I get asked that question a lot from my client’s on mixing up the colors and materials for their new kitchen design. I can usually answer their question rather quickly after being with them for a half hour or so. You basically have to have a tolerance for change and with the questions we ask in the beginning, a clients personality becomes very clear to me. Conservative personalities tend to not want to mix up colors and materials, where more dominant and extroverted personalities have fun mixing them up. You have to be used to change and if so, the results always pop out to the eye.

The typical mixing is with painted cabinets and a stained wood. Lately more people are mixing two different color paints for the main area and islands. Having your favorite color in the main part of the kitchen and changing the island to a different wood and or color are the usual mixes in a kitchen, but I do see clients occasionally mixing the wall cabinets and the bases with two different materials or color. I prefer changing the island but I have done some spectacular kitchens the other way. Again, it’s all about on your taste and style, and your braveness.

The kitchen shown is a classic white-painted cabinet with a deep, rich and dark cherry island. It’s probably the most popular mixing of materials that goes on in a kitchen.  The island becomes that bold anchor in the room that pops to the eye. A wonderful mixture of cabinets and table legs gives the island a furniture appearance. Notice the flooring in the picture, an unusual lighter; driftwood-looking tile in a linear pattern. Very popular in today’s kitchens and especially baths. The material casts a certain warmness and gives you the “now” appeal while still crying classic and sleek.

The picture also boasts a very fun-loving and more dominant-looking tile back splash behind the cooking area. It not only pops again to the eye but also brings in that other texture into the room bringing all the materials together while also brightening up the lightness of the white paint. My advice always is to have fun with the materials and colors in your kitchen to not only help bring your kitchen to life but to spell out your personality to your guests. Cooking becomes more fun again whether to entertain more or to excite your family again with new and exciting recipes.

Whatever your tastes, take the time to dream first to get a sense of all of the possibilities available with today’s classic and fun materials and colors. I recently visited a job that we finished a month or two ago to take pictures of our work and to deliver our Thank You Packet. The owner was a classic example of someone who dreamed first and had fun with a multiple of materials and colors. The result? The transformation of an average home to a home fit for any major magazine publication. The home was breathtaking  yet warm, classic, exciting and full of life. The client said she wouldn’t have done anything different. That was music to my ears!

Bon Appetit!

Tim Holick

This entry was posted in Kitchen Design on May 7, 2015 by THblog.