The cabinet is quite simply the single most important consideration when designing your kitchen. The finish that you decide to go for will reflect the style of the rest of the house.

If it were an Irish farmhouse, then a steel finish would not be appropriate. Similarly if it is a swanky Dublin 4 apartment with a chic design, then pine or oak finishes will not suit at all.

In Ireland, you have a huge choice of both cabinet construction and door finishes.

Maple has eclipsed oak as the most popular wood for cabinet doors. Cherry comes in third with pine fourth followed by chestnut. However, your wood options do not end there. Alder is creeping onto the scene in a big way in Ireland, thanks to its natural, knotted look. Darker woods, like mahogany, are being mixed with stainless steel and other finishes and provide a warm yet minimalist ambience.
The carcass construction, whether separate or framed, depends on your budget and with the trend in Ireland to upgrade, or change kitchens entirely regularly (within 5 years), one wonders about going to the increases expense of a solid carcass assembly.

Choices range from flat to raised and curved, and may be plain and simple or intricately carved. In more traditional kitchens, you will find inset and lipped doors; partial overlay and full overlay provide the clean lines associated with designs that are more contemporary.

If you dislike wood, there is no need to worry. Take your pick of shiny polyester and plastic laminate options, opt for stainless steel, or go for glass in clear, frosted, ribbed, etched and leaded versions.

The finish to whatever cabinet doors you go for is the key to the image you wish to create in your kitchen. Light stains will let the natural beauty of the wood show through. The popularity of painted and glazed finishes has broadened their offering among stock and semi-custom manufacturers. For a truly unique look, go an original route with a distressed or crackled finish but in this case, it must be done in symmetry to the rest of the house design.

If wood is your cabinet material of choice, there is no laws governing as to what is right and what is not. Good taste should hopefully prevail and cost will be decided by the size of your purse...

Your choice of wood will have the most impact on the cabinet’s ultimate look. If you want a light look, for example, you might start with ash, beech, birch, elm, oak, maple, or chestnut. In the mid-range, consider cherry with a natural finish.

For a dark kitchen (if it is designed from scratch in a new-build, it should not be dark), you could start with a wood that has a little colour to it.

You can also consider clear finishes rather than stains on cherry, walnut, and other woods rich in color, such as butternut, mahogany, rosewood, and teak.

Be sure to consider your environment and cooking style; solid wood cabinets can be more affected by humidity and temperature than wood veneer cabinets because you are dealing with a natural material that has its own behaviour patterns. Weather extremes can cause warping.

Because of the perceived shorter life of kitchens, otherwise possibly described as “Keep up with the Jones” syndrome, veneer and laminate finishes are more popular in Ireland now. While laminate surfaces appear to be wood, these cabinets adhere plastic foil or paper photographs of wood grain patterns to particleboard or medium density fiberboard.

WOOD

Maple: Now extremely popular in Ireland. It is not cheap but gives off a consistent grain. Maple’s soft grain pattern allows it easily to be adaptable to both traditional and contemporary designs. It is a very robust and finishes well.

Cherry: A very refined, straight and close grain gives cherry a smooth and elegant look. This feature makes it well suited for mixing with other woods. It is a classy looking finish but also has durable and qualities and can handle wear and tear well.

Oak: Oak is rougher and more natural texture and this results in a relatively defined straight grain that is more casual than elegant. Oak can take any type of stain to create a wholesome effect because it is absorbent. The darker the stain, the more highlighted the grain pattern will become. A light stains reduce its visibility but retains its warm appeal.

Pine: Pine’s straight grain is relatively long and continuous, giving your cabinets a more rugged look. Very suitable for Irish country style kitchens, yellow pine in particular is much more enduring and will always be in style no matter what fads appear.

Alder: Now only being introduced to the Irish market, alder can be made to look like a variety of natural finishes. Consistent in colour, alder ranges from a pale pinkish-brown to almost white, with a close tight grain. Very hard finish and also expensive. Increasing popularity may diminish price gradually.  

Birch: Again, a very common material in Ireland. White paper birch and yellow birch species are available, though the latter is more popular and expensive. Perfect for painting, this cream-colored wood may stain unevenly, however

Hickory: Very popular in America where it’s strong and robust nature are qualities to be admired. It is not available widely in Ireland. With colors ranging from white to a ruddy brown, this relatively straight and fine grain accepts medium to dark finishes and bleaches well. Expensive because of scarcity.

Mahogany: The old warhorse of natural wood finishes, and still the best, some might argue. The availability of newer woods has reduced the popularity of mahogany but you will not still get as rich and heavy a finish in any of the competitors out there. Mahogany stains well to give off a deep hue over time.

Walnut: This understated but extremely elegant wood ranges fromdark brown to purplish black and is a favourite in Ireland , particularly in up market apartments. Very glossy and very expensive.