Kitchen Cabinets Reviewed

Bamboo kitchen cabinets are becoming popular as a way to use more sustainable wood products for the kitchen. Bamboo is technically considered a grass, and is very fast growing. It can be harvested after just 5 or 6 years.

Even though it's a grass, bamboo is sometimes call "green steel" because of its strength. It is harder than many traditional hardwoods, and has exceptional dimensional stability, so bamboo cabinets will keep functional and strong for many years.

It's also attractive, normally it's a lighter wood, but can be stained to many different finishes.

The major vendors for bamboo kitchen cabinets used to be located only in California, such as Laguna Cabinets and AlterEco company, but in the last few years there have been companies like Mr Bamboo that have developed a retail presence in most of the major cities in the US.

Black kitchen cabinets can be very effective in many settings. Black cabinets are best used in contrast to other elements in the kitchen. Most often this is used to create a black on white setting, where the tile may be either white or some black and white pattern like a checkerboard. The same effect can be used for the backsplash or wall tile. White countertops can be very interesting with black kitchen cabinets as well.

Another way to use black kitchen cabinets is an an accent piece in a more traditional kitchen that is primarily using hardwood cabinets. A great example of this is to use black cabinets in the kitchen island to highlight it, and then hardwood for the rest of the cabinets.

Finally, using black kitchen cabinets with steel appliances can give a very contemporary or high tech look to the kitchen.

White cabinets are one of the most popular choices. White can work with a lot of other colors, and give the kitchen a bright and airy feel to it. Almost any color can be used for the wallpaper or paint and come off looking good with white cabinets. Since the cabinets are painted or laminated, the wood quality doesn't have to be as good, so white kitchen cabinets are also usually fairly cost effective.

Of course, any white room will need to be kept fairly clean, and the kitchen is the worst room in the house for that. But the flip side is that you don't have many worries about possible problems with cleaning products and the furniture finish.

A few years ago we updated our kitchen. This included granite counter tops, new light fixtures, and paint on the walls and ceiling. No cabinet work was done but the effect of all the other updates made the cabinets look new, or so we were told by visitors. So While this lens is about kitchen cabinets, it's amazing what some updating can do in any facet!