Year after year, the top cabinet finish we most frequently design with is white. White is tried and true, and it’s always a safe bet. But, as of lately, walnut has become increasingly popular and is one of the most asked about materials to use in a kitchen! Walnut is such so versatile as there are several ways to incorporate this trending material. For example, how about a feature walnut hood? Or what about drawers constructed out of walnut? Want to learn more about this gorgeous and trending material? Learn more below:

Walnut Wood Doors

A few of the cabinetry lines we carry have a walnut wood option. For instance, Elmwood from Cabico has a flat cut black walnut available on most of their 150 door styles with various stain options. They also have a quarter cut walnut option for their slab veneer doors (learn more about the Elmwood cabinetry line here). In addition to Elmwood, another one of our lines, Ultracraft, recently came out with two walnut door styles. These include a veneer slab and a 5-piece shaker, both in a natural finish as seen in the photo below:

Interior Options

Elmwood also has the option for a walnut interior and walnut drawer boxes (see the photo below with the walnut drawer). You can add this on most orders, regardless of cabinet construction style, door color/material, or other options. Ultracraft, along with their two new walnut door styles, also recently added walnut drawer boxes as well as matching interior fittings from their “Fineline” collection. This is a gorgeous way to incorporate walnut if you ask us!

Below are a couple of stunning customized pantries from Elmwood where walnut wood was combined with polished stainless doors to create truly unique pieces. In the bottom sections of the pantries, we incorporated the walnut wood interior finish and walnut drawer boxes, for some added fun!

Walnut Wood Look-A-Likes

If we’re going to be completely honest, as good as it looks, walnut wood can be expensive. This has lead to many manufacturers providing different options that look like walnut. For example, melamine, PET or other sheet goods, and engineered veneers are materials that have great look-a-like options. These we can find these in most of our cabinet lines such as Kitchencraft, Ultracraft, and WW Woods. Elmwood also has a plethora of different walnut look-a-likes, as seen below. Check out the bottom left (Natural High Relief Walnut) – it’s an extremely textured “relief” walnut that looks so cool in many settings, even if it’s just an accent piece! Plus, the top two right options (Dark Walnut Faux Wood Melamine and Diamond Gloss, and High Gloss PET Walnut) showcase some walnut looks in a glossy finish, which you can’t always get in semi-custom cabinet lines. What a statement!

What’s Right for You?

Regardless of what option you may choose, real or look-a-like, walnut wood is becoming a more and more requested item. Although walnut has been around for a while, we think this “trend” is here to stay. Walnut is recognizable, it’s beautiful, and it’s a rich-looking material for any kitchen space. Want to see more walnut? We featured a recent project where combined white cabinets with walnut cabinets – and the client even incorporated walnut in their counters! Check out that feature here, and see the teaser below:

Would you use walnut wood in your kitchen? If so, how would you use it? We hope we’ve inspired you with some great ideas to start with!

Want to learn more about our other topics? Then check out The High Cost of a Bathroom Remodel and Why Does A Kitchen Remodel Take So Long?