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Hickory cabinets for the kitchen. Pros and cons of hickory kitchen design

August 26, 2022 | Updated on: May 31, 2024

dark hickory cabinets for the kitchen

Would you like to embrace your kitchen with the warmth of natural beauty? Imagine your dream kitchen with intricate wood grain that is a piece of art on its own. All this is relevant when we talk about hickory kitchen cabinets. They can become a complete focal point of the kitchen of any style. Still natural hickory look is most common for rustic and country style kitchens with a cozy warm atmosphere. 

Like any wood species, Carya has its own properties that must be considered when designing a kitchen. Its texture is often straight, though it can be irregular at times. The wood has a rough, coarse texture with multiple knots, colour streaks, and burls. Because of these features, hickory cupboards are difficult to combine with design elements and colours. This is where Cut2Size is ready to come to help you. We have compiled the most diverse solutions for using hickory in the kitchen. 

Kitchen-Form

Typical hickory cabinet designs

Many people aim to purchase hickory kitchen cupboards because of their unusual aesthetic. No wonder why designers love the natural hickory kitchen look among other types of wood. Let’s start from the most common types of hickory kitchen cabinets in Canada. 

glazed hickory shaker rta kitchen cabinets

Solid hickory kitchen cabinets

Hickory wood kitchen cabinets are solid wood that often comes in a variety of natural colours such as beige, milky white, to cocoa brown. Kitchen cabinets hickory wood is strong. If you decide to build your cabinetry using hickory wood, you can rest assured that your cabinetry will last for a very long period of time. Hickory can be lightly finished to maintain the natural grain of its surface.

Hickory shaker RTA kitchen cabinets

Shaker cabinets can be also made of hickory. In fact, shaker hickory kitchen cabinets are very common in farmhouse-styled and contemporary kitchen designs. Hickory shaker kitchen cabinets are often void of ornamentation and intricate carvings. It is basically very simple, minimal, yet aesthetically pleasing kitchen cabinetry you can have. Hickory shaker style kitchen cabinets have square edges and a flat center panel with little additional decoration or profiling.

Flat panel hickory kitchen cabinets

Cabinets with flat panels, commonly referred to as slab cabinets, feature a front that is entirely flat. Other cabinet types have more ornate trim, while flat panel cabinets feature a plain edge trim. Flat panel hickory kitchen cabinets, on the other hand, do not have any trim at all. Flat panel cabinets are best suited in minimalist and full overlay kitchens. They can be painted in different colours but the panels can be also made of hickory. Homeowners have the option to keep the natural colour or finish them with a layer of paint to match the kitchen’s colour scheme.

Hickory kitchen cabinets styles 

rustic-style kitchen with hickory cabinets

There are countless kitchen cabinet options available, including a huge variety of styles, patterns, and materials. Why not choose hickory wood and consider some of the greatest options for knotty hickory kitchen cabinets if you intend to renovate your cabinets or alter the appearance of your kitchen?

  • Rustic hickory kitchen cabinets

Rustic perhaps is the most popular style where hickory cabinets can be in. Of course, who wouldn’t fall in love with the nostalgic and charming vibe of a rustic farmhouse with hickory kitchen cabinets right? Whether it’s modern or knotty rustic hickory kitchen cabinets, the beauty and warmth they bring to a kitchen space are undeniable. Looking for other kitchen cabinet styles? Here are several hickory kitchen ideas to give you inspiration.

  • Farmhouse hickory kitchen cabinets

We are all familiar with the farmhouse kitchen look. It is a popular design trend in interior spaces because it never fails to bring warmth and make a house look cozy and inviting. There are a variety of ways how to achieve the farmhouse kitchen look. However, this technique might look very easy but it can actually be very stressful too. You have to be careful when combining materials, such as hickory wood kitchen cabinets, hardware, colour finishes, and paints.

  • Modern hickory kitchen cabinets

With a ton of useful storage space and incredibly user-friendly counters, modern kitchens tend to lean more toward functionality. In order to make the cabinets appear more compact, designs are often streamlined and use sharp edges and practical layouts. For the contemporary kitchen style, a modern hickory kitchen is best utilized. How you make a hickory cabinet is up to you. You can paint it with hickory kitchen cabinets wall colour, mix and match it with a different hue to create a hickory and blue kitchen, or simply upgrade the hardware into a design that is more current.

  • Hickory and white kitchen

Because of the light that shines off of white cabinets, your kitchen will appear extra big. A similar idea underlies how mirrors appear to enlarge spaces. Even though the kitchen is small in size, it would look spacious if it has white kitchen cabinets hickory island. The colour white and hickory kitchen goes hand in hand when it comes to minimalist spaces. Contrary to what most people assume, hickory is not only for the base and overhead cabinets on countertops. You can also have a hickory Kitchen island with seating.

  • Hickory wood kitchen island

A hickory Kitchen island is common in traditional homes. Kitchen islands in modern spaces tend to be sleek, minimalistic, and sophisticated whereas Kitchen islands in traditional kitchens speak of warmth and a welcoming ambiance. Both differ in characteristics and charm. But both can be made of the same material which is hickory with some minor differences.

Hickory kitchen benefits

kitchen stainless steel appliances with hickory cabinets

Hickory kitchen cabinet hardware can have several benefits as well as hickory kitchen cabinet doors. The eco-friendliness of natural hickory cabinets kitchen makes them a superior material for the production of kitchen furniture, is one of its key benefits. Hickory wood in particular and solid wood, in general, are warm materials that give a room a cozy, at-home sense.

Natural hickory kitchen cabinets are the healthiest type of furniture material. It does not trigger allergies, which is crucial for persons with health issues. Natural hickory cabinets and kitchen surface effectively absorb noise. Although the noise-insulating qualities of wood may not seem like a significant element to bear in mind to some, residents of apartment buildings should be aware of them.

The ability to repair and refinish s knotty hickory cabinets kitchen is an additional benefit. If the front cabinet door needs to be changed, it is much simpler to do so than if the front door were constructed of some other material.

The kitchen cabinets have a fantastic visual appeal thanks to the stained hickory kitchen cabinets’ inherent beauty, texture, and distinctive pattern. Additionally, you can choose to leave your dark hickory kitchen cabinets' natural colour or have them totally or partially stained. Whatever choice you choose, your kitchen will look real and organic.

Pros and cons of hickory kitchen cabinets

If you're a homeowner looking to update your kitchen, you may want to consider hickory cabinets.

Pros

Cons

Durable – When it comes to quality and durability, hickory cabinets are top-notch. Because it is a solid wood you can expect hickory cabinets to last for a long time. If you are looking for a kitchen cabinet material that will give you more bang for your buck, hickory cabinets are a good idea.

Expensive – Unlike other kitchen cabinet materials, hickory cabinets can be pretty expensive. The price increases if you decide to get your hickory cabinets custom-made.

Aesthetic appeal – Design-wise, hickory cabinets’ natural grain effect makes it suitable whether you prefer the traditional farmhouse look or the modern minimalist vibe.

Can’t handle much humidity – Another drawback of hickory kitchen cabinets is that they might not be able to handle extreme humidity. However, you can always use finishes or sealant to protect them from moisture.

Versatile in design – One of the things that you should consider when choosing a material for your cabinet is versatility. Is this material versatile for any type of kitchen style and function? Hickory cabinets are versatile in appearance and utility so you’ll have no problem pairing them with the rest of your kitchen’s design features.

Can create too much wood graining – If you don’t want to qmake your kitchen look traditional and cottage-like, hickory cabinets are not right for you as they can crowd the kitchen space with too many wood elements which can make the overall look uninteresting.

Look timeless and classic – finally, hickory cabinets are timeless. If you are the kind of person who switches kitchen styles every once in a while, having hickory cabinets is ideal for you.

Hard to maintain - Hickory cabinets demand gentle maintenance; no abrasive cleaners or scrubbers should be used to clean them. Cross-grain sanding should also be avoided because it would produce scratches. Hickory wood's naturally occurring patterns of knots and twists, which appeal to many customers, also make it more difficult to clean than other types of wood.

FAQs

Article by:

Valentina Melnikova - Lead Designer at Cut2Size

valentina@cut2size.ca

Office 403.366.7411

Hi there! I’m a millwork designer and an owner of a kitchen cabinet manufacturing company. With a team of professionals, I work on designing and manufacturing high-end millwork. Combining professional designing and manufacturing skills is what allows us to develop and translate our plans into a reality through our uniqueness and exclusive ideas. Our employees are highly skilled and creative thinkers that also utilize their professionalism and experience to take millwork to the next level. I’m very familiar with the industry and I take on each project from the design to the final product. With that said, if you’re looking for design advice or technician help, you’re in the right place.