everything is a trend! Colors, styles, everything goes in and out of fashion. I’m an antiques dealer who has seen “timeless” pieces go in and out of fashion through the decades. Pick what you love unless you are planning on selling in the near future. When designers say “timeless” they are either young and haven’t lived through enough decades or mean it be in style for a while ( not forever). For your cabinets going the least busy as in the 2nd and 4th choices shows off the wood best to me but everyone has different tastes. Go with what will bring you joy.

I think walnut looks very nice with white/off white and charcoal/black.

Is your kitchen part of a larger space with other furniture, colors and design features? The high contrast of walnut and white may be too much when it blends with how you decorate the living/dining areas of your space. Include the correct amount of task and ambient lighting in your design. Daylight from one side isn't enough. Consider how your choices will look under the light sources you'll spec.

I’m not a huge fan of any of those countertop choices. Also no a fan of quartz, in general. What do YOU lIke? I wouldn’t worry about trends so much, but think about what you like. And I agree with a PP about light. Does your kitchen get natural light?

Old saw:

"Only you know what you want and only YOU will be unhappy if you don't get it".

Are you asking what will look great, or approval to do that which may not show off walnut as well as a lighter top with more contrast?

What is the current kitchen plan with respect to OTHER element? Provide more info, aside from a slider, the cabinets. What is the floor, the lighting, etc...The appliances...see what I mean?

I think walnut is a beautiful wood and best highlighted and in a small space lighter counter probably just works better if I had to choose from the samples I would do the 2nd one but I really dislike quartz for counter tops I would like to see the space with the cabinets in to really help. I like white granites for counters if “timeless “ is a thing it will be here long after all the fake stones are gone. make sure all your lighting is le 4000K before even thinking about choosing counters , backspalsh or wall color.

I personally wouldn’t want dark counter in dark cabinets in a small kitchen. I also wouldn’t want quartz with veining in it. So you do you. I’d do a light granite or a non-veined white quartz.

June white corian is really out of date. Natural stone is always the best way to go

White Corian always works in places where it works. Practical and unbustable and very good and uninspired in a modern walnut kitchen.

Fake stone looks like fake stone (which is why I prefer manmade counters to look like something else).

Lots of things go with walnut that aren't white. I have walnut cabinets in a simple slab style with two different countertops, neither white. Pick something that you like and that matches and even if you have a Bulthaup kitchen, it'll be fine.

This is a favorite color combo walnut kitchen (minus the blue tile and whatever the Realtor is trying to hide on the floor):

We put walnut with darker quartz 5 years ago. Our counter does not have veining or high contrast though. I don’t think any of your choices work well with the walnut.

I think the higher contrast of a light-colored cabinets is a nice counterpoint to the darker color of walnut, which is why white is done so often. Also, as someone noted, if the cabinets are dark, people often choose lighter colored cabinets to keep the kitchen from being too dark. But it certainly isn't the only option, as wsea's kitchen illustrates.

Yes, faux marble quartz is all the rage. I don't like it any more than I liked faux stone laminate counters. Do (stone), or do not (do stone). Faux stone quartz is just trying to have the best of all possible worlds, and it doesn't do it particularly convincingly. Basically, I think people loved the look of marble but didn't like the staining, etching, and patina, so quartz companies started offering up the wannabes. Honestly, I find the marble-look laminates and marble-look thin porcelain material to look more like real marble. I think when marble-look quartz goes out, it will go out hard and with ridicule. It will be the Formica of 1990 and the Corian of 2005. Sorry to everyone who is reading who has installed it in their kitchens.

I just installed Corian (Glacier White) in my kitchen and am delighted with it, so my comment about it being regarded as dated in 2005 in no way reflects my opinion of it as a material. If you prefer a solid white to a marble-look white, their Glacier White would be a great choice. If you like the look of marble and can live with the characteristics of the actual stone, I would choose real marble. If you want light but not white, I think creams and warmer colors could work. If you want darker counters, Wsea's kitchen is a nice inspiration (but make sure you have enough natural and artificial lighting).

As if!! See you are Clueless if you like Corian!! Hahaha

It is interesting that the same photo is used to promote Corian over quartz and quartz over Corian.

I'm pretty sure the one I posted was laminate. :P

Just get something nice. White on walnut is just a look. If you don't like it, get something you do.

No fake marble. Real stone, or fake plastic is fine.

"make sure all your lighting is le 4000K before even thinking about choosing counters , back spalsh or wall color"...........Corian is dated..........

OR MAYBE NOT

We all have the right to very strong opinion, but rarely is one answer the answer for every situation. As to 4000k . It is common in commercial applications, can be fine if you love it for a kitchen. I think far more important in ANY space are multiple sources for light. In a kitchen, that means high hats, pendants, lighting over a table, under counter lighting etc. I couldn't have it in my home ANYWHERE. I detest it. You may not. If forced, perhaps I might tolerate it in a bath, but I prefer a bit less, I don't need to surgically inspect a wrinkle!

The point is, light a space to be able to see, and light it the way it feels good. Almost always that will imply those MULTIPLE sources. Informative 4000k read...............

https://www.waveformlighting.com/home-residential/should-i-choose-4000k-led-lights-an-in-depth-look

As to Corian, ( the original ) I have it, I love it. I would have difficulty selling the concept to a client, because "it's DATED! EVERYONE GOT RID OF IT!! OR..It's plastic!! " Well. Nature produces no quarts slabs, dear, I have white that is clean, bright white, bullet proof for the past twenty years, I could not care less what another thinks, they do not live here. If a change? I would have marble , the real deal.

Today, in the dismal that is outdoors, I will bake some cookies to take to dinner and enjoy their golden tone in the midst of the beautiful wallpaper, ( dated toile ) the glow of the little lamp sitting in the corner of my counter top, ...... the light warmed again by another on a lovely bar cart .

In all design, know who YOU are. You are the only person you need to please. Options are like paint. there are no BAD colors, just bad uses of any color. Maybe you don't want olive green master bedroom walls that reflect on your body............turning it the tone of a fish washed up at the lake side. And on it goes as to any selection, of anything, and any WHERE.

It is not one size fits all, ever.

I am also use white combines walnut cabinets with white countertop. I am also say that white countertop is better contrast, white quartz countertops , white granite countertops is very nice look in your kitchen you can try that I see you some Picture You like it....!

You can see that it look like to good when you see this you are really like that I hope so then I am dam sure you can see then it can change your mind for cabinets.

Jan where do you live ? You really need to write a book!!

HAHHAAHAAHAHAH ! Pandemic bucket list.

I am so pleased to have been introduced to the benefits of Corian here on Houzz. I put glacier white Corian in my modernish kitchen with a nod to the past (house is 100 years old) and it's just perfect. I don't have the largest kitchen in my area, but it always gets a "wow."

Generally/basically....Any White is a good choice based on a “clean” kitchen look...darker ...a good choice if you dont want to be a slave to cleaning your counters....one important point..find and use the proper cleaners for whatever you choose...

Corian sinks are superfabulous when seamlessly fused into the Corian.

Plastic counters are no more manmade than porcelain tile backsplashes, after all.

When I look at Bulthaup, I see stainless counters with integrated sinks. I would never put quartz with Bulthaup. I find quartz cheap looking, because it's pretending to be something it is not. Corian is a far more honest material and looks wonderful with modern kitchens. Look at Jack Trench kitchens out of London, tdf! When I contemplated a modern, German kitchen, I was pretty set on stainless counters- not cheap, but they work with the design aesthetic beautifully and no one will be trying to sell you the next great thing when you have such a perfectly classic combo. My two cents. Good luck. Also, look at SieMatic's modern offerings. I am pretty sure you'll see no quartz there either.

Zalco our old next door neighbors moved to the US from Germany to work for Apple. They remodeled and put in stainless countertops. I didn’t care for them at all but it went with their modern design

Kathy, sounds like we live in the same area :-)

PS I second the notion of a Jan Moyer book.

My kitchen is very small and I have walnut cabinet lowers, white uppers. I did not go with white counters, I chose a busy quartzite. I love it. If I had chosen a white counter it would open up the possibilities for a colorful backsplash, but I fell in love with the countertop.

Gorgeous, Traci!

Stunning kitchen, Traci. Brava!

THIS .................. ? this is what would happen...............just thinking of the past thirty years and SOME people??? Go ahead, LYAO, You get the idea.....hahahhaha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU_8pRoEI8w

Traci love it

Plain white Corian, quartz, or laminate is never a bad choice to pair with the prominent and busy grained wood.

This is exactly the thread I wanted to post! But wow such differing opinions. I'm doing walnut cabinets with navy blue islands, and light white oak floors. I hate white counters and hate the look of white marble, and 99% of walnut photos have one of those. My biggest problem with white is it is so sterile and kitchen-y for an open concept. Plus with my color scheme I don't want it to come off as nautical. (I also hate black counters btw, and I don't think gray matches wood although I am clearly in the minority in that opinion.)

I love granite but know it is probably too busy. Then again I did a kitchen in sapele cabinets, teak parquet floors, Carribean green granite counters with glass mosaic backsplash. All the rules said no, it's too much pattern, but it looks amazing. So maybe I should go with my gut, if I can find a soft granite without too much punch. Or maybe a quartzite. But I suspect an off-white quartz with some subtle colorations will be best. Someone suggested Caeserstone Buttermilk. I wonder...

Original poster referenced “ Bulthaup” cabinets. Bulthaup lightens their walnut it’s not the “orange“ walnut that everyone here seems to like (which I don’t get) . It’s more golden which works better with white countertops. .

Most of the walnut I see is brown or brown/gray. I don't see much orange or gold these days.

@Beth H. Thanks for the nice photos but it's not that helpful without knowing which colors those countertops are :-( Hard to even tell if they are grey or blue, white or beige, etc.

@qofmiwok You can click on the imbedded photos which enlarges them. Quite easy to see the countertops then and I've got relatively old eyes plus a prominent crack in the middle of my laptop screen. Beth H even notes the counter colors in some of her comments too.