Designing Your Kitchen: Is Light or Dark Cabinetry the Best Choice?
Light and bright vs. dark and sophisticated
Kitchens are the heart of the home — where coffee is brewed, meals are created, and friends are welcomed. A fabulous kitchen can quickly sell a home, as for many, it is the most important room in the house.
If you are about to embark on a kitchen renovation, you have many decisions to make. Perhaps the most important choice is the cabinetry, as it sets the tone and style of the room for all of the design elements.
Designers are often asked if white and lighter cabinets are preferred to dark woods and dark shades of paint. Surveys actually show that buyers are almost perfectly divided on this issue. And, while you want to select design elements that please your taste, savvy homeowners will also keep the thought of resale in mind.
White kitchens with white and grey marble or quartz countertops have recently been wildly popular, and this design concept has given way to off-white shades as the trend has evolved. Soft blues and pale greens are making headlines as an alternative to white, as color adds warmth to a room. In the kitchen, one wall of cabinets or the island, is a great place to add a pop of color in a dramatic shade you love, such as candy apple red or navy blue.
Light and white cabinetry will give an illusion of space and can help to bring more light to a darker area. White cabinetry says “clean and fresh,” but may not be a practical choice in a home with children and pets. If you are committed to keeping the kitchen spotless, despite your household occupants, white or off-white has great appeal to potential buyers.
White cabinets can be traditional and detailed, farmhouse style, sleek and modern, or even evoke a country French feel. Most countertop choices work well on light or white cabinetry, but use caution and have an overall design concept that will avoid an institutional look and sterile feel.
While white can be a classic and timeless look, keep in mind that light colors can also discolor and show signs of age and wear more rapidly than darker woods or paints. Over time, white cabinetry can start to yellow due to exposure to direct sunlight. Additionally, cooking grease and smoke will turn white cabinetry to a yellowish tone. Therefore, it’s important to take time out to clean them every now and then, so dirt and grime don’t build up and dull the finish.
If you march to a different drum, and have a kitchen with ample light, via windows or proper lighting, black cabinetry can also be a timeless look. Dramatic and dark cabinets can seem to recede, while showcasing your cabinet hardware beautifully. Lush dark browns and rich charcoal greys are sophisticated choices and look fabulous when the cabinetry is sleek, modern, and simple.
Dark kitchens can add drama and formality to a room, and will hide the splatters of daily life much more than a light or white cabinetry selection. Dark color schemes can be achieved with stains, paints, or laminate surfaces. When choosing stained cabinetry, the darker shades and door styles that evoke the look of fine furniture will be less affected by the whims of design. Modern, flat panel doors and drawer fronts are virtually timeless, though not everyone enjoys the stark minimalism they evoke.
Should you order your cabinets premade and prefinished, or have them installed raw and finished on site?
In California, the more durable paints, stains, and lacquers are heavily regulated, and many cabinet manufacturers are located outside the state to have access to those materials. The advantage of cabinets arriving in the finish of your choice is that once installed, they are ready to go; however, should a door or drawer be damaged at a future date, a replacement may not match exactly, as woods such as Cherry can darken when exposed to light over time, and factory painted surfaces can fade or discolor.
Having your cabinetry finished on site can allow you to be more involved in the actual process and may help in creating just the look you want. Spraying the cabinetry is fast and will give a smooth and uniform finish. Hand-painted cabinets tend to give the feeling of charming, classic furniture, and offer the added advantage that they can be easily touched up should a repair or replacement of a panel become needed.
Can you design your kitchen so that every possible future buyer will love it?
This seems doubtful, as personal tastes vary, but selecting tasteful and timeless materials will give you a kitchen of your dreams that will endure the vagaries of design trends. Plus, it will invite a future owner to fall in love with it as well.