Design Notes

Custom Cabinet Finishes

Color gets the attention. Preparation creates the finish.

Whether cabinetry is painted or stained, the final appearance depends on numerous steps that happen before you ever see the finished door.

Painted vs. Stained Cabinetry

Paint creates a more uniform color.

Stain celebrates wood’s natural character.

Neither is universally better.

They’re simply different design languages.

Wood Species Matters

Different species have different grain patterns and characteristics.

Walker offers standard species, including maple, quarter-sawn white oak, walnut, cherry, alder, and hickory, with additional species available for custom applications.

Painted Cabinet Materials

Material selection matters here too.

Walker uses MDF panels in painted doors because they’re less susceptible to the expansion and contraction patterns visible in hardwood panels.

green bathroom cabinets

Preparation Is Everything

Sanding and surface preparation create the foundation.

A premium finish can’t compensate for poor preparation.

Stain Celebrates Natural Variation

Wood is natural.

Variation isn’t necessarily a defect—it’s part of the material.

Two boards from the same species can absorb stain differently or display different grain.

That’s part of what makes wood cabinetry beautiful.

Think About the Whole Room

Cabinet finish should coordinate with:

  • Countertops
  • Flooring
  • Tile
  • Hardware
  • Lighting
  • Wall colors

The goal isn’t choosing the prettiest sample.

It’s choosing the finish that belongs in the overall design.

Cabinet design encompasses many elements to create the perfect kitchen, including the cabinet door style, which offers choices such as inset, overlay, or even completely custom.

More and more homeowners are interested in using eco-friendly products and materials and designing their homes to minimize their environmental impact. This has led to a rise in zero waste kitchen concepts, with designers looking to meet their clients’ requests in a way that delivers a functional, environmentally friendly, yet stylish kitchen.

Interior designers use it as inspiration as they attempt to build a place that satisfies their client’s demand for a look that emphasizes functionality, stark, clean forms, and abstract thinking—layout with a basic and practical design. Modern design style is rooted in German and Scandinavian design, which sought to pair art with functionality.

What is it about reclaimed wood that makes it so popular? Is it the fact that it possesses a character all its own, or maybe it’s because of the history it holds inside? Whatever the reason, reclaimed wood is trending as a material choice across multiple areas of the home, including kitchens, bathrooms, and home offices.

It has won over numerous homeowners and designers, who use it in many kitchen spaces, including on TV. As popular as it is, it is no surprise that designers created a new twist by blending rustic elements with industrial accents to make an industrial farmhouse style.