Walnut Kitchen Cabinets: Everything You Need To Know

At Minerva Design, we understand that changing your kitchen isn't a simple task, and we want to make the process as seamless as possible. The decisions may seem never-ending, whether it's the cabinetry colour, handle style or one decision particularly, what wood to choose? We can craft our kitchens using ash, oak or walnut depending on our client's specifications.

Many of our clients bring walnut into their design by pairing it with painted cabinetry to create a luxurious aesthetic. Walnut features interesting swirls and patterns within the grain to give the added touch of depth and character. Walnut is a hardwood which means it comes from a deciduous tree (a tree that sheds its leaves every autumn).

COMMON TYPES OF WALNUT:

• Black American walnut - often referred to as 'walnut.' - is the one we use
• English walnut - sometimes called European walnut.
• Claro walnut
• Butternut - sometimes referred to as white walnut.

Walnut wood is suitable for various things, including infrastructure, flooring, musical instruments such as guitars, harps and violins and furniture including tables, interior panelling and cabinets, hence why we use it in crafting our handmade kitchens.

Our cabinetry comprises four key elements; the carcass, doors, drawers and frameworks. Although walnut is one of the most durable hardwoods, we avoid using hardwoods throughout the whole kitchen design. This is because the properties of hardwoods, in general, mean they are more prone to warp and crack. Drawer boxes, frameworks and other elements are made entirely of solid hardwood because these are smaller elements and will not warp. Carcasses have a larger surface area meaning they will slowly distort over time; therefore, we choose to veneer our carcasses. Veneering is a thin sheet of hardwood stuck to engineered material to create the aesthetic of hardwood. The primary purpose behind this is so we can craft a sturdy kitchen that is built to last whilst still featuring beautiful materials such as walnut.

WHY DOES IT COST MORE?

The main reason is that walnut is harder to obtain. Compared to other wood choices such as oak, walnut wood grows much slower, making it shorter in supply than its high demand. Thanks to its intricate grain, colour and strength, walnut is a popular choice in kitchen design, and we can ultimately understand why.

Take a look at how walnut has been incorporated in some of our previous projects and has created a beautiful finish.

CHESTNUTS KITCHEN

KENTCHURCH UPPER LODGE PROJECT

If you want to find out more about the materials we use, contact us today to book a showroom appointment at either of our locations and explore the possibilities of your new kitchen.