Kitchen - black or white worktop, light or dark walls?
So.. I'm getting a new kitchen. I'm spending almost every waking moment looking at all the details for it, I might be going bonkers soon.
The kitchen is a small one. It measures 170cm wide (5'6 feet) and 235cm (7'7 feet) deep, and the ceiling is 220cm high (7'2 feet). It's in a sort of recess space, and it opens into the living room that gets lots of light. I'm not going to have any wall cabinets to keep it feeling airy, though I will run wall shelving above the base units.
The style I'm going for is eclectic, though I also don't want to put people off if say I had to sell the flat. If I were to sell it it would likely be young couples that would buy a flat in this area.
I've found a gorgeous floor that I definitely want to use: Neisha Crosland Parquet Turquiose, and I'm basing the other design / colour choices on this floor.
For the kitchen cabinets I'm thinking of farm-house style oak doors with lots of woody character (grain and knots) such as this.
Now, when it comes to other design choices like wall colour, worktop and splashback / tiles, I'm not really sure what to do. I was thinking of a marble type laminate. My partner however, thinks a black worktop would work better. We have to use laminate as we're on a tight budget.
On top of that, I think a nice dark sagey colour for the walls would be nice, but again my partner thinks white is better.
Does anyone have ideas that they would like to share? Thank you!
Comments (7)
10 years agoI love love love the floor, I'm thinking you need to look into recycled glass countertops and get something white with the sea glass colors mixed in, maybe a diy project for you if you are handy,or maybe you have handy friends? Plenty of videos showing how on you tube, also check out diy videos for easy concrete countertops as an option as well
- 10 years ago
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Comments (14)White. Matt or shiny, it’s so much easier to clean. If your hubby prefers the black, tell him he’s responsible for keeping it good! Any dark colour in any finish is quite difficult, I think. I had a matt black floor tile in my last house—much harder to clean than the white tiles on the same floor (chequered layout). My parents had a black laminate worktop at their last house—or maybe it was resin—and it was a nightmare to keep looking nice. Incidentally, my own worktop top is white composite laminate—ie, 6mm of composite over a chipboard core—and while it can be polished to a high shine, I have chosen not to do so. It’s a doddle to keep clean. Maybe a grey as above might be a compromise for you?...See Moreblack granite or white quartz worktop?
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Comments (7)Visualising your colour scheme, I would choose a soft white tile, perhaps Zellige as mentioned above— these tiles are different variations of the same colour . There is a trend at the moment for using quartz continuing up the wall, whilst this can work well, if you wish to avoid that blocky look of a solid slab, tiles can provide a softer finish. In terms of maintenance, if you have an induction hob there will be very little splashing of foodstuffs as this is a gentle way to cook. However, if you are cooking over a flame, I would probably not opt for tiles as there can be a lot of foodstuffs splashing back behind hob. I chose tiles over induction hob in new kitchen and am delighted with result....See More- 10 years ago
10 years agoI have black granite work tops and a huge amount of them and an island - my reason for choosing is that I believe granite is a lot stronger in the dark colours where as marble is stronger in the light colours - I am (hope husband doesn't see this!) a little bit bored of the black work tops - they are classic but a bit dead - next time, if there is ever a next time, I would not play so safe and would go for light work tops with a bit more interest. I would steer clear of work tops unless you are prepared to really look after them and treat them regularly!
As for walls - I would go light - and ensure it is a paint that you can wash splattering off! Not a basic emulsion! That way, by going light you can change colour of kitchen accessories at any time to freshen it up and update it.
If I was planning a new kitchen now, I would probably go for light tops with up stands and then have a feature surface in a different material - perhaps a rounded wooden block at the end of a unit as a feature. I love my kitchen but I have played it a bit safe, on reflection!!
- 10 years ago
- 10 years ago
deexyapOriginal Author