I agree. First, go with what you love. And then, your choices sound pretty timeless. My parents put in dark slab cabinets and a white countertop in their house in the 70's, changed out the counter top once, and I think if it was changed out to stone tomorrow, the rest of the kitchen would look fine.

The subway tile backsplash is a bit trendy -- that is I think it will date the kitchen as to when it was done -- but it is a pretty safe bet for a good long time yet.

Enjoy! and get what you want!

Suz

Slab isn't necessarily "modern". It's classic. Standard. Normal. Same as Shaker. They're probably the two most used across the U.S. for the last 100 years. Your color scheme is also classic. And not too trendy.

Go for it!

You asked about trendy... This is what I think.

Espresso stained wood was cutting edge in modern design 10 to 15 years ago. Stained wenge was very cool and new at that time. I remember seeing a house in a magazine with wenge for the first time about then and thinking that it was the coolest and most unique house ever! Go look at some modern decorating magazines from 10 years ago. Dark wenge were considered quite new and different at the time.

It has now become too mainstream and is not considered cuttting edge modern design any more. Dark expensive wenge looks not that different from cheap oak veneer stained.... Dwell and Metropolitan Home are some mainsream modern design magazines that are easy to access.

I see expensive wood showing their grains in modern designs more right now rather than espresso stains. Teak and Walnut are the "IN" grains for veneer. Sapele is another popular expensive choice for veneer slab in modern design. Just like cherry had its heyday in traditional design 10 to 15 years ago, modern design also has its "current" trends.

Maple veneer (birds eye maple was quite expensive and very "in" at the time; who does that now!)was very popular in the late 80s and through the 90s in modern design. Then people got tired of light wood and design trend got supplanted by espresso stain or "wenge" in the late 90s and early 2000s. Now it is transitioning to exotic veneer in modern design.

White laminate (ie lacquered or shapes and design of the kitchen extremely well done) is always "in" with modern design..... (just like painted white cabinets in traditional design)

Espresso stain is not at the beginning of the trend but at the middle or the end of the trend right now. If you want longevity because you want your kitchen to look in for a long time, I would not do espresso stain right now. I would spend some money and get unstained walnut or teak. Or go look at grains of wood you love, ie sapele, ribbon mahagony, zerbra wood etc.

If you want longevity with your design, you have to be able to spot a trend at the beginning of a trend rather than at the middle or the end of a trend. If you really like something because you like it not because you see it alot everywhere you go, then follow what you like. But also be prepared and know that it will be outdated sooner than later. (which will be okay with you since you "like" it.)

Those people that put in paneled oak cabinets in the late 90s or even early 2000s are living with something that is long passe.... If you like oak, then it is fine. If you wanted to have an "in" kitchen, then you would have been out of luck very quickly.

I am not sure what your objective is here: kitchen that looks "in/edgy" versus a kitchen that you really "like" because you like dark stained wood....

My point of view on this is that we cannot predict the future. There are too many imponderable influences on style. It is more important to make choices that suit you and your family and seem balanced and generally pleasing. Other than doing a kitchen in totally out-of-style fashion to begin with, I don't see how you have any chance of being "in style" at any point in the future. Styles tend to be reactionary against things that came before, so anything that is in style today is likely to be on its way out in five years and quite definitely out of fashion in ten.

My mother's walnut cabinets from the 1960's must be spot on trendy nowadays, then. Kitchen trends come in and out. Dark stain is not itself a trend. In my opinion, Shaker is more of a trend than "dark" and I think the slab you like will be the better option for longevity with the color scheme you've chosen.

The important thing is to design for your space and your aesthetics, and to confidently do it all the way rather than second guessing and compromising. If your kitchen is gorgeous it'll remain gorgeous, no matter what.

I tried to not period date my new kitchen too much but no matter what there will be some elements that changes.

I chose traditional style cabernet cherry cabinets with a black glaze, a stainless steel farm sink and appliances, including a 36" DCS range.

I haven't chosen the granite or backsplash yet but I am leaning toward black galaxy granite on the counters, something exotic on the island and a stacked light colored travertine backsplash with some glass tile "bling" ....but that's my choice today. I will probably change my mind in a few days.

The element I am most worried about going out of style is the euro style stainless steel vent hood. This was my husband's choice and since I got most everything else my way, I thought I needed to give in on this one. My choice would have been a hearth concealed vent. We have a bet on which one becomes passe' first.

I put dark cherry cabinets in my kitchen 32 years ago. They are still beautiful and my house is for sale. I'm told that almost everyone runs their hands over those cabinets when they see them because they have a lovely glow to them. I put them in because I liked them; I still like them. They've been in and out of fashion & are now back in.

The early 60's kitchen that I will be replacing has slab doors and (until they died) stainless appliances. The cabinet doors still look great, unfortunatly the floor plan doesn't work.

I disagree with Zazutoo about the white subway tiles. As long as you are planning something of a standard size, I think the look is timeless. It's a style that has been around for many decades and still looks classic no matter what the kitchen vintage. Yes, you see it everywhere right now, but I don't think it that means it will look dated in five years. (Hope that makes sense! ;))

According to my favourite colour consultant, expresso cabinets are on about year 7 of a typical 10 year trend cycle. Doesn't mean you can't love it, but it may date you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen trend blog article

Honestly, remodeling with resale in mind is so difficult! You have no idea what the person walking into your house will think. Maybe the person's dream kitchen is all white. In that case, neither of your choices would be the most pleasing. However, most people who have a dream kitchen in mind will remodel so they can execute that vision.

I have shopped for many a home and really want to stress that a clean, well designed kitchen--was what I was looking for. Most people buying a used home with a brand new kitchen will be happy with what you do.

Lot's of good advice here. First, you have to go with what you love and makes you happy in your kitchen. Second, I do think that you have to be guided by the style of your house. Just as one example, I have a friend who just put "espresso" cabinets in her 1925 craftsman house. The finish is very trendy and I feared that it would look dated very quickly. But in fact, the espresso finish matches the very dark drim in the rest of her house. Her cabinet finish may look trendy, but she chose a very traditional Crownpoint inset cabinet. So the kitchen blends modern and traditional craftsman so gracefully that it is never going to look out of date.

In general, agree with kaismom's and willis13's posts: very dark finishes are starting to look overdone to me. Midtones are starting to look fresh again.

But if 1) you love it 2) it works with the rest of your house aesthetically and 3) you balance the finish of the cabinets with other elements, I would say "go for it".

As for subway tiles (which I love), I think they are a safe choice and will continue to read traditional/classic (yet a little hip/retro/utilitarian) for years to come. They certainly won't look dated in most houses built in 1900 to 1930s or with that vibe. But I can imagine a few contexts in which they might look dated ten years from now if they aren't in dialog with some other elements in the kitchen in a way that makes sense.

My in-laws had a walnut kitchen in 1960s. Although floor, ceiling, and countertops were beige-white and appliances were stainless steel, it was a very dark place to work. On an overcast day, it was demoralizing. At the very least, get a happy accent color.

If either slab or shaker work with your decor then I would choose a slab door. I had them in the kitchen I took out and put in shakers because it fit the era of my house better. I was not prepared for the dust that shows with a shaker door! Slabs are a lot easier to clean and don't collect the dust as easily. My vote is for less housekeeping.