Create an ideabook for your next remodeling project!
Browse more than 1,000,000 photos from top designers and save your favorites
12 Ways A Kitchen Countertop Changes Everything
Certified Kitchen Designer, author of http://www.thekitchendesigner.org blog and http://www.scandinaviankitchens.com
Certified Kitchen Designer, author of http://www.thekitchendesigner.org... More »
Not (by default) a supporting player, the kitchen countertop takes a lead in determining how our kitchen designs will be perceived in terms of color, weight, balance, proportion, scale. The countertop is a player! 12 ways the countertop expresses itself in the kitchen are noted under each image.
The kitchen countertop has a personality all its own. It can lead or it can follow. It can speak strongly or softly.
As with other elements in the kitchen, it is important to look at the kitchen as a whole from the start, to have a vision of how the major elements will connect with one another...and for what reasons they will connect.
A countertop can "speak" to the kitchen as a whole via light or darkness, soft or bold color, contrast, style, texture, formality, and so on. What do you want your countertop to say? Why?
When visualizing your countertop, remember the "layer" of accessories that will be sitting on top of the countertop. Will those useful items and accessories be a color story? Will they tell a different story than the countertop does, e.g. a modern, bold, countertop with traditional/eclectic/other accessories?
There is certainly no wrong or right approach per se. What is important is that you visualize the "big picture" of the kitchen design, the role you wish your countertop to play, and the answers will reveal themselves to you!
The kitchen countertop has a personality all its own. It can lead or it can follow. It can speak strongly or softly.
As with other elements in the kitchen, it is important to look at the kitchen as a whole from the start, to have a vision of how the major elements will connect with one another...and for what reasons they will connect.
A countertop can "speak" to the kitchen as a whole via light or darkness, soft or bold color, contrast, style, texture, formality, and so on. What do you want your countertop to say? Why?
When visualizing your countertop, remember the "layer" of accessories that will be sitting on top of the countertop. Will those useful items and accessories be a color story? Will they tell a different story than the countertop does, e.g. a modern, bold, countertop with traditional/eclectic/other accessories?
There is certainly no wrong or right approach per se. What is important is that you visualize the "big picture" of the kitchen design, the role you wish your countertop to play, and the answers will reveal themselves to you!
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
A countertop in a strong color can be THE design statement, leaving all else neutral. It is a reflection of personal expression.
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
This works on several counts-the blue countertop and brown wood are complementary colors, the balance with light and medium tones are in a proportional sync, the dark top is perfect! A play in contrasts.
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
A cool/warm relationship is always a natural pairing. Especially in the company of neutrals, cool/warm tones separate elements effectively.
by Susan M. Davis
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
A neutral countertop enables color, in this case, in the turquoise wall cabinet, to stand out and be an important design element.
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
Simple, quiet, surrounding surfaces juxtaposed with a strong, but not too strong, flowing granite, offers a dose of wild texture, a countertop as focal point. Beware of too much countertop in this situation.
| The big picture, perhaps planned in advance, consists of two parts, cabinetry and countertop, which share a connecting color. A nice balance of horizontal and vertical surfaces. |
Contrast is always a winner. Black, on the countertops lays a mid height foundation at 1/3 the room height, a classic proportion.
by Ilija Mirceski
»
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
Love the contrast of neutrals, especially how the countertop in a horizontal line supports the expansive white walls. A play in horizontal and vertical colors and shapes with two clear focal points.
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| A countertop appears understated and a unified part of the larger elements in the room. A flowing look, completely monochromatic. |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| The countertop is a natural connection to the foundation of the room, the floor, as well as the dining furniture. The countertop allows the island to connect more to the formal space. |
An example of darker base cabinets and the upper shelves, walls, window trim and countertop, sharing the same shade of white. The darker section serving as a foundation, the larger white areas in perfect balance. A look that is gaining more recent attention as a "built-in" feeling. Very spacious look.
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Colors in walls, countertops, cabinetry, tile are connected in tones that vary just a bit for added textural interest. This look allows larger elements to read as a smaller scale than if otherwise designed, especially if cabinets were dark/countertops were light. |
Ideabook updated on Jan. 17, 2010.
What are you working on?
News From Our Partners
Latest Ideabooks
People found the photos in this ideabook after searching for:
View over a million photos:
Great ideabook.
there is lighting under cabinets. My choice for countertops!
lindapaul...thanks a bunch!
moderngirl...love that one too. Strong texture on the wall, love it.
eclecticgirl...It's pretty crazy. It has depth to it too and almost looks handcrafted.
diva2009...Stainless steel can be a great countertop for several reasons, but unless you're ok with a patina that will happen over time, it may not be for you. I like stainless steel in a very, very thin, 1/4" piece rather than the thicker, 1 1/2" thick countertops.
tkim...yes, you're right about "that glow." It's its own reflective element in the kitchen and looks terrific in many cases.
abbeyk...It's a nice kitchen, especially that blue. Funny you say that. Everything think I'm very traditional because that IS most of what I do, but the opposite is true. I like modern design, personally, for my own kitchen!
pwalter...glad to have helped!
sophie777...oh yes, the possibilities are really endless. I like leaded glass, the sort of nickel/pewter lead look to separate the lites in the doors. Love that look.
becky...love that before and after shot, that's a huge difference! I like the contrast, it's so classic. I'll bet that white vein is perfect too!