower cabinets and light counters, backsplash and white uppers? It seems like if you go light with everything else, the darker wood cabinets might feel more special while not making the room too dark for those long winters.

ediblekitchen - The kitchen is obviously small with a 1000SF house, so I'm not talking a ton of cabinets here. I don't see a way to put in just a few lowers that are wood. I could do wood lowers, or only a wood panel on the back of the peninsula where people will sit - or go without wood altogether. I actually don't mind the linear/stripey effect of the sequenced bamboo, though I see not everyone likes it.

crl_ - Well, I'm not sure I'm going to get my midtone floor at this point, given I can't really find one I like. I might have no choice but to go with a different floor than I had in mind - likely lighter but also without the true brown tones I like, because I can't find what I want and also due to how dark and small this house is. I'm just finding the walnut/darker woods to seem very heavy when I bring them in my house or actually try to visualize the look here.

I think this is, perhaps, ultimately an example of whether I work from the direction of what I love - or work from a direction of what the house seems to want.

Thanks for the input. I'm going to keep churning on it.

Been wasting time searching around the web... Found this pic that has a zebrawood kitchen with a backsplash window. It doesn't seem far off from the bamboo, really.

Kitchen - Wolf Residence · More Info

Here's a better pic, perhaps?

Kitchen - Wolf Residence · More Info

If you're planning to go with Ikea, it might be worth waiting for a bit. I think it likely that Ikea will offer new finishes for the US and Canada market in the foreseeable future. Btw. Canadians already can buy white stained ash veneer fronts called Rosdal (spelling?), not offered in the US.

Also check out other suppliers for Ikea specific doors. There are many more than just Semihandmade and Sherrs. Check out the following names: Dunsmuir, Kokeena, Dendra Doors, Palette Doors or 27Estore.

Best of luck!

" I think this is, perhaps, ultimately an example of whether I work from the direction of what I love - or work from a direction of what the house seems to want."

I will say that if I find some piece of clothing that I absolutely love and would pay a lot of money for, and it doesn't look good on me (and I am always brutally honest with myself), I don't get it. Because I have learned the hard way that I never end up happy when I go against what I know in my heart. Don't care how much I love it, if it doesn't love me, no sale.

That could be this with your kitchen. I feel for you, as I am seriously looking at Walnut or something close for my reno. So I can imagine how bummed I'd be if I thought it wasn't the right move. (of course my mother has already insinuated it's not since her idea of a perfect kitchen would most likely border on a sterile operating room) lol

Hope you come to some sort of happy resolution.

What about this...but with white uppers? And the perfect tile backsplash, of course :)

Obviously, the cooktop would not be there, but I really like the white edges to the wood cabinets. Is that a waterfall countertop? Just an idea...

Have semihandmade send you a sample of their walnut. I loved it in their pictures, but the sample they sent had a very strong, sickly-yellow undertone. It looked jaundiced.

I already have a sample box ordered from semi handmade - including the walnut options and the bamboo, amongst other options.

I'll have to look into the other options, as suggested by modellie, too. Assuming I do intend to go the route of IKEA + doors from elsewhere. Which, you know, is maybe a bit insane given the distance everything would have to travel and how expensive and complicated and time-consuming it could get if things get missed in the orders or damaged en route or whatever. I keep reminding myself that I have to pay shipping for the other cabinet companies, too. Just not twice...

The real question here is ultimately about color ways. I have been DEAD SET in the direction of true browns and preferably walnut from the get go for both cabinets and floors. However, I've never gotten over my doubt about whether it really played well with the exterior of the house, the backyard and the realities of the interior (small, dark, short ceilings and now, open floor plan). Those doubts are only growing...

Beth makes a good analogy, I think, about buying clothing we love - but does not love us back.

What's interesting to me, anyway, is that I seem to like the bamboo way more than folks here do. If I were proposing a maple or cherry or oak instead of bamboo, it seems there would be more receptiveness to the switch. And yet, I prefer the bamboo over these more standard choices. By quite a long mile. If I HAVE to go with a lighter color way, the bamboo or zebra wood seems like a lot more interesting to me than the others.

Which reminds me, IKEA is offering an oak door now. I could go that way on the bottoms and white something from them on the top, I guess. I just can't believe I am considering oak cabinets....

Not that my opinion means anything but I LOVE the bamboo and zebrawood. Especially when the grain is horizontal. I fear I would have a hard time with darker wood in a darker home with limited natural light half the year. I hope you and your house find something you both like.

I like the bamboo a lot. To my eye, it is more modern feeling than walnut. And for me it would depend on the flooring because I don't like things that are close but not matching. I prefer more contrast. But you may like a different look.

If it were me, I think I'd be looking at a pale cork floor, bamboo lowers, a white countertop and backsplash and white uppers.

Yes, the bamboo and cork would be a great combination, and definitely more modern. How about a white waterfall counter like the one lavender lass posted? That would look really slick.

I'm going to use the same flooring throughout the house now that we tore that wall down, to create at least an illusion of flow and space. I'm not really a cork fan, to be honest, either. But, I could look for a basic wood floor that maximizes consistency and minimizes stripes in a mellow tone?

The waterfall edge is fun - and I posted one inspiration pic above with it. I could certainly terminate the peninsula with a one-sided waterfall. I guess that will come down to budget and choice of counter material. Ching-ching?

Do you think this is going to be TOO modern? I don't want that. I just want simple modern zen cottage that isn't too dark, too heavy or too fancy for this modest house. Um, I think.

I'm also vacillating on going with white counters (which I have considered all along) after seeing the top pic with the slate-looking counter. I got to thinking that navy blue might even look like of slick... though then I guess we are back to whether I can afford to go dark again... I also like green with bamboo. But yes, I totally think crl's suggestion about bamboo on bottom and then white all the way up would work and it's on the short list, if I decide to go with bamboo.

I think bamboo and a waterfall edge are more modern in style generally. If you want to avoid that then I would think about walnut or teak or even oak for the lower cabinets. I think that with your light issues, I personally would want light countertops if I was set on dark lower cabinets.

What do you see in houses in your area? I think you could get the best feel for how dark you can go and still be happy with the results by looking at kitchens in your location.

Maybe it's just me, but the walnut and teak I am seeing on the lowers that are sequenced like the bamboo look every bit as modern, if not more so. Combine any of them with a waterfall edge and it adds to the modern effect. Add acrylic uppers on top and it dials it a lot more yet into modern.

Which reminds me, do you see any possible way those bamboo lowers are going to work with white shaker uppers?

To me the bamboo looks very, very linear where the teak and walnut seem less so. That extremely linear effect reads more modern to me. Also teak and walnut have historically been used in a lot of contexts in the US so the material itself doesn't say modern to me, where bamboo doesn't have that same history. But I'm no expert, these are just my reactions.

As far as shaker uppers and bamboo lowers, I don't know. Drawers were historically slab in shaker style so I don't know that shaker uppers, which will be doors, and slab lowers, which will be mostly drawers (won't they?) are automatically incompatible. Have you seen any pictures with that combination?

Acrylic reads modem to me no matter what.

Contemporary Kitchen · More Info

This houzz image seems to have a lot of the elements you are describing. Darker slab front lower cabinets, mid-tone wood floor, white shaker cabinets on the island, white countertops.

Have you found any photos of white shaker cabinets mixed with slab bamboo cabinets? I think all the two tone kitchens I've seen have been either shaker style for both or modern for both, but I'm sure there are examples out there... Or if there aren't, that would answer your question.

Oh, crl beat me to it! Or at least found something that should inspire you.

I regularly see slab doors on the bottoms and shaker for the uppers in other woods, but so far, not seeing anything but slab doors with bamboo. Generally acrylic but not always. Getting kinda googled out at this point. And that, ack, doesn't leave me feeling hopeful. I'm trying to walk this balance beam between cottage and modern and I feel like I might be tipping over at this point.

Thanks for the conversation on this. It really helps to bounce off of people whose eyes don't glaze over...

My dh is infinitely grateful that you all are here for me to obsess with. . . .

I think Scandinavian kitchens would be another source for inspiration in how to cope with long dark winters. I also think they are much closer to your original vision. And, of course, fit in perfectly with using ikea.

[Here is one houzz story on the elements of Scandinavian design. [(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/how-to-get-that-modern-scandinavian-look-stsetivw-vs~3674794)

Thanks, Jillian, for the long post and fruits of your research. I'm pretty reluctant to use a bold color on the cabinets in such an open floor plan - and really wanted stained lowers, but I take your point. I've also never been a clutter/tchotchke person and have only gotten more attracted to streamlined, zen approaches to design since my chronic illness and age started leaning me towards simplifying. The kitchen you posted is very fun and looks quite livable, though. Lighting is a funny thing. Yes, we are investing a fair amount into it. However, it's weird to be in a brightly lit little house surrounded by so much darkness. It can feel almost like being on a stage when the rest of the lights are down. I am much more drawn to cozy lamps and candles and things that likely exacerbate my SAD. lol

And, crl, you are such a trooper to hang in there with me on this, maybe from start to finish, though who knows...perhaps this thread will find more mileage even if I feel out of steam! lol I enjoyed the article and was surprised to find so many white walls. Perhaps Scandinavians go with color more on exterior walls than interior? I found myself enjoying the bright whites in particular, which surprised me a bit as I've been picturing crisp white trim with softer walls for the remodel (even though, as Jillian's post kind of illustrates, it is actually the more saturated tones that seem to look "best" in a lot of instances in my neighborhood, i.e., yellows and golds and terracottas and saturated blue-grays and greens. I just have felt like I have been there, done that, and want something more neutral and textural).

I started yesterday hopeful that I might have found a starting place for materials - FINALLY! - that would work with the house and that I could get behind. Something I haven't really had since I started this journey two years ago, which has made the design aspect difficult as I've had no starting place to start dictating other decisions as nothing has really felt "right" or grabbed me by the boo-boo and refused to let go. I'm now second-guessing that yet again and I'm not sure what that means. Maybe it means stained lowers are just not in the cards, after all. Maybe it means I'll go all white and skip the two-toned look I HAVE liked- or go with painted lowers of some yet undiscovered color that is interesting but doesn't control the color palette of the entire house for eternity as this house is NOT going to be remodeled again under my watch. I just don't know - AGAIN.

My samples from semi handmade will be coming and we'll see how that goes. But, I gotta say, I prefer the first few pics of the bamboo as they seem more brown in tone and less orange/yellow.

More and more, though, I'm less concerned with "the perfect kitchen" and more concerned with getting a modest remodel done on a very modest house and figuring out what life has in store after that.

"Maybe it means I'll go all white and skip the two-toned look"

If you don't like the samples that come in, I don't think you can't go wrong with white cabinets. It's a clean, bright look that stands the test of time, and it looks good with all sorts of wood flooring and counters.

In my own remodel, I'm keeping my stained wood cabinets and replacing the flooring, which will also be wood. I was really struggling to find a wood floor that went with my cabinets, which are lightly stained knotty alder. Dark wood would have gone best with them, but I really didn't want to dark floors (every spec of dust shows up). So, I'm going with a medium hickory. It's not the contrast I would have liked, but it harmonizes and picks up some of the color in the knots. I know I'll love the medium tone, especially because it will continue through the dining room and living room. I think you have a similar situation in that you want wood flooring to continue into the rest of the house, correct?

And sometimes, like design sense in clothing (someone brought that analogy up earlier, didn't they?), kitchen design is partly about confidence. When you like something and you have the confidence to make it work, it shows. Eclectic works when you own it and don't apologize for it. IMO.

Yeah, I've resisted all white because I had it in my last kitchen, I found it hard to keep clean on the lowers and my partner really prefers stained wood. Also, I just really LIKE the two-toned look and feel like my layout would lend itself easily to it.

One thing is for sure, though - it would make picking a floor easier given I want a wood look (and yes, edible, in my den, DR, LR and kitchen I'd really like the same floor)! I hear you on the challenge of making wood floors work great with wood cabinets without seeming too heavy. A lot of people do the woodsy cabin look up here, it's just not my particular thing.

It's hard not to get discouraged. Frankly, I've been immersing myself in research for two years and have managed NOT to fall in love with any counter, tile, cabinet or overall look in any real way. I see lots of things I love, though the consensus is generally that they don't fit the house or they are too expensive for this market. Somehow, it all becomes either a series of tempting eye candy or I spin from one direction to another. And, without making ONE choice that would force me to limit down other choices, that has just led me to spin around like a dizzy top and feel rather reluctant to spend all this damn money! At this point, I'm just telling myself "This is just a house. This is just a kitchen. You actually don't HAVE to love it. You DO have to get it done and over so you can move on to new things.

It's hard to "own" things when you don't have a vision.

This is a remodelista link about Scandinavian kitchens. I see some overlap with your two-tone approach in some of the images. Might be worth a look.

Maybe, hopefully, you will love one of your coming samples and that can guide you for the rest of your choices. If that doesn't happen, I think I might start with the floor. It's going to run throughout the house. So it makes some sense to have that be your first choice and you could build from there.

crl, that's a great link. Some neat ideas and pretty kitchens.

steph, what about Taupe? Do you like it? If so, here's a couple pics, just for the combo example of it and white in a kitchen (not the layout). Taupe has the grayish brown warmth that walnut has, just in a definite lighter version. But at least you wouldn't have all white. Anyway, just a thought thrown out there. Please feel free to pitch. ;)

And, you could pick from a lot of different colors to accent with.

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What do you think of this kitchen? http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2664644/final-reveal-majras-two-toned-kitchen

Between the cabinet stiles, counter, and backsplash, there is a lot of textured layered and several shades of neutrals mixed in there. I didn't mean to suggest that you should definitely go bold with color. Although I think that bold color looks nice in dark rooms, it is just one of many ways to provide variety. I was more arguing for variety in general -- arguing against going totally minimalist and matchy.

Layered, textured neutrals (as in the kitchen I just posted) would look great! You can see the kitchen area in that reveal is pretty dark, and it still looks nice. I would even go a step further and, instead of having a dark floor that matches the base cabinets, I'd go for a lighter floor with knots/grain (maybe hickory?) to add another shade of neutral color, another material, more texture, and a nice contrast with the cabinets.

crl - Thanks for the link! I enjoyed the pics. Noteworthy is how sparse the upper cabinetry is in almost all of these kitchens and how small most of the kitchens really are. I don't think the rest of the world has so darn much "stuff". I also like the lack of bulky range hoods in those kitchens, though I have already bought one for my remodel. And, in virtually every pic, we could play "find the fridge" (I think a lot of them use under the counter fridges but probably the fridge is out of the camera's view in at least some of these). It all looks so much more streamlined, doesn't it? And that navy kitchen is just fun...on really whimsical days, I think I could freak out and do a navy kitchen. lol (I seriously like almost every one I see paired with white uppers.) The style of those navy cabinets is really interesting - I like the added details, which don't feel fancy or too much but do add so much interest and dimension. They almost look like furniture pieces... I don't think I've ever seen cabinets like that in the US.

beth - Funny you bring up taupe. I've seen a few taupe/beige lowers/white uppers that I liked. Very tone on tone, which I like. They are "cooler" in tone than what I have going in the backyard and exterior of the house and I tend to migrate towards warm tones, but I DO like them. And, it would certainly be more easy to work with over time than a lot of other colors. I am just so iffy about doing painted lowers after my last painted kitchen...

Jillius - Majra's kitchen is one of my all time GW favs and has been on the short list of inspiration kitchens since day one. There have been times I've just wanted to shamelessly copy the whole thing. When I made myself look critically at the situation, though, her house is considerably larger than mine and has a ton more lighting, higher ceilings and all that white on both the walls and the furniture. Even the art is white/light. I love the look, as I said. I'm just not sure I can totally commit to the level of design discipline in furnishing/paint that I think is required to pull off such an integrated, full-house look, if that makes sense. (Majra, if you read this, love ya!) Her layout is very similar to mine, though - with the front door opening into a small living area and the now open kitchen with the dining on the left. My slider is in the DR, though, while she has two in the living area.

I like the taupe inspiration pictures. How about some beautiful bamboo cutting boards leaned up against white tile backsplash, with a vase of zenlike flowers on the counter?