Do I need to have all doors and skirting same wood as kitchen???

L

laneybaby555

Guest
Hi, this is my first time asking a question on this fine service so bear with me. Myself and fiance are in the middle of a new build and are thinking of putting in a lovely walnut kitchen. We are getting it made locally and are just in the planning stages at the moment (we havent got the quote yet....and that will tell a tale!). My quandry is, as a solid walnut kitchen is going to cost an arm and a leg (im fairly sure it will, maybe someone can help here too) I just want to know what my options are with doors, architrave and skirting. If Im to go with walnut here too its going to be very expensive indeed. Are there any alternatives that are pleasing on the eye or will we have to bite the bullet and have an in for a penny in for a pound approach?

The kitchen itself looking at the plans is 3043 x 4300 (approx) and is a pretty standard, wall, top wall, far side shape with two large windows.

I'd be really grateful for any opinions on this,

thanks

Laneybaby555
 
When you say
... a solid walnut kitchen ...
Click to expand...
do you mean carcasses as well as doors?

Personally, I'd find cabinets, doors, skirting (kitchen window pelmets?) and architraves all the same colour pretty boring, not to mention that walnut is a dark wood (only ebony is darker AFAIK), great for details or features IMHO, but I'm not sure I could live with acres of it, day in day out, in my main space; I think it would be positively funereal.

Walnut tends to darken over time with exposure to sunlight (like cherry and other hard-woods) and you may not be happy with a graded effect where there is little or no sunlight, having spent the national debt on a kitchen.

If you put in walnut doors (room doors) have you considered that doors have two sides, one in your kitchen and one in another space, do you plan on matching the skirting and architraves with this side of the door as well?
 
We are getting a Walnut kitchen and we are putting in wallnut doors. To offset all this dark, light absorbing wood we are using stone for the skirting and floors and pine windows.

BTW - Kitchen is 646 x 430 with a Island and solid walnut doors and solid wood worktops is €7.5k in in house kitchens with fancy pull out cuboards and integrated bins and other fancy attachments. We are still waiting for other quotes to come in.
 
Krissovo,

The pine sounds really good actually. We are putting a high-sheen cream tile in the kitchen and as the dining area is open off the kitchen we're thinking of going with oak flooring, this way we can get away with just keeping the bigger space lighter in colour.

Personally, I'd find cabinets, doors, skirting (kitchen window pelmets?) and architraves all the same colour pretty boring, not to mention that walnut is a dark wood (only ebony is darker AFAIK), great for details or features IMHO, but I'm not sure I could live with acres of it, day in day out, in my main space; I think it would be positively funereal
Click to expand...

I know what your saying, Mathepac, but with the two large windows, a patio door and double half glass doors into the formal dining area it wont really look that dark. I will bear it in mind tho. We have another kitchen in mind from the same place which is in major contrast! A pine with walnut inserts (you just cant keep me away from my walnut :D) Which, with what your saying I definitely will consider more. In fact the OH is gunning for this one. He's a furniture maker and antique furniture restorer by trade so I guess I should listen to his ideas on the wood and overall effect a bit more too :rolleyes:.

To answer your question on the cabinets Mathepac, TBH, Im not entirely sure as we have basically had a look in the showroom and handed in our plans, and told them to price both. It was a Saturday after lunch so the only one there was a guy just finishing off for the day. We have to go back in next week to discuss the technicalities in great detail with the owner.

As for both sides of the door, that exactly what bothers me about the walnut! I dont really want walnut going into the hall with an oak stairs, so we'll really have to look at options there. Krissovo, what kind of stairs do you have assuming you have walnut doors in the hall. 7.5k sounds really excellent TBH. We're planning cream marble worktops. National debt.......absolutely.

Krissovo, let me know what other quotes you get and il do the same.

Thanks guys, you've been a great help. Any other idea's or opinions most welcome!!
 
You should take a look at channel 4's web site [broken link removed]
they have so many home DIY shows each with its own page and some great design tips. 'The home show' is a good one to take a look at.
 
Our stairs are concrete and "contempory" In that there is no banister rail but a wall and a stainless steel handrail. We may use solid walnut on the stairs but if there is enough money left then it may be stone as well.
 
Oh the same kitchen in Ikea with their dark wood fronts including top of the range appliances (American fridge, induction hobs, twin oven, seperate cabinate freezer, dishwasher) was only €7.2k.
 
what about painting your doorframes,arks,skirting white with your doors walnut with crome handles,locks,hinge, would look very well
 
Hi all,

Krissovo, that stairs sounds really nice, very modern. A factory from home does a lot of similar sounding stuff. That kitchen in Ikea sounds ridiculously cheap when you think that the appliances are included. I have a mental block when it comes to buying the likes of a kitchen from any Ikea/Homebase/B&Q type outlets. They may be fantastic value but I always have the little voice saying "if you think its too good to be true....."

The Chippie, I agree complately and we have thought about painting too. I imagine it would look really nice but my main problem is that I have three doors from the kitchen. The door to the utility is ok as its only into utility and the downstairs toilet. But the door to the hallway bothers me as this will have to compliment what will probably be an oak stairs. Then the double doors (top probably stained glass) from the informal dining area in the open plan kitchen into the formal dining area. There are another set of double doors from this formal dining area into the main sitting room. And there in lies my problem, how to keep the walnut restricted to the kitchen when each room flows into the next? Has anyone seen clear varnished doors with a dark wood such as walnut before and how did it look?
 
hello, Personally i would paint the skirting and architrave eggshell white, go with the walnut doors. In the hallway the architrave and skirting act as a break so the oak staircase wont look out of place. The eggshell white finish creates a really elegant look and should compliment your tile in the kitchen nicely.
 
Hi nediaaa,

That sounds interesting, and indeed it would tie in well with the tiles. Thanks for that.
 
We are having the same dilema laneybaby.

We are having cream kitchen but want to have walnut doors.
can't decide whether to go with walnut skirting and architrave too. will be very expensive if we do.
We also had pretty much decided on oak stairs and now that prob wont fit in?
So much to decide...
 
I agree Bondgirl, it could look dark, but my main concern is still the doors and architrave especially since I'll have so many doors in the one open-plan area.....then as poor Markel theres the oak stairs debate..... Im starting to think, maybe the Oak with walnut inserts and black granite might be just the job.

By the way guys, I got a 3D image thingy for the walnut kitchen done from the dimensions on my plans, from the kitchen guy. It does look the business but then, the light factor isnt taken into account, and he has white painted doors in the drawing.
I have quotes for both kitchens as well as a seperate quote for the granite work top from the same guy. If anyone is interested in looking at the 3D pics of the kitchen and the quotes for same (anyone in the same situation might want to have a ballpark figure in mind), please PM me and il get send them on to you if you wish.

Does anyone know where to go for a good oak stairs in the Midlands? I dont want to break the bank on this one if I can help it. Ive just got over the shock of the ESB connection fee........
 
hello there !
have you though about the door between the kitchen / hall being full glass with just walnut frame...... put a blind on the other side so that at night you can close it off...... then you will have lots more light into the kitchen !!!!
b
 
We will have walnut floors in the l/room and the sun room - polished porcelain tiles running through from hallway into kitchen and dining area (both open plan to the sun room area).
We will have walnut doors (solid for bedrooms but with glass panels for all reception rooms, something blob mentioned) , and most likely a walnut open tread stairs coming down onto the porcelain tiles in the hallway.
It won't be too dark as the upright part of stairs will be mostly glass with walnut wooden supports, so lots of light flowing around the landing and hallway.

With all that walnut in the house, we decided that we are going to have white, painted skirting and architraves throughout the house. As we will be painting, we will jsut get a cheap wood (e.g. red deal) and paint it....no point spending money on walnut and then painting over it.

I've seen the walnut doors and white architraves/skirting in lots of magazines and I've always liked it.

HTH!
 
Jewel, did you go with the plan you outlined last August? If so, how does it look and would you be able to post some pictures? Its similar to what we are planning (and need to make a decision on pronto!) - walnut doors with white painted architrave and skirting. I'm just a bit nervous as I've never seen any pictures of this - well that may be a lie, I probably have but never took any notice before!
 
Brother mixed walnut with ash, has oak doors skirting window boards etc. He built the kitchen himself but I do find the full walnut unit he has housing the black american fridge very dark and combined with black granite all over really dark. the ash wood is lovely.
 
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