Grain direction on wide shaker style drawer fronts

[Wes Billups]

What are the thoughts on grain direction in drawer panels for kitchen cabinets? I'm building a small kitchenette for our basement and the plan is to make inset drawers/doors in a Shaker style. The construction will be in red oak and just simple square stiles/rails with a flat panel made with rabbetted 1/2" oak plywood. I'm struggling with the best option for the drawers. The base cabinets will be a combination of doors and drawers. The grain direction in the doors is obvious but I'm struggling with the drawers.

I've got some relatively shallow drawers (≈4") that will get a solid oak panel for the false front. My question is the deeper drawers (+8") will get a rail/stile/panel front but I don't know what would look best from a panel grain direction standpoint? The drawer widths are 12" and 25" which I think confuses this as I'm afraid a vertical grain direction on the wide drawer panels would look a little weird.

Searches on the internet have not helped as I see both designs. The two pictures on the right are the exact design I'm planning on using.
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Would love to hear peoples thoughts on this dilemma or ideally pictures/examples?

Thanks,
Wes

[Von Bickley]

I would go horizonal on the drawer panels. JMHO.

[Robert L Stewart]

I have done exactly the style you show for 40 years, always horizontal drawer fronts

[Paul F Franklin]

Another vote for running the grain on the drawer panels horizontal, like the first pic.

My cherry Kraftmaid kitchen cabinets run the panels horizontal on the shallow drawers, but vertical on the deeper drawers. and of course vertical on the doors; all that looks fine to my eye.

[Scott Clausen]

My brain wants to see horizontal on the drawer fronts, I have no idea why but it looks better to me.

[Gary Ragatz]

I have never really cared for the look of a frame and panel drawer front, unless the drawer is quite deep - otherwise, it just looks like too much frame for too little panel to me. I've seen drawer stacks where the lower (deeper) drawers have frame and panel fronts, and the top drawer is a slab. But regardless, I almost always prefer horizontal grain on either a slab drawer front or the panel of a frame and panel. One exception is some cabinets I saw in a friend's home that had a beadboard panel.

I think vertical grain on drawer fronts is supposed to be more of a "modern" look. (Not for me.)

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Grand Pa and Dad always made drawer fronts horizontal. I do too except for in our own kitchen where the top drawers are all horizontal, divided with a face frame. Below the top drawer all of the grain is vertical, doors and 2 drawer stacks. The lower fronts are not divided with a face frame. They are just like the doors but cut horizontally into drawer fronts. One split and got knocked off right away. (20 years ago). If I can get inspired to clean them I will take a picture. The kitchen used to be a den with knotty pine paneled walls. I made the cabinets out of the old paneling.

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[Lee Schierer]

Here is a bathroom vanity I made with frame and panel drawers and doors. The panels in the drawers and doors are vertical grain.
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[Maurice Mcmurry]

Here is a bathroom vanity I made with frame and panel drawers and doors. The panels in the drawers and doors are vertical grain.
480172

That looks really nice Lee! I think keeping vertical grain can be a good look.

[Wes Billups]

Thanks for everyone's suggestions and pictures. I think I've decided to go with horizontal grain on the drawers but will probably mock one up once I get the plywood for the panels. Just ordered it today and should have it in hand this Saturday.

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Wes

[Edwin Santos]

Ask your wife which style she prefers. Do that.