I like the way maple and walnut look together! In my last house my hubby designed and built our kitchen cabinetry. We had painted (white) maple cabinets that were left their natural color on the inside of the cabinetry. We also had a solid walnut island countertop and walnut surround on our exhaust vent hood, so a substantial amount of walnut that we treated with Waterlox to seal it. But I always loved the way the insides of my cabinets complemented the walnut! The yellowish looking heartwood for the walnut looked excellent, in my opinion, with the yellow maple. (I had treated the maple with a clear shellac) It was a very warm combination that I adored!

Reminds me of this butcher block cutting board. I wouldn’t, but you do you.

Keep in mind your maple will yellow over time with exposure to uv light. The walnut will as well, but its darker color tends to look richer, more golden, whereas the yellowing of the maple is often seen as a defect.

Maple/walnut/ cherry is the holy trinity of american hardwoods, I think they look great in any combination, and continue to do so as they change over time. Maple will yellow with time while walnut, unless it has been dyed, will lighten substantially with exposure to light. Cherry can darken very dramatically with similar exposure. It's all part of the fun of working with natural materials.

In general, I have a thought that wood goes with wood. I have an open concept plan house with a maple kitchen, oak floors, oak railings and banister, cherry butlers pantry cabs and fireplace built ins, stained pine trip and I thnk it all works and has changed over time (27 years)

I don't like it either. In the example photo it looks like the uppers and fridge are unfinished, like they ran out of money to pay the painter to come back and paint them white!

I love walnut. I love maple. I’m with chispa this particular kitchen looks unfinished. Maple floors with walnut cabs all day long.

The challenge is finding a light hardwood for cabinets that isn't yellow. No problem for flooring. European Oak is everywhere from Asian producers. Where are the matching cabinets? NA white oak, different species, has open grain that has to be filled or cut rift/quartered. Spanish and Italian sources or IKEA are the choices.

I don’t think contesting uppers and lowers look good in nearly any context. It’s quite trendy, or at least was, and it’s chaotic to the eye. If it must be done, I’d use paint for one. Walnut and maple DO go together, it’s all about context. Walnut counters on a maple floor would look fabulous.

That's a nope on that being a good combo, as shown. What isn't being shown is the near future look where the maple is darkened yellow, and the walnut is faded orangey.

Not sure but id pass on it. my eyes are all onto that maple because its lght and subtle….quite nice really. but it will change and then the point of the special walnut choice is missed. stick w light painted uppers w your walnut.

Let’s be a bit more specific… Maple and Walnut are one of the more celebrated combinations when one is used to highlight the other. Maple inlay on Walnut furniture is striking and often gorgeous and vice versa works just as well. Actually I made my desk with a Maple inlay.

Since that works so well, people have attempted to just combine them in “bigger” ways to create even more striking pieces. In my opinion it just doesn’t work. Big hunks of Walnut and Maple next to each other just goes from visually appealing to oddly incongruous.