If you’re looking to give your kitchen a facelift, then you need to consider which materials are most prevalent. The materials that surround your units can play an important part in helping to get that final look just right. However, we’re not talking about ripping out your existing kitchen and starting from scratch so don't worry - there are simpler and more cost effective ways to get that dream kitchen.
Replace rather than redesign
The key to transforming your kitchen is to focus on the areas that carry the most visual impact and work on those. In most kitchens, those areas are the worktops and the cupboard doors and drawers. While you might shudder at the cost of replacing those units, the truth is you don’t have to, as the units themselves are probably perfectly serviceable. You simply need to replace the doors, drawers and worktops themselves and leave the units intact. There is a huge range of materials available to you and kitchen cupboard door companies can even make bespoke doors to cover up those awkward cupboards that won’t accept standard-sized doors.
Wood
Many kitchens have a lot of wood to them, in the form of ceiling beams, doors and kitchen tables. Take a look at the wood in your space; if it leans towards the rustic look, and then follow that through by replacing your doors and drawers with solid wood. This can also affect the type of worktop you choose. Traditionally, wood pairs up well with more earthy materials such as granite.
However, if the wood in your kitchen is more contemporary, then you might want to opt for doors and drawers that show it off. Light colours will accentuate the wood in the room, and white is enjoying something of a renaissance in home decoration. Buying white painted doors can allow you further options, such as a wooden worktop or the extra elegance of marble. Choosing to replace your doors with colours that show off your wooden furnishings, works well with darker woods and even stone or wooden flooring.
Size does matter!
Kitchens that are smaller and more modern can benefit from the contemporary cool offered by glossy colours and veneers. However, if you want to really give your kitchen a timeless quality, you could even opt for materials such as stainless steel or glass. The colours you choose can have a huge impact on the perceived space in the room, so don’t go for anything too dark in a smaller space. Bigger kitchens can benefit from this, but anything that's too light will make the kitchen seem a little washed out.
Work with what you’ve got
Deciding what goes with what isn’t a difficult task, and there are plenty of websites that will allow you to design your own kitchen online. However, as a rule of thumb the best idea is to decide which materials in your kitchen are the ones you want to show off and work around them. Magazines are also a great source of inspiration and you can decide whether you like the way certain materials interact or not. However, when it comes to revamping a kitchen, it’s always best (and more cost effective) to work with what you’ve already got.
