Wood kitchen cabinets: from light oak to dark walnut
Posted on 22nd February 2025
The love for natural materials and organic finishes is at an all-time high, and wood is taking centre stage in kitchen design.
It’s hard to ignore the ‘naked’ wooden kitchen trend at the moment. And for very good reason; “Wood is being embraced in the home and in the kitchen more than ever before. From cabinet fronts to accent details, homeowners are steering towards a lighter, more refined look with wood,” says Alex Main, director of The Main Company.
“Part of the desire to create a more natural-looking space, we have found that this elegant, more refined approach to incorporating wood is following through into other areas of the home, such as in joinery in adjacent rooms as well as across walls and floors.”
Richard Moore, creative director at Martin Moore agrees and says, “We have recently seen a desire for natural timber; not the strong, stained oaks popular in the 1980s, but a more restrained, elegant aesthetic.”
So, are you ready to get inspired? Scroll down to explore charming wood kitchen cabinets…
Inspiration gallery
Make your wood kitchen cabinets stand out with white, veiny stone surfaces. Medicea Quartz, from £500 per sq m, Cullifords.Achieve a clean, minimalist kitchen with maple faced plywood doors, Life of Ply. Pale oak and painted oak cabinets combine with patinated brass accents and Statuario marble in this luxurious kitchen design. Ledbury Studio kitchens start from £70,000.Make a feature out of your breakfast cupboard or pantry by choosing a contrasting wood finish for this unit. Kitchen by LochAnna Kitchens.H-Line Madoc range in Henley Oak, H-Line Sutton range in Highland Stone, and brass handle rail, all by Masterclass Kitchens.Kitchen design featuring cabinetry in Dark Walnut and matte lacquered Off-Black by Farrow & Ball, with 20mm Caesarstone Primordia quartz composite worktops. Roundhouse kitchens start at £35,000. Minimalist sophistication meets natural warmth in this sleek design by Sola Kitchens. The cabinetry showcases the brand’s oak Sletten signature style, spray-painted in bold black, paired with matt lacquer walnut veneer cabinetry for a striking contrast.Add a warm, inviting feeling to your kitchen-diner with a mix of light and dark wood finishes. Smala Walnut range by Rotpunkt.Achieve an eclectic design with woods in different finishes and colours. Papilio Kitchen with Joseph Giles Hurleigh cabinet handle and cabinet pull.Reclaimed tiles, Bert & May – for a similar effect, try the brand’s Bucle reclaimed tiles, £203.40 per sq m.Balance out your darker wood kitchen cabinets with light worksurfaces and flooring. Handmade oak kitchen cabinetry, Olive & Barr, from £12,500.
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