I think either work, depending on the style of house. I am moving from a cheap (very cheap) painted wood cabinet house to a custom stained wood cab house. When I bought the house I did not have the funds (or time on my own) to refurbish, and so I lived with... this was prior to HGTV anyway. When I was able to, I'd settled on buying land on which to build someday, so that sort of upgrading was not going to happen here... especially since the major upgrade would have been the entire dysfunctional kitchen and bumping out the house proper to make the place useful, not aesthetics. I have repainted the kitchen here a couple of times, but. Not the same.

At any rate, in part because of this home, I much prefer stained over painted wood. My personal experience, painted says you can use any ole wood. Stained says it is probably quality. So, for me, I can stain and have stained in my new home... simply because I CAN.

Either do work,though. What do you want to live with, and what do you think works with your style of home and your aesthetics?

PS: the only trends that last are the ones that make kitchen appliances more and more complex and complicated... sometimes a good thing, though...

We suggest you go with what YOU like and what is appropriate for your home and style first. Forget about what everyone else is doing. Unless you are selling your home any time soon then we suggest stay neutral for re-sale value, but if it is your home then do what it is in your heart and vision. Good luck!!!

Paintedis trendy but getting old. - Milly Rey

Oh for crying out loud Milly Rey, says who? Who made you the arbiter of what is "getting old"? I am getting tired of your posts with these pronouncements you make as facts. You have been called out on this before. - friedajune

And let me call her out once again.

Once again you say something as if you're an authority with nothing to back it up. Sorry but paint has always been trendy.

Frieda, single color painted cabinets were NOT classic between 1987 and 1997. They were "dated."

Sorry but once again you're incorrect. White slab door cabinets were all the rage during that 10 year period for those who wanted a white kitchen. Ikea sold them like hotcakes and as a matter of fact, that is what I put into my first kitchen in 1988-9. Granted most were melamine, but there were also tons of painted versions.

(Hint: You might want to try doing some research before making a blanket statement)

It's been 20 years since the white shaker cabinet became the kitchen most people aspire to. It's so ubiquitous that it's going to be the golden oak of the late 2000s and early 2010s.

Funny because I wanted shaker cabinets over 30 years ago. Anyone living or building an "old" style home would still consider them a classic and untrendy.

White uppers and tall pantry cabinets with LOUVERED doors, and the same on the sink base to unify, but painted the same color as the rest of the lowers.

Yes because those louvered doors won't be a b***h to clean. PI, if you love cleaning then yes the louvered doors might be interesting, but personally I would never want something like that in a kitchen.

PI, you picked a gorgeous granite which hopefully will be available in January. Assuming it will, I suggest you do what floats you and Mrs PI in terms of paint and/or stain. Or mix up the two.

For example, my perimeter counters are all painted because all my trim in the house is painted. Plus my kitchen though it has windows is a bit darker than the other rooms so that's why I decided on white. Plus I didn't want the focus to be the kitchen cabinets. I wanted the focus to be on the fireplace in the adjoining room which is dark quarter sawn oak.

To tie the quarter sawn oak to the kitchen, I made the island the same color oak and repeated the detail in the columns on the island columns.

If you do what works with the style of your house and what you love, it doesn't matter if it's trendy or not.

Just as another example, my sister did an all white kitchen except she put in raised panel cabinet doors. Not trendy but it works with her 1920 Georgian style home.

I don't care about a "trend". Trend is for companies and want-a-be designers to sell something. You fit the kitchen to your house and your lifestyle. You don't remodel to a stupid "trend". You need to choose what works for you. Your house. Your style of cooking. Your family. Not a "trend".

I think everybody has to remember that Gardenweb is a relatively closed culture. And I think those who closely follow design media is a relatively specific culture. And depending upon which media you look at, seeing it often enough to tire of it (which is what I think happens in here) is not really part of the equation.

Companies are producing these, so someone is buying them:

Here's a 2 minute photoshop throw together. The granite is not our slab but only to approximate the colors of the stone, the bordeaux is one of our cabinet possible colors as is the down white. The Edgecomb gray is leading the way for the overall wall color but we'll have to test that in a few rooms to be sure. The Connected Gray is our island colors for two islands. The Downy is the other possible cabinet option. I don't have any exact samples of the flooring but the overall back ground with the floor is reasonably close to what we will be using. At first, we were set on the Downy but we like the contrast of the stained cabinets with the floors and that will pickup the bordeaux tones in the granite. We are going with Golden Bordeaux Granite and the slabs are a couple of months out. My office furniture is a cherry. Just don't know if the stain is too dark for the granite. The pic of the chair in the upper right would be our counter top stool colors.

I think the stain color is a bit dark and possibly too red for the granite and possibly too red for the floor as well.

Remember that wood has a graining pattern that has to be considered in the overall big picture of putting patterns and colors together. Pick your #1 item that will have a pattern. In an open concept, this is usually the floor. Everything else has to work with that choice in a great room.

You have a lot of competing colors and patterns here. Sophie is spot on. You cannot use everything that you love. You are going to have to choose. Or, be OK with it clashing. You're here asking for help, so I'm thinking you won't be OK with it clashing.

I think you need to be open to working with a Pro. And open to changing some of these choices. Specifically, the floor or the granite. They do not work together. You need to pick which is the #1 choice. Then coordinate the colors to work with that choice.

On my phone it looks too red. On my desktop, it does not.

Thanks CK, the floor stays for sure. On the cabinet color, agreed some of the red needs to go away or at least a little. It doesn't look too red on my monitor but toning it down a bit wouldn't hurt. The alternative is the painted cabinet but, at least with a stain you can always paint them but with paint, you can't stain them. The WORST part is going to be convincing the bride to look at a different granite this is an absolute. She LOVES either the Golden Bordeaux or the Red River Bordeaux. Granted the photo of the floor is blown WAY up in photoshop but there is a pattern there.

Who is the door manufacturer?

Conestoga

If anyone has any suggestions for granite, by all means. At least I can compile a list of possibles. We'd prefer to stay with the stained cabinets, I'm going to reach out to my contact and ask about reducing the deep red tone and just cut in back a bit. In looking at their offerings, not much else that we care for. The Connected Gray on the islands stays for sure. I'm thinking if we can come up with some granite options, it'd be a good start.

I would look for a slighly nuttier or yellower/greener brown rather than a red undertone.

I have some bias because I like naturally oxidized red in cherry and mahogany but I dislike any sort of artificially created red "cherry" or "mahogany" tones which seem to skew maroon in my eyes. So maybe I am super sensitive about seeing red.

Why does the floor stay? Is it already installed? Just wondering, since her heart is so set on a colorful granite.

I looked for images of a "Red River Bordeaux" but can't really find anything. Are you sure it's not just River Bordeaux? And if it is, there sure are a lot of variations. Check the one on this page.

http://marblegraniteslabs.com/graniteslabprices.html

There is a bordeaux granite on this island, and I think the floor looks nice with it. Different than your floor though...

https://www.zillow.com/digs/traditional-great-rooms-6845514853/

Actually yes, it's a RIVER BORDEAUX thank you. The River Bordeaux is a second granite that she really likes and actually the first granite that she had picked out.

This is worth exactly what you paid for the opinion, but of the two, I'd suggest nixing the floor. Go with something more classically "wood floor" toned. A bit of yellow oak look works well with the granite as it has strong gold tones. We're talking trends here, and what you like, and the majority of your choices skew towards the traditional warmer tones. The cooler floor is the outlier. Not the granite, and not the stained wood. The island color could skew a tiny bit greener sage, and you could go with a more tan greige wall color, and you would be pretty much set

Conestoga Autumn Stain

Thanks! The original go to scheme was River Bordeaux grantite, downy cabinets, Connected Gray Islands and we swapped to Edgecomb gray. Much more subtle granite vs the Golden that is screaming LOOK AT ME lol.

Millie, once again, you're dead wrong. The chicest cabinets in the 1980's were Smallbone Kitchen's famous painted and dragged cabinets at the high end, and Ikea's painted white slab at the low end. And then for the tract house set, cathedral cabinet doors in Cherry.

The Edgecomb might not play well with your downy cabs...

Exactly, that's any easy swap. There's a slightly darker Pewter that would work.

Don't be distracted by the luminous ceiling, there was also a lot of this in the Eighties from Wood-Mode on down:

This is a very expensive house in Holmby Hills

The Revere Pewter lower left is a shade darker and may play better. Just going to have to get a quart of each and see what it looks like.

For the River Bordeaux and those approximate paint shades (best practice: test large samples on site before committing)...

Cabs in the tone of the branches

For the Golden Bordeaux and the grey floor, a more golden cab as mentioned above...

(Photo below for cab-backsplash color interaction as cab-floor does not work for me)

but if the same granite is on the islands, I'd give up your green-grey and repeat the tones of the floor in the island color (a bit darker if the overall read of the slab is rich/intense, a bit lighter otherwise).

By removing a color you'll create some places for the eye to rest.

Thanks HV and yes, practice test a few 4' x 4' sections of wall in various areas and rooms.

Are you working with a local designer? I had a general idea of what I wanted but wanted to make sure everything went well together. I found a designer who spent 2 hours with me to finalize all the finishes ($500 in high cost of living area)--for my kitchen, bath, all my paint colors. Not cheap, but I felt like I was spending too much money on the remodel to not feel confident in my selections, and the advice was worth every penny.

I would suggest to choose what you like. Trends can be regional. A neighbor just moved in this week from Chicago and she criticized all the kitchens she's seen while house hunting as dated. The current trends for them is dark stained wood - espresso.

That was popular here a while ago and now white or modern stained wood seems to be the choice locally. She told me that that was popular 10 yrs ago for them.

I personally have no idea what's trendy since the glazed and super ornate look is still popular according to one of the custom companies I talked with. This is due to our large Persian population.

Good input, I did reach out to an interior designer specifically to give us input on colors. Haven’t heard back yet.

You should look at African Rainbow granite.

House Vixen

"Cabs in the tone of the branches"

That is a nice color palette!

Millie, once again, you're dead wrong. The chicest cabinets in the 1980's were Smallbone Kitchen's famous painted and dragged cabinets at the high end, and Ikea's painted white slab at the low end. And then for the tract house set, cathedral cabinet doors in Cherry.

Thank you Anglo. I kept trying to dredge up the name Smallbone in my brain and couldn't think of the name. I remember lusting after their cabinets back in the late 80's/early 90's.

And Pal, those cabinets with the wood trim were everywhere, both in high end homes and in builder grade.

But heck, Millie is the expert here.

Never even heard of Smallbone. I hope I'm not the only one LOL.

Never even heard of Smallbone. I hope I'm not the only one LOL.

*raises hand*

I didn't either but I googled-they make every style so it seems, and one of the pics in the gallery is the cabinet that's painted deep plum..so I, immediately, "oh I like them!" lol

PS I like this white plus oak probably because I never lived though it..pity it was so overdone most people seem to actively dislike it now

In the 1980s Smallbone made one basic style of painted kitchen cabinet with a nice amount of detailing. What you see today at Smallbone is not representative of the brand as the original has been sold long ago.

If you lived in the US and read high end shelter magazines, or frequented people whose houses might be featured in such magazines, then you would be well acquainted with the brand. I am pretty sure april was not in the US in the 80s.

This advert is from the 90s. The dish rack was a common feature of their designs.

PS You could also buy UK shelter magazines in the US at the time and could be exposed to Smallbone through those as well. SieMatic and Gaggenau began to make their US appearances in the early 80s in those publications and the ubiquitous stainless steel pro looking range trend dates to those days as well- except those of us interested in the look had to accept buying a real pro range without many of the home range conveniences- like being cool to the touch for children. Cn you tell I ws child of the 80s?

(no April definitely wasn't in the US in 80 s..nor in 90 s..partially last decade but I was too busy getting used to everything else..which is a lot..))))

Good grief. "shelter magazine"? Oy vey. I need to stay off this thread! :-)

Chime in if you remember the GardenWebber who painted her white-with-oak kitchen cabs (as posted above) a pale vintage green, then added silver-toned knobs.

In one shade the cabs looked absolutely sculptural. Stunning budget makeover!

I remember/ associate Smallbone with the Unfitted Kitchen idea and if you could afford a Smallbone kitchen in the '80s, I didn't know you.

I was a 12 in 1980, so I couldn't afford anything ;-)

We did both... because we liked it. (haven't finished trim or backsplash yet, this was before faucets were in, there will be trim on the vent hood also)

We went back to the drawing board on the granite as someone suggested earlier. We just got back from the slab yard and I do believe this is a far better option and plays nicely with everything else. This is a photo of the actual slab in the yard and they've got about 15 slabs from the same lot on site.

Pen: I loved your River Bordeaux granite, but understand the concern raised about going with the floor. However: the image of the floor is more of a close up than the other images. This could give the grain much more prominence then what you'd see in the actual room. And both the granite and floor will be seen horizontally, 3 feet apart, rather than one right on top of the other. So while the idea boards are useful for color checking, I worry they could be misleading for checking patterns. If you can find a picture of the flooring installed (or visit it somewhere) and an image of the stone installed, that might help with a comparison even if they're separate images (I can help you photoshop if you want.)

@beachem: "A neighbor just moved in this week from Chicago and she criticized all the kitchens she's seen while house hunting as dated. The current trends for them is dark stained wood - espresso." This made me smile - 3 of my besties moved off our street this year (empty nesters, downsizing) and younger families bought the homes. Each home had custom (not builder grade) stained cabinet kitchens (2 were maple, one cherry.) Within weeks of moving in, the owners of all 3 houses painted them white. Granted, 3 homes doesn't make a trend, but 3 homes in one block in a span of about 4 months had their beautiful stained cabinets painted white. It slayed me, especially the beautiful cherry kitchen. Oh well, to each his own!

Thanks Chica and you’re right the counter tops and floor will be seen horizontally and at a much greater distance. Makes it tough to gauge how things will work. Getting a pic of the floor installed may prove difficult but you never know will do some searching. We did locate pics with the new granite choice and cream color cabinets and the work nicely together.

Chicagoans, at least they painted them and didn't rip them out and replace with white builder grade cabinets!

Although it seems like all I see here on GW is white painted cabinets, walls and countertops with a bit of grey thrown in for contrast that look just doesn't work for me, especially in desert southwest house. I've gone with a red oak stain on the cabinets, crema bordeaux counters, a textured floor tile with a lot of color variation and apache tan wall paint. I personally love the look of wood grain in the cabinets and wouldn't think of painting over it, but that's just me. A lot of people love the painted look. As for what is the current trend, I have no idea since it really didn't figure into my decision whatsoever. Whatever you decide, make sure it is something you love it since you will be living with it for years to come.

White slab doors with oak trim were for cheaper houses OR for people who wanted a contemporary look. But it was often considered chintzy by the mid 80s, unless you really were going clearly 80s modern. Perhaps it was considered so downmarket because it was easy to make cheaply--it may have started in upscale kitchens, but the technology was fundamentally inexpensive. Like Formica. Laminates are a wonderful material, really. But they're inexpensive, so they are most often found in less expensive settings.

I never said shaker cabinets were NEW. There was nothing NEW about oak. How classic can you get? There was nothing NEW about cathedral doors. Yet golden oak cathedral doors are now synonymous with the 1980s.

White shaker cabinets are the same. Of course they're not some kind of revolution. The oak cathedral cabinets weren't supposed to be, either. They were both intended to evoke tradition, history, classic comfort.

Side notes: Espresso on this stretch of the East coast made a make for approximately.5 seconds. Not long enough for it to look very "dated." The super ornate looks is very popular still among the Iranian population here, as well. The flooring choices are particularly different from the run of the mill!

The Smallbone style didn't hit Dallas until the early-mid-90s. It was the bridge into Tuscan, which made a much bigger impact across the south and southwest, at least. All the detailed cabinet fronts. !

But..it wasn't "just white." It was "an update on the tired, passé, cliched white of yesteryear." An old cabinet couldn't just be painted white to make it the right style. It had to be aged. It had to have faux layers of color applied--to be classic, to evoke history, etc.

Funny how that look is so dated now. Sure, it's painted. It's painted "wrong."

I should have been clearer that a gray or white shaker door painted kitchen, or one with a blue, teal, or green accent area of paint, is going to be pretty rapidly dated. This is what 95% of people who say "painted" now mean. Not EVERY kitchen that's painted will be dated. Some aren't in style--or out. They'll be fine IF they're appropriate to the house.

(Another side note: The island pot rack. I'm embarrassed to say how late I still did that pot rack!)

Of COURSE there are other trends than the most dominant, anyhow. There is a particularly hideous Spanish revival style of the 1970s--very dark doors with a weird pattern--that is still in hundreds of thousands of homes in the Southwest and almost nowhere else. There is the knotty pine style of the 80s-90s--mostly in homes that decide on rustic.

My take is that the less clear of a style your home has, and the more it looks like every other kitchen, the more danger you face in things looking dated. The more forceful the home's style, the more things will look "right" if you respect that style, with fewer casualties from trends. At least in the long run! There's a fabulous 80s Art Deco revival that someone just bought, and I was thinking the other day that it was probably "awful" from 95 to 05 or even 08, but it's so delightful now.

I think things will look the very worst if you pick something really trendy that defies your house. Like a French country kitchen in a Tudor. It does mean locking yourself and your home in to some degree of definitive style. But in the long run, I think it makes for a more cohesive experience, which might be "classic" by some definition.

Now, I say this as someone who bought a shag gray on white trellis rug several years ago because I thought it saw striking and unique... (Not anymore!!!! That's going to be so tacky so soon!) My living room is also gray and yellow. Not that it's more than temporary, with the kids (no, food isn't allowed in there, but they're just STICKY some days), but there is a clock ticking on those things, for sure!

This book was published in 1999. Most of the kitchens were put together in the 1980s through about 95. Almost none of them look dated now. Almost none of them were ever on trend, though.

(And many of the kitchens are AMAZING.)

https://m.barnesandnoble.com/w/great-kitchens-at-home-with-americas-top-chefs-ellen-c-reinheimer/1119132158?ean=9781561582877

There's only one thing that separates high end from low end when it comes to popular door styles and that is quality of construction, and whether or not a particular door style can be produced cheaply or not.

Currently the new construction builder grade doors are shaker and slab. These are the same most popular high end doors, too--because they can both be well crafted or made cheaply, from a true shaker door with the raised panel flipped to the interior side of the door, to a "shaker" door that's molded MDF and covered with thermofoil.

The laminate and oak kitchen in Holmby Hills is in a $12M house. If you got that door from Woodmode, you could get it at any size you wanted with nice oak used for the details, with laminate on the doors instead of melamine, and with a nice cabinet box and hardware and fittings. If you got it from the construction center, not so much.