Matte and glossy kitchen facade
If you can order or buy any unique set, you can choose a white kitchen with a matte or glossy facade. The choice of a wooden countertop also depends on the choice of kitchen.
Glossy
A high-gloss white kitchen with a wooden worktop is suitable for a modern style, small kitchen. The gloss reflects light well and creates an airy atmosphere.
It’s easy to leave marks on a glossy façade, but it’s also easy to clean, which is important for a white kitchen. The gloss should be combined with a matte wooden countertop, splashback and floor.
The photo shows a glossy set that reflects the light of additional lighting and thereby makes the narrow kitchen more airy.
Matte
A matte white kitchen with a wooden countertop looks equally good in a modern or classic version thanks to the variety of types of furniture.
In a matte white kitchen, splash marks are less visible, but they are also more difficult to clean. It does not reflect light, so the presence of additional lighting is important. For an organic look, a wooden tabletop can be glossy or matte.
The photo shows a matte kitchen set in an eco-style, where naturalness and natural colors are combined.
Lighting
To prevent gray color from muting, but complementing other shades, you should use some simple tips. For example, dilute the conservative atmosphere with large acid lamps above the table. The kitchen workspace lighting should be as bright as possible, as opposed to the dining area lighting, which may be slightly dim.
LED light bulbs built into kitchen cabinets can serve not only as an additional source of light, but also as a wonderful decorative element. Against a gray background, their light will be softer and more pleasing to the eye.
Headset shape
It is important to choose a suitable form of furniture that will look beautiful in the kitchen.
Linear
A linear white kitchen with a wooden countertop is suitable for a medium to small rectangular room. All cabinets and pencil cases are located along one wall, including the oven. The length of the headset is selected independently. This is not the best option for a large kitchen in terms of saving time. Together with a white set, you can comfortably place a dining table in one kitchen.
Angular
A corner white kitchen with a wooden countertop is suitable for rational housewives and small spaces. This involves an angle that remains unused in a conventional layout. You can place a sink in a corner, and under it in an ergonomic cabinet you can store kitchen items that are not so often needed. The corner can also be made using a folding bar counter, which will help out for quick lunches.
U-shaped
A U-shaped white kitchen with a wooden countertop is suitable for a rectangular room, where at the top of the letter “p” you can place a sink or additional shelves or surfaces. With this layout, it is important not to crowd the window with furniture. In a small kitchen there will be no place to put a dining table, so it can be moved to a designated area of the living room.
The photo shows a U-shaped kitchen in the country, where the shade of the countertop matches the color of the floor and dining table.
Island set
A white island kitchen with a wooden countertop is best suited for a large area. With this form, a linear or corner set is combined with an additional large table in the middle of the room, which can be on wheels and act as an additional work surface with a sink or stove.
Prices for wood-look acrylic composite countertops
The most expensive acrylic stone comes from DuPont, Hi-Macs is in second place, and Grandex is in third place. Many people prefer Hanex products, which have the optimal combination of quality and cost. This is especially important when ordering a product with a large area or complex shape.
Material advantages
The characteristics of acrylic are similar to those of plastics. The size and design of any product is limited only by imagination. The desired look is created by changing the proportions of fillers and dyes.
Advantages of acrylic with wood texture:
- absence of background radiation;
- the ability to choose any shape;
- color constancy during operation;
- resistance to non-aggressive liquids (coffee, tea, milk, alcohol);
- light weight;
- resistance to mold formation;
- ease of care;
- affordable price;
- Possibility of repair and restoration.
There are not many disadvantages, the main one: instability to high temperatures. It is not advisable to cut something without a board; other types of scratches on the surface are not often formed and can be removed by grinding.
Style selection
White color is universal, elegant and casual at the same time. It suits any style and makes the kitchen look different depending on the color and type of decor.
Modern style
A white kitchen in a modern style can have a matte or glossy surface. The facade should be without bevels, straight and simple in shape. The wooden countertop can be light, dark or ebony and can be combined with the floor or kitchen table. For decoration, watches with a simple round dial and contrasting roller blinds are suitable. For a minimalist style, a matte kitchen with blank doors and a dark brown countertop is suitable.
The photo shows a kitchen with an additional seating area, which is also finished in wood, like the countertop. The chalk wall and minimalist decor create a cozy environment.
Loft style
It can be created using a dark wooden countertop, a white kitchen with glossy facades, a brick wall above the work desk or at the dining table. Decor options include chandeliers with metal lampshades, chrome faucets, cacti, and glassware.
The photo shows a white loft-style kitchen with practical brick-like tiles in the work surface area.
Scandinavian style
Characterized by a love of white and brown tones and a mixture of minimalism and modern style. A white kitchen can be of any shape, and it is better to choose a wooden countertop from bleached or dark wood. For decor, images of mountains in a painting or photo wallpaper, translucent curtains, white pillows and dishes are suitable.
Classic style
A white kitchen should be exclusively matte with glass doors, carvings, scrollwork, gold-plated, black or silver fittings. The wooden tabletop should be made of dark solid wood to match the color of the laminate or parquet. For decor, short curtains like French or Austrian, Roman curtains, lambrequin, textiles for upholstery, tea set, round dining table are suitable.
The photo shows a classic-style kitchen with a matte cabinetry made easier by glass cabinet doors.
Provence
The style differs in the type of furniture, the way the sink is installed and unusual decor. The walls should be pastel green, pink, against which there will be a white kitchen with a wooden countertop. Suitable decor options include wildflowers, knitted textiles, embroidered curtains or printed cafe curtains, wooden clocks, and a ceramic apron with a geometric color pattern.
Eco style
Eco style is characterized by a combination of natural colors such as green, white, brown. The color of the wooden countertop does not matter, the kitchen should be white, the apron should match the furniture, contrast or match the countertop. Important decorations include pots with planted herbs or flowers, white or green curtains, a rattan dining room set, and natural textiles.
Interior features in a gray kitchen combined with a living room
Combining a living room with a kitchen area is typical not only for owners of cramped Khrushchev and Brezhnevka apartments. Similar redevelopment can often be found in modern houses with spacious rooms. It is immediately worth noting that remodeling the apartment is possible only after agreement with the relevant institutions. After receiving the documents and demolishing the wall, the question of zoning arises. This can be done in several ways, taking into account the gray-white interior of the kitchen:
- Using the bar counter. It can be an independent structure or part of a partition wall. In this case, the rack body should be in harmony in color with the facades of the set: this will visually connect the two rooms;
- Through the podium. You can raise both the living room and the kitchen: most people opt for the latter option, because it is much simpler and cheaper (less materials are needed). Here, at the border of the zones, you can organize LED lighting: firstly, it will be visible where the transition from the living room to the kitchen is, and secondly, there is no risk of tripping over the podium step in the evening;
- Using different shades of wall, floor or ceiling surfaces. What we mean here is that the main color should be the same: gray, white or its variants (for the floor - beige, light brown). You need to use only shades that will delimit the zones and at the same time unite the rooms;
- Arch (or figured opening). It is advisable to decorate the inside in the same color as the ceiling in the kitchen, and run an LED strip along the outside facing the living room: in the evening, if you dim the main light, it will look beautiful and mysterious.
- Sliding partition. It can be made in the form of a transparent or matte accordion. In this case, choose its color gray-white. In the living room, keep the ceiling or walls in the same tone as in the kitchen: then there will be a feeling of unity of space.
If you have an apartment with a bay window, then you can very successfully place a dining area in it by using a semicircular kitchen corner, which will be installed against the wall under the window.
Choosing an apron
An apron in a white kitchen can be an accent or a neutral, functional decor. It can be made of durable glass with printing, laminate, tiles.
View | Example |
To match the tabletop | You can make an apron to match the color of the countertop from wood-look tiles or laminate. The uniformity of the work surface can be combined with the floor and look contrasting against the background of a white set. |
Match the color of the furniture | A white apron will blend in with the facades; this solution is suitable if you have an idea to combine these colors. You can also make a gold stripe on the apron. |
Contrasting | A contrasting apron will become an accent. It can be a landscape, a bright abstraction, a colored mosaic, a multi-colored ornament. Any bright shades will do. |
Match the color of the tabletop in a different shade | The color of light or dark wood, which differs by several shades from the work surface. |
In the photo, the countertop, apron and table are made of the same material and the same color. The unity of natural color together with a white set creates a modern interior.
In the photo, the apron in the interior is matched to the color of the set and has a glossy finish that reflects natural light from the window.
Selecting material for the countertop
A wooden tabletop is one whose production is associated with wood or wood materials. It can be a tabletop made of MDF, fiberboard, chipboard, veneer, or wood.
- A solid wood tabletop is made from solid or compressed pieces of wood. Such a tabletop needs to be sanded and varnished from time to time, it lasts a long time and is not afraid of the kitchen microclimate.
- The veneered tabletop is covered with thin layers of wood on top of a slab of particle boards.
- MDF and chipboard boards consist of wood fibers and shavings, which are glued together with a synthetic (chipboard) or natural (MDF) adhesive.
Combination with wallpaper
Wallpaper in delicate shades of pink, blue, green, cream and beige, wallpaper with a golden pattern, white wallpaper, bright orange, dark green, light brown, gray, lilac will suit a white kitchen.
The photo shows a combination of gray wallpaper with a pattern of brickwork near the work surface, where the wooden tabletop looks organic.
Wallpaper can be plain or with a design. It is better to choose vinyl wallpaper with a non-woven backing, which can be wiped with a damp cloth without harming the color and texture of the wallpaper.
Combination with curtains
It is better to choose curtains of short length or with a lifting mechanism, Roman or roller blinds. Curtains with grommets and cafe curtains are also suitable.
In color they can be white translucent, coffee, red, green, matching the shade of the walls. From fabrics, it is better to choose linen and cotton with admixtures of synthetic fibers viscose or polyester so that the fabric retains its shape and color after washing.
The photo shows an example of decorating a wide window with translucent tulle with clamps that do not interfere with the passage of air and light into the room.
Nuances that are forgotten when decorating a gray kitchen
The headset should contain no more than two basic tones. Second point: the upper cabinets should be lighter than the lower ones. When decorating small rooms, avoid bright colors - this also applies to accent details: they can be made, for example, not defiantly red, but burgundy.
When decorating a kitchen in gray and white tones, it is worth remembering that maximum success can only be achieved if the “boring” color is combined with other shades. Only in this case you will not get a place for cooking, but a cozy kitchen with a calming atmosphere.
Examples of interior design for gray and white kitchens