After deciding where to put it, picking a style for a butcher block countertop is the next step. Dark woods or countertops with dark stains look polished and elegant, without being too formal. A dark wood countertop also minimizes the rustic feel of the design choice by mimicking the look and feel of a quartz or granite countertop. The colors in darker wood countertops are also typically more uniform, which might appeal to anyone with a strong love of consistency. Lighter woods and stains, on the other hand, feel warmer and more rustic. These butcher block looks often vary in color, with streaks, stripes, or squares of different-colored wood. The varied look can make fitting a new wood countertop into a preexisting kitchen tricky, but by no means impossible. As the below kitchens prove, butcher block countertops can go with kitchen cabinets of almost any color, though wood kitchen cabinets are definitely the number one material pick. More contemporary laminate cabinets are a little too streamlined to pair with this high-impact countertop option, though wood cabinets in traditional, rustic, or contemporary styles make great matches. A warm alternative to the all-white kitchen trend, a butcher block countertop could be exactly what your kitchen needs—just scroll on for the proof (and plenty of design ideas) from kitchens that made wood countertops work.
Light Wood Everywhere
A light, all-over wood countertop fits in seamlessly with a mostly white kitchen. Where a white countertop would look too cold and dark quartz or granite would be too dark, a light wood both offers a complementary color tone and brings warmth to the space.
Medium-toned Warmth
A mid-tone, almost reddish wood pairs nicely with dark kitchen cabinets. Streaks of light wood within the countertop keep it from feeling too dark and cold.
Varying Countertop
Matched with dark-painted wood cabinets, a butcher block countertop with varying colors takes the whole space up another notch on the cool contemporary scale.
Butcher Block Kitchen Island
Butcher block countertops on kitchen islands serve as contrast pieces, especially when the rest of the kitchen is more classically colored. Plus, renovating a kitchen island is much less challenging and time consuming than a full-kitchen re-do.
Dark Wood Countertops
With white or lighter cabinets, a dark, single-hued wood countertop pops while keeping the look super elegant.
