[george..k]

Just as the title asks:

Is the birch frame similar in grain & colour to the Nexus or Adel birch doors?

[Dave of the Coonties]

Its quite similar to both, but isn't a perfect imitation--I don't think that's possible with present-day methods.

[DesignDiva]

It is almost an exact duplicate of Nexus Birch, right down to the strip-plank look. I have Nexus Birch doors and no cover panels, my cabinets look identical on all three sides.

[Dave of the Coonties]

I obtained an "as is" 18" kitchen base cabinet with Adel birch drawers and deployed it in a closet. I had purchased a side panel to give it a nicer look, but returned it after determining that the existing birch-effect cabinet looked fine.

[kirsty]

I have a kitchen with Adel birch doors and the birch boxes, no cover panels-- it matches just fine. Like Dave, we too bought cover panels planning to use them, but our contractors lobbied against it, saying they thought it looked fine, maybe even better without. We agreed, 6 months later, no regrets.

[george..k]

Of the Nexus or Adel, which is the most similar to the Malm birch?

[Chuck]

Nexus is your winner. The birch grain and color in Nexus and Malm tend to be very even and "matchy", whereas the grain and color in Adel vary greatly.



One dissenting note to the side panel/no side panel discussion - I think the texture and finish of the Nexus are different than the cabinets, but I don't live with them every day, so I may not be the best judge. Also, the panels have the same edge banding as the doors and drawer fronts, which is missing from the cabinet sides.

If you're asking for budgetary reasons, I'd go with the "nay side, but if you're after a more matchy (great word, eh?) look and money isn't a factor, then I vote "yea" on the panels.