Which kitchen to go for maple or light oak? Opinions please

becs

Both are lovely but do agree with maple being a bit yesterday. I had maple in old kitchen 10 years ago. We did the kitchen in our new house last year in oak.

Meepster

The advantage of oak is that you can easily get other colours to match. As it is quite a neutral wood, even other wood colours go with it.

With maple, you can have a few problems with colour choices, especially if you are planning to put more wood in there...

Edinburghlass_2

sec79 wrote: »

I was going to go for dark matt worktop (gloss ones scratch too easily). Instead of having splashbacks, what would you suggest I go for (in terms of what goes on the walls and behind the hob). Cheers

I put a picture up in your other thread about glass splashbacks...

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=23905343&postcount=8

My kitchen had been dark and what I will say is when the wall cupboards along one wall were removed (where the splashback is now) it instantly became much brighter and I was pleased to have already decided not to replace those wall cupboards. I did put up some on the opposite wall which was a dark corner anyway with some lights underneath so come the winter time the lights will brighten up that particular corner.

Treacle44

I like the oak much better. x

sec79

Hi all
I'm really stressing about this whole kitchen look, and do apologise for hogging this bit of the forum......
I have now got my broadoak light sample and it is darker than I thought it would be. I feel now I am back to square one. I need to get my order in by close of play Friday before the prices go up, and to top it all off I'm away on a course with work Monday, not back nutil late Wednesday evening.
I just don't know which one to go for? I have seen both style in a showroom, but as they had a totally different worktop and floor tiles to what I'm going for (dark worktop and floor mid grey tiles) I still couldn't picture how it would all look.
I know it sounds daft but I'm sat in tears here due to all the stress. Arrgh. I don't want to spend a lot of money for me not to end up liking it.

rachbc

ultimately you have to go with what you like best if its for your home to live in not an 'investment' property, as long as its nothing too modish like purple gloss I'm sure you will be more than happy with it 5 years down line.

I'd decided on shaker style doors from the very start but when it actually came to the crunch I ended up with slab doors and I love them

Barneysmom

I think the oak one is beautiful, I want it :cool:

premkit

in 20 years fitting kitchens, oak and white has always been the most popular.
all the colours have come and gone and changed profile, the black,red and other bold colours are here for a few more years then the next will take over.

one other point, choose a good worktop. resipol,durapal,axiom. if they dont know who makes the top,or its there own, get the top somewhere else.

sec79

Hi
Originally I had wanted Birch, as it is a pale wood and I think this would make my small kitchen look light and airy, compared to the oak. I do like some oak, but the sample is just too dark I feel for my kitchen.
My current kitchen has pale colour doors (slab) but its been badly fitted (bits falling off), is of poor quality and nothing the original owners picked for the kitchen goes. I've always liked my kitchen doors but nothing else in there!

I just want it to appeal to other people, if I end up moving in a couple of years. £4k on a kitchen is a lot of money for me. I'm not going retro. I have decided on tbar handles, and the dark work top and tiles, with pale tiles will make it look modern I think - dress it up a bit. Painting the walls a pale colour will also help make it look lighter too?

I will get a good worktop yes, but thanks for the helpful comment. I'm egoing to get one of the named ones - ie Axiom, Omega or Duropral.

andrew-b

I'm a fan of light oak too..goes with more things i feel and not as likely to go in and out of fashion plus you have lots of options on colours.
Here's a couple of pics of our Wickes Canterbury style kitchen:



The room used to be quite a dark room before we renovated it and like you our concern was it was going to be too dark..we needn't have worried. I think the orange colour on the walls helps along with chrome and white surfaces to bounce light around a bit. For nightime lighting point of view there's a 4 GU10 spot light fitting with 50degree wide angle bulbs and small strip lights hidden beneath the wall units as well as a light in the cooker hood if we open it.

Andy