Knotty Alder Cabinets

I'm an interior designer (or was one before being a SAHM). This is really an asthetic choice more than a durability issue. Knotty alder is a very casual county/ cabin look. It can look great if casual, country is your asthetic. What about the color? Does it work with your other wood tones or does it introduce a whole new wood tone? Do you like it? Does it fit your concept (assuming you have one)? If you like it and it can work with your interior, push them for as many upgrades as you can. But at the end of the day, you have to like it, so don't settle if they made the mistake. Personally, I don't care for oak cabinets because the wood grain is usually too busy on a vertical surface. And while oak is much harder than alder for scratching, its not a floor, so scratching won't really be an issue. Perhaps you would want to email me a photo of the kitchen and the flavor of the rest of your house? Send me a personal email if so and I would be happy to do that.

We have them in our home. I chose them over oak when we redid our office because I don't like a lot of grain in my wood. Ours are beautiful and have a more updated feel than the oak we have in our kitchen.

oh my gosh, I just had these installed in my house. But we added black glazing to it, and man is it gorgeous!! The knots in the cabinets turned black and they look great. I haven't had them long enough to tell you that they are holding up fine, because I've only had them for a few months, but I know they will stand the test of time!! We had a quality cabinet maker make them, and had nice sliders put on the drawers, and for the cabinets, not sure what they are called, but when you shut the cabinet, it closes on it's own so it won't slam shut. Those are nice upgrades. Hope that made sense. Why not go visit some model homes in your area and check them out. You can also google images of them. Hope you like them!!

I like them. Did they use the same finish (light/dark/cherry etc) that was supposed to be used on the oak? I would accept their offered upgrades!!!