So this look can work, however, if you go that route used a professional kitchen designer. If done cheaply, it just ends up looking like someone did a poor paint job and forgot to do the last coat.

Personally, I don't love the look. It reads a little 90's and cheap. If you're spending the money on wood cabinets why not enjoy the beautiful warmth wood cabinets bring to a room.

Birch, maple, and pine, ambers over time. You won’t see that on a fresh sample. You will hate that on a 3 year old sample.

Natural birch? Sure. That’s been used since the 40’s. It’s a great look.

Dont try to make wood look like something it isn’t. It isn’t a long term successful look.

Interesting. Thank you both for your comments. We actually don't like when it's stained with only 1 coat, but when you add a second coat it seems much whiter. Thoughts?

It will still amber and turn yellow. Just get laminate if you don’t want wood to look and act like wood.

Why not do birch lowers and white uppers? It will be a more updated take on the look. Because it sounds like you want white but with some warmth, which this combo would provide.

Birch is more of a paint grade wood, not a very interesting wood grain, somewhat featureless, but if you like it, its fine.

we think we like it better than stark white painted cabinets

What about painted cabinets in a warmer (vs. stark) white?

I am wondering the same thing. I've seen samples of white stained birch wood, but not a completed kitchen. I am trying to compromise with my husband. I've always wanted all white cabinets and he wants light wood where he can see the grain... So, we have agreed to staining the birch wood white, the best of both worlds, I guess. However, he stated that over time it will yellow from the tannic acid, which is something I do not want. We have found that it is better to go with a water based stain over an oil based stain. Does anyone have any experience on white stained/white washed cabinets AND is stained better than whitewashed and water based better than oil based? Thanks in advance.

Well, I've done a 360... We're going to do Birch wood stained with Minwax Water Based simi-transparent Special Walnut, Whit counter tops. Saw a Pic on Houzz with this look and we both like it. It will go better with our dark-ish floors too.

WAIT A MINUTE!! Doing a 360 means you are going back to the same direction you were going! I do not think you are saying what your think you are thinking or saying.

LOL! I am saying what I know I'm saying. In the very beginning we were going to do black walnut cabinets up against a white kitchen, then one day I visited a showroom where the kitchen was all white and I fell in love with it. So much so, I went and bought and painted the bathroom cabinets white and LOVE IT! My hubs is ok with it. Then we saw a white kitchen where the people didn't quite take care of them, for lack of better words and my hubs was convinced that was going to be a problem later on down the road, so we started looking at options for a lighter wood, but I do not like the yellowish color. Well, hubs still wanted to see the grain of the wood, which I was ok with, but looked at pics and over time the tannic acid yellowed through the white, maybe because it was not properly done, so I said forget it, let just stain them with the Minwax Gunstock or Simply walnut water based stain, seal it and be done with it. I don't want to talk about it anymore, my mind is made up and that is that. As long as we can have white countertops and backsplash. So, now its a done deal. 360, full circle...whatever you want to call it. My mind is made up. I might also add, we are getting ready to build a house and he is building aallll the cabinets, which he's very good I might add, so there we go, lol. Also, I'm doing tests (again) this weekend to see which dark stain suites my fancy, I'm thinking it's going to be the Simply Walnut. I found some three year old stained birch that has seem to hold up quite well. The mahogany stained birch that I stained has turned a more reddish color than I like, so again... 360. ;)

Birch does not like being stained dark. You will get blotches. If you want dark cabinets, then choose a wood more suited to accepting a dark stain. Red oak, white oak, cherry, and walnut, all accept dark stains beautifully. The cheapest is obviously red oak. But white oak and walnut are on up there in costs.

@Minardi Birch is what I can afford, I’ve done a lot of testing and have found that when I use a wood conditioner then the semitransparent water based Special Walnut stain by Minwax, it turned out nice. What I have found is that if you do not let it sit and then wipe it down, let that coat dry and do the same thing with the second coat it looks nice. You just have to work fast and it is more cost effective than the other woods. Although my dream is to have black walnut cabinets, I have to go with what I can afford.

You do not get professional level finishing results with minwax and conditioners. No cabinet shop or any type of pro uses any of that. It's horrible quality DIY level junk. If you want professional level actually even results, you will learn to tone. You will need to spray everything anyway if you are taking that on your shoulders. It's the only way to get an even and durable end result.

Here's a guy who makes furniture out of trees he has built a mill to process.