Choosing the finishes and colours for your
new kitchen can be quite bewildering. You have to consider colours and finishes for benchtops, doors, drawers, kickboards, and splashbacks. All the while you also have to consider your paint colour choice in the kitchen and adjacent rooms. Then, last but not least, is your flooring choices.
Wow, no wonder it is so confusing, so where do we start. It is my opinion to start with the biggest area first, the kitchen fronts, (in other words the doors and drawers), as all this area is in your face and it will be the most noticed. I would suggest the kitchen fronts should be a light neutral colour so as the kitchen does not over power the whole room. You can then do a darker contrasting bench top. As the kitchen bench top is usually the most expensive part of the kitchen and also is quite a visual feature, it can be quite effective for the bench top colour to be a contrasting feature.
Your choice of Bench Tops are as follows:
- Solid Laminated Timber
- Laminate with a rolled edge
- Toughened Glass
- Marble
- Granite
- Engineered Stone
- Polished Concrete
- Stainless Steel.
- Tiles
Your choice for kitchen doors and drawers are as follows:
- Solid Timber
- Melamine with P.V.C. edge
- 2 Pac High Gloss or Matt Paint
- Vinyl Wrap or Thermo Form
As for your kickboards, I would suggest they be the same colour as your doors and drawers so they can blend in with the whole kitchen. If you make them another colour, your will turn them into a feature, (which is not where you want your feature to be), your eye will be attracted to them, which can also make your room look busy and small.
Your choice of splashbacks are as follows:
- Tiles
- Toughened Painted Glass
- Stainless Steel
- Marble
- Granite
- Mirrors
You could also be very adventurous and mix and match the finishes.
When you have made all these choices, you then have to consider what goes on the floor and walls.
I would advise you to take your time and visit as many kitchen showrooms as possible, it is also helpful to go through builders display homes, you then get to see what is trending at the moment. Only by touching and seeing all the different finishes can you be confident with your choices. By taking the time and energy to ask as many people as possible their opinion on the materials they have used, you will be gaining more knowledge to make the correct choice for your kitchen.
There is no one finish or material that is perfect, they all have their own pros and cons. By doing the research you will discover them, which in the end will help you make the right choice. Keep in mind, the advice you are getting from some salespeople could be bias, as the salesman is trying to sell you their product. This is why I advise you to find a kitchen company that will give you the honest pros and cons of all finishes and materials.
You could also buy current magazines, these will show the current trends in designs and colours. By also going to online
kitchen design for more ideas and photos, Pinterest is a great source for all your ideas as well. By going on blogs and asking about certain materials and finishes. Review sites are another great source of information.
It is always advisable to get expert advice on all these options, you need to know the pros and cons of all your options. Whether you can live with a highly polished finish or not, as it could show finger marks easier than other finishes. For some people, the choice will be dictated by their budget, again, a very important element, but again, you still need to be guided by an expert. This is why at
Rod's Kitchens, we will guide you with your kitchen design ideas
.
I have only touched on a large and complex subject, I hope this information will point you in the right direction so you can make an informed decision.
