White countertops will definitely work with cherry cabs. In the lower pic, Not sure about the extremely busy backsplash, however. Lots of inspiration pics online. https://www.google.ca/search?sxsrf=ALeKk013lZek3kM7sUoP8Q0ENeN8lnAkbQ:1613251270530&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=cherry+cabinets+with+white+countertops&hl=en-us&client=safari&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiN56an5efuAhWlNn0KHcFBCN4Q7Al6BAgFEEE&biw=1261&bih=1512

I like your first picture much, much better. The unstained look of wood with dark handles is classic. You won't tire of it. I always consider cherry as a more formal wood (like mahogany) but you can do a gorgeous casual kitchen like the first picture and it will be timeless.

That isn’t standard oak. Inset cerused white oak like that is very labor intensive and one of the most expensive choices that you can make.

Celadon: Is there another wood that would look as good unstained as this one? Other than maple, which is pretty standard.

Looks like rift sawn oak perhaps, but not really cerused. I have an old art cabinet with oak veneer that looks pretty much like that.

So just curious if natural cherry and white work together. Wood floors, probably oak.

Yep, they all work together beautifully.

Birch is very nice in its natural state. Birch cabs

My cabs are birch, with a medium stain.

Keep in mind that natural wood will color shift over time.

Scherr's has some information on this.

https://www.scherrs.com/contents/en-us/d53_ColorShift.html

What don't you like about maple? I did it in a kitchen 25 years ago and it still looked great when we sold the place a few months ago.

I love natural cherry, which I chose for my current kitchen. It is red, and darkens over time.

Have you worked out your budget? As noted above, some wood gets very pricey, so it may be worth getting estimates before you fall in love with something too expensive.

I think latifolia is right to think about pricing, but also some of the pricing may be a surprise. Cherry, for instance, has come down in price recently. Natural cherry is often much lighter than what you showed in your original post, OP, and should work with the white you’re wanting.

Muriel Thompson, when I fall in love with cherry it tends to be in its pre-darkened coloring, so I'm just looking at redder pix guessing it will head that way (?). If it would stay lighter and browner I know I would love it. For instance, these photos, PERFECT:

But this worries me...

Do you think the first two photos I just posted are representative of the final state of cherry? I figure these photos might be taken during/soon after installation :}

I also see plenty like my OP image and this below (labeled as natural cherry) that make me think I should be prepared for darker and redder:

Latifolia, don't know why exactly...just consistently don't prefer maple. Not going for IKEA wood color I guess. The quartersawn oak has some appeal as the kitchen is going in a new addition to a 1940 home that is filled with quartersawn oak floors and paneled doors. But it's darker/ambered from oil-based finishes.

Celadon, I did not think the first oak pic I posted looked cerused but I could be wrong of course. That would definitely be outside budget. Barker cabs does a quartersawn white oak we could afford, which is the only place I'm considering it and also why I'm leaning toward cherry which is more generally available. But red...

RedRyder, thank you, of course I prefer image 1 too :) Can I clarify what you meant though? Did you mean that going to cherry would move it more formal and it's *only* the 1st oak picture that you think will lend the timeless casual? I wasn't absolutely sure if you meant I could do it in cherry as the kitchen is styled in image 1 and like it as well, or if you were recommending against the cherry for my goals.

Unstained cherry will look nice, unless it darkens as it tends to do. I have 30 cherry furniture that never got red, but I wonder if the heat of a kitchen makes that evolution happen more quickly (?) My friends just redid their kitchen in a very “driftwood” looking wood that is more like your first photo. I will ask them what wood it actually is. They bought a soft ivory quartz countertop with very light black and caramel veining. It’s called Oxford and I never saw it before. I will try to get a photo from her too.

darbuka, thanks for the rethink on birch. I was considering red birch (what we'd have a choice of) at one point, but then in the actual store saw the birch side by side of the cherry and just loved the cherry. But maybe I should reconsider as it won't darken/redden as much. Leftmost: red birch, middle: cherry, right: alder (out of the running for softness). This cherry sample I loved. But it didn't look very red. Maybe it has yet to darken or are different cherry choices from different companies going to vary much in color??.

This shot of Barker cabinets in natural cherry (company we're considering along with Ultracraft above)...Orange/red eek!! You can see why this shot scares me. Can't be just lighting.

Another concerning orange/red Barker cherry picture here...you can see why I'm lost between the top picture I like and these two I don't as much. All just clearcoat, no stain. Can it be lighting, or does one company use a different cherry variety than another potentially?

RedRyder, that would be amazing to get that info and a photo! I'd be obliged!! TY.

You'll never get the look of the inspiration kitchen with cherry - you just won't. White looks great with cherry - I have it in my 25 year old kitchen that's getting ripped out. It darkens and turns orange over time. I'd never do it again.

I asked my friends about their cabinets. They are cappuccino washed cherry. They are brighter than these photos show. On a bright day they have a soft “driftwood” appearance. I know they were not a very expensive cabinet. But they look amazing.

You can see their countertop is a white quartz but these photos don’t do it justice.

RedRyder, thank you! Interesting! I think I just saw that newly offered finish go by on a news release from Schuyler cabinets (sp?). Must be bleached somehow. Thanks for the info.

I just saw these at Lowe’s that I loved. Cherry with the cappuccino finish.

Yes, those are definitely similar to the ones in my friend’s house. In the right light, they look really soft and amazing.

I'd be careful with those. The finish on that door looks uneven to me. Usually the sample is nice looking, so if this is the sample, I'd bet the ones you get would be worse.

They looked very nice in person, but they were pretty scratched up to be newer.

Thank you for posting this thread. We are looking to go with a similar look in our kitchen.

Cherry wood comes in deep red and shockingly white, all from the same tree. So cabinet doors can have a striped appearance unless the wood is carefully selected. You may have to go to high end doors to get a uniform appearance. And it all darkens over time.

That’s beautiful so I guess you don’t really have any input for me about my dilemma then ?

It’s beautiful. I hope you got the look you were aiming for.

For me wood cabinets with wood flooring is simply too much of a good thing. Your kitchen looks good but would definitely suggested a non-wood floor - perhaps a hex tile or a classic white tile with black accents.

I agree. It was function over form. One of the things I knew wasn't ideal. There's a rug now, which helps a bit. It is a great room with a living room on the other side, but it didn't work well to tile one side and not the other because of the relatively wide and shallow shape of the great room. If it had been longer, there would have been the possibility of tile on the kitchen side only. We're happy enough, but I do agree! Caused me lots of angst worrying about the log cabin :}

Beautiful kitchen.

Very classic kitchen. I like the wood.