FDMC - May 2017

wood. Cabinets showing these new laminates took up more than 7 percent of the displays, surpassing the 5 percent for traditional wood-look laminates.

Lori Dolnick, representing the high-end European cabinets from Poggenpohl, said the embossed wood-grain textured laminates are really popular. She showed a silver ash gray laminate on cabinets in their booth, combining the trends of Euro design and gray colors.

Maple is king

While new technology more closely mimics wood, real wood is still strong, accounting for about half of all the cabinet doors and drawers on display. Of those, maple is by far the dominant wood species, six times more popular than the next most common species, which is oak. Trailing in the species derby were birch and cherry followed by alder and hickory.

An eclectic list of other species were also on display in random cabinets, but one species is well worth noting for its apparent rise in popularity. Walnut showed up in a number of cabinet displays, but it was also interesting to note it being an accent wood, appearing in interiors, drawer sides, and in dividers for organizing units.