Why not walnut?

When Erik Andersen and Shelley Balanko started thinking about remodeling the kitchen in their 1965 rambler in Everett, they were somewhat split.

He was learning toward white or light-colored cabinets.

She definitely wanted dark.

Balanko, a market researcher with an eye for design and trends, specifically wanted walnut, a rich, high-end wood she remembered from the kitchen of her childhood home.

She loved its wildly varied grain and one-of-a-kind character, and she was drawn to the trendiness and timelessness of its chocolate brown glow.

"I have a thing for dark," Balanko said. "I grew up feeling that dark wood was homey and comforting."

Andersen, an accomplished woodworker in his spare time, worried it would be too dark in their relatively tight 350-square-foot space.

But eventually, Balanko successfully appealed to her husband's love of naturally finished wood. He had already made their living room furniture out of walnut, after all.

"Wood is just so beautiful," said Andersen, who works as a geotechnical engineer in Lynnwood. "I just like a natural look."

Today, Andersen and Balanko are glad they took the plunge.

Their shaker-style walnut cabinets work perfectly with their new honey-colored cork floors, sparkling quartz countertops and mocha-brown ceramic tile backsplash accented with glass tiles.

Andersen and Balanko, both 35, credit their designer, Gary Hartz with Kitchens for Cooks of Everett, and their builder, Josh Peters with Top Level Contracting of Snohomish, for the success of their project.

Hartz helped them bring their design ideas and practical needs into focus. Peters allowed Andersen to do some of the work himself, including tile cutting, some of the tile installation and grouting, trim work on the windows and doors and installation of the many oil-rubbed bronze door pulls on the walnut cabinets.

"Erik is so handy," said Balanko, who loves their walnut cabinets, created by Hertco of Ferndale.

"Some companies won't deal with walnut because the color of the wood is so variable," Balanko said. "You kind of take a little bit of a risk."

Pricewise, their walnut cabinets - which feature random but subtle knots and numerous honey highlights - ended up being on par with the price of cherry, Balanko said.

Hartz said walnut, also used as an accent in luxury automobiles and in gun making, has become more popular in homes along with other dark woods and finishes since 2000.

"It was popular back in the '60s and early '70s," he said. "I see walnut continuing its trend to the upper end of the cabinet market."

Is it overly dark?

No, Andersen said, adding that their many recessed can lights and under-counter task lights keep the kitchen bright and cheery.

Andersen has warmed so much to the wood, he refaced their living room cabinets in matching walnut from Hertco. His next project will be to face the back of their new walnut buffet to give it the look of a single piece of built-in furniture, he said, adding: "I think the walnut is my new favorite hardwood now."

Reporter Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037 or sjackson@heraldnet.com.