From the Floors Up

Should I Match My Kitchen Cabinets to the Floors?

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You may be pondering the question, “is it best to match the kitchen floors with your cabinetry?” This is truly the million-dollar question. The answer all depends on personal preference and what type of style you desire your kitchen to reflect. By installing flooring that does not match your cabinetry, you create contrast. When used appropriately, contrast helps make things more visually interesting. For instance, if you already have hardwood flooring, you can create a visual contrast by having white cabinetry. To further explain, we are going to dive deeper into the topic. Let’s get started!

Expert Suggestions

While the decision is ultimately up to the homeowner, some design experts feel that using colors that are similar in nature on the cabinetry and flooring will result in material confusion. Going at least three shades lighter or darker than your flooring will prevent your kitchen from becoming aesthetically-confusing. That being said, if you are set on using a wood material on both your cabinetry and flooring, you might want to consider using different grains to contrast the tones. For example, if you have dark, rich cabinetry, you would use a light grain on your floors such as maple or hickory.

Matchmaking Flooring to Cabinetry

Matching your floors to your cabinets can create a unified look. On the other hand, achieving an exact match is nearly impossible. If you were to select oak flooring to match your oak cabinetry, the chances are high that the grains will not be identical. A single wood type can have small variations in color and grain. The finishes used also gives the material a different personality.

If you are installing new would cabinetry to match your existing hardwood floors, you have to take into consideration the quality of the existing floors. Do they show visible or excessive signs of wear and tear? If so, having already aged floors can further complicate things.

In conclusion, before purchasing anything, you should get samples of your floors and cabinetry. This will let you see how it all looks in the light and determine what looks good for your kitchen. All in all, it is the homeowner’s decision, and oftentimes, homeowners change their minds once they see the samples in their actual space. Therefore, the answer to the beginning question is it depends on your space, your design preferences, and your style flexibility.

Glass Pendants in the Kitchen

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Lighting takes on a number of different roles in the kitchen. It can be task lighting for chopping and preparing food, or ambient lighting for dinners at the island counter.  Pretty glass pendants make this functional lighting feel special.  Pendant lights combined with recessed lighting and lighting under the cabinets creates a well-rounded lighting plan for every kitchen task.

These glass pendant lights over the island look to be hand-blown.  Their warm color shifts between creams to a deep amber, casting a warm light over the island through the glass and a strong, clear light directly below.  They also add a nice spot of color in a neutral kitchen.

White cabinets and dark ebony stained wood floors are great bones in this traditional kitchen. Adding color with the lighting is a nice way to introduce it into the room while keeping the main elements neutral.  The yellow tones of the glass look wonderful with the cream and black. The sunny yellow accents really warm up the kitchen, as well.

Mixing the handcrafted, almost contemporary style of the glass pendant lights breaks up the traditional feeling of the kitchen.  Adding a few handmade or handcrafted design elements like these glass pendants makes the kitchen feel a bit more eclectic and personalized.  Traditional style pendant lights or vintage schoolhouse style pendants would also work in this kitchen.  Green metal shades or black shades would look great with the cream and black elements of the kitchen.  Whatever style you choose, pendant lights over the kitchen island can be the perfect solution for lighting up this essential workspace.

Creative Kitchen – Aprons and Gloves

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Kitchen aprons and dishwashing gloves have a definite vintage feel to them. Aprons and gloves recall television shows from the last century where mothers wore aprons, heels and pearls to cook dinner and greet their husbands after a long day at the office.  Today’s moms and wives are also likely to have jobs outside the home as well as household responsibilities. Yet, we still appreciate the appeal of aprons and vintage style kitchen accessories like dishwashing gloves.

 

There is a cottage industry that creates nostalgic and girly rubber gloves for doing the dishes. Some gloves even have rhinestones and pearls on them to add a little touch of bling. If these feminine style rubber gloves can make even one person like doing the dishes more, then they are a good thing. These rubber gloves can protect hands and manicures when cleaning, mopping as well as doing the dishes.

 

Aprons are also practical as they are pretty.  Aprons can protect your clothes from water when doing the dishes or food splatters when cooking. Our mothers and grandmothers were smart to wear them when doing projects around the kitchen.

 

Today’s aprons and gloves are often color coordinated with other kitchen accessories like tea towels and toss rugs.  Runners and mats in front of the sink are a great place to add an accent color or tie in with other colorful accessories in the room. Why not coordinate other accessories like aprons and dishwashing gloves into the overall color palette.  Whether your kitchen style is vintage or not, a pretty apron and a charming set of fancy gloves can be stylish and practical vintage inspired accessories.

From the Floors Up

From the Floors Up blog was created with the goal of providing a destination for consumers, designers and those interested in the flooring, design, and kitchen and bath industries. Here you’ll find, current, accurate and informative information that is always just a click away!

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