<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=627459607753310&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">

Finalist in the SBID and The Designer Awards - Book Your Complimentary Consultation +64 21 322 599  Call Us

Our Response to COVID-19 and Supporting Local Businesses.      Learn More

How to Mix Materials for Effortlessly Stylish Kitchen Design

Home / How to Mix Materials for Effortlessly Stylish Kitchen Design

If you want your kitchen to look anything but cookie-cutter, there's a design trick that kicks things up a notch. Take your kitchen design from bland, boring, and same-y to original, interesting, and sophisticated.

All it requires are some key choices when you're picking out materials, finishes, and colours. Take your cues from a kitchen designer and don’t be afraid to play around.

Interior Design Tricks: Mixing Finishes and Materials

You have probably been in rooms where everything matched. The wood tones were all exactly the same medium oak, the curtains matched the wall colour and the '90s wallpaper border, and everything else was the same colour. Strangely, this scheme does not usually end up looking cohesive. Instead, it looks dated and unoriginal – lacking personality.

If you want a space to look modern and anything but boring, refuse to play the matching game! Here's how to do it.

Choose Two Different Finishes for Cabinets

In a kitchen, an instant way to add interest is to choose one finish for your upper cabinets and a different finish for the lower cabinets.

For example, go for upper cabinets with a wood finish and a clear stain, and lower cabinets with a painted finish in a neutral colour, like grey or cream (or vice versa). Or, choose painted finishes for both the upper and lower cabinets, but paint one colour on upper cabinets and a second, coordinating colour on the bottom ones.

You can also mix up cabinets by adding glass-front upper cabinets mixed in with closed cabinets and floating shelves. Or, choose two different textures – upper cabinets can be smooth with crown moulding, and a coordinating island with cabinets can have a beadboard accent.

Mix, Stone, Wood, Metal, and Tile

As long as you keep everything within a similar colour family, you can choose different materials for the main elements in your kitchen.

A wood floor pairs well with painted cabinets and a tile backsplash. Tile flooring looks warm and inviting with wood cabinets and a natural stone backsplash. A cement floor with glossy cabinets and glass tile is effortlessly modern and sophisticated. When making mixed choices, stick to all warm or all cool colours, and think about natural details, like wood grain and stone veining.

Highlight the Island

If you're lucky enough to have an island in your kitchen, don't let it blend in – highlight it!

Paint the cabinets a different colour from the rest of your kitchen. Or leave them natural wood if the rest of your cabinets are painted. If all of your countertops are granite or some other stone, think about butcher block for your island (and vice versa). Or, choose a contrasting colour of stone that's still the same time (dark counters with a light island counter, or the same concept reversed).

Highlighting the island is an easy way to introduce a focal point to your kitchen. Plus, those who are afraid of contrast might find it easier to change up the island finishes rather than mixing materials elsewhere.

Mix Old and New for a Kitchen Designer-Approved Trick

Blending old and new together can be a sophisticated way to ramp up a kitchen design. For example, choose wood floors with an antiqued or weathered finish, but pair them with sleek cabinets. Traditional, painted cabinets can be mixed with modern-looking hardware. Antique lighting (actual antiques or replicas) from the 1930s or '40s look wonderful with more modern cement floors and simple cabinets.

Mix Up Wood Finishes

Your wood finishes don’t all have to match. Don’t be afraid of mixing it up. If absolutely everything matches perfectly, this can easily be the recipe for cooking up a boring interior design. Instead, insert some personality into the room and choose what speaks to you, regardless of whether it is a perfect match.

Mix Your Metals

Don't be afraid to mix metals in your kitchen. If you want copper light fixtures and brass faucets and door handles, go for it. If you want to have powder-coated metal chairs in an industrial style along with sleek nickel fixtures, have at it. The key is to make each choice look intentional. This means repeating each metal choice more than once throughout the room.

However, when mixing materials, it's important to remember...

Too Much Mixing Can Equal Chaos

Mixing materials doesn't give you free rein to choose a different finish for each individual piece in your kitchen. Don't choose wood for upper cabinets, paint for lower cabinets, brass faucets, gold hardware and drawer pulls, and chrome-accented bar stools. This won't look sophisticated, it will just look like a mess.

Remember: while you’re mixing it up, keep things consistent. Interior designers in NZ recommend repeating a few star materials throughout the room so it all feels unified.

If you find yourself completely lost when it comes to your kitchen, rely on an interior designer with award-winning style and expertise. Choose Mal Corboy for high-end luxury and beautiful results in any room in your home.

New Call-to-action