Kitchen help please! Modern wood units and white worktop?

[beanstalk]

I really like the look of white kitchens with wooden worktops but think that white is impractical with kids and wooden worktops are high maintenance. So it occurred to me that by swapping them around you could have a much more practical kitchen. I'm thinking contemporary solid wood doors in teak or walnut maybe, with a white or just off white worktop - ideally composite. Trouble is this requires expensive materials to look really good. Anyone got any ideas how this look could be done cheaper, and where I could buy it from? I have seen walnut cupboards on the Wickes website (called Chicago) that are close but will be laminate and I have yet to see wood laminate that has character. Any suggestions (short of winning the lottery?!).

[barbarapym]

I have white corian worktops with the sinks made of it too, and it's brilliant stuff - I would definitely have it again. That's aftter years of having wood worktops, which I definitely would not have again. Corian is very low maintenance and easy to clean - and they guarantee it for ten years. But very expensive, unfortunately. The standard advice though is to go for cheap cabinetry and spend on the worktops so you might have to go for the laminate...

[trixymalixy]

White worktops, unless you spend the money and get something like Corian are a nightmare to keep clean.

I can't wait to get rid of my white laminate worktops.

Ikea have some nice solid oak doors. IOtherwise you could hire a local carpenter to make some up for you.

[Pannacotta]

I think it sounds like a good idea and woudl look a bit different from the now ubiquitous white gloss units with wooden worktop.
Waht I woudl say is try to get a worktop with some pattern/fleck in it so it doesnt look dirty all the time.
Quartz stone looks great and is less ££ than Corian.

[beanstalk]

Thanks for the feedback.

barbarapym - white corian is what I would love but have to work out the price first! Do your worktops look clean and bright all the time then or do you have to work at it?!

pannacotta - that's exactly what i thought, it keeps the wood and light feeling without looking like every other kitchen. I read Living etc magazine and there is a house in there that has walnut doors with stainless steel worktops, the units look beautiful and would look fab with pale corian tops. V expensive to recreate though! I'll have a look at quartz, thanks.

I can only find oak doors that are solid and I wanted something a bit different and a richer colour than oak, which is why I am thinking teak or walnut. Maybe finding a local carpenter could work, but I suspect that the wood itself won't come cheap.

[barbarapym]

They look great all the time - just a quick wipe like any other surface. I occasionally use flash bleach if the sinks look a bit grubby but then you have to clean any sink regularly to keep it looking nice. I'm really pleased with them - had them about 18 months now and no complaints ( fingers crossed!).