I recently spoke to the KD I used 2 years ago and he mentioned that he was amazed that Oak was back! But it isn't your 80's oak look. Pretty much everything he has done the last 8 years is white or gray in the trendy LA towns.

I did stained wood in my kitchen because it fits the style of the house and I matched some mid tone wood beams that are throughout the house. I think most would have a hard time dating my kitchen to a particular trend or year, which is what I was trying to achieve.

I was first thinking about white for our new kitchen but saw so much great wood cabinetry I switched to a really lovely walnut. In a slab front cabinet with white counters it's modern and bright, but also very warm and cozy.

@darbuka your kitchen is really lovely!

Nothing too dark or too light. Ashy undertones instead of yellow, but not too grey.

The wood cabinets I see today are all very high end, using truly beautiful wood. By the time it gets down to the mass market/big box stores, it will not be. We'll be right back to cheap wood and it will look very different. If budget is part of the decision, a good painted cabinet will be best.

Went to check out some furniture in person the other day that looked pretty in an ad & was chagrined to find out it had an oak grain undertone. It was painted furniture, maybe oak veneers I’m guessing, & intentionally painted to highlight the oak grain. National retailer that sells to the masses, so if it’s already made its way to the stores of suburbia, guess so.

I did dark walnut stain on original oak floors and love it.

Thank you, Barb! We love it! The wood with our soapstone counters, give us pleasure every day.

This is my wood kitchens idea book. Some are very new, others are older, refreshed kitchens:

https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/75202366/list/wood-kitchens

Keep in mind that whatever is new today will be old tomorrow - how marketing keeps people buying new stuff. If you are building new or remodeling, look for what style of kitchen you love and also fits the style of your home. The kitchens I love the best avoid cookie cutter style and have good bones but leave enough flair to reflect the owners style.

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