Using Patterns in the Kitchen – Dos and Don’ts

Using Patterns in the Kitchen – Dos and Don’ts

Many of our clients opt for neutral tones in the kitchen, due to their timelessness. Having said that, we all know that for the kitchen to get the amount of ahs and ohs we secretly crave to hear when we have people over for dinner, it has to feature at least one stand-out element. This is where patterns come in.  

THE TRICK TO PATTERN COLOR – LESS IS MORE

  The most popular placement choice for a distinctive pattern is the backsplash. This is the first spot we lay eyes on when entering a kitchen and, as such, it more than calls for a careful look from an experienced designer. Depending on the color sheme in your kitchen, a designer can recommend the best choices for your backsplash color.   For instance, if your walls and cabinetry are a plain, unassuming color, the kitchen will benefit from the addition of a bright colored pattern running along the backsplash. The color pop would conversely turn out looking busy in an already colorful kitchen.
 

As below, choose between wall/backsplash or flooring, never try adding patterns both underfoot and at eye-level – that’s overkill and, more to the point, in poor taste.
 

RULE #1 FOR PATTERN USE – DON’T GO OVERBOARD

  We advise clients to consider the most popular choices of tiles first – there’s a reason the subway tile is still turning up in interior design magazines, for instance. It’s stood the test of time on the back of the understated, breezy presence of the repetitive rectangular tiles (as well as the easy-to-clean durability of the ceramic).
 

But that doesn’t mean that, whether you go with subway, penny or even mosaic tile, you can’t make it your own by setting it into a unique pattern. The visual appeal of ceramic tile has yet to be dethroned, but glass has also been gaining ground in the kitchen recently. Whichever appeals to you will do, if indeed you hold fast to the pattern style rule – namely that you shouldn’t use more than one style, two tops, and that’s only as long as they’re not both ornate and blatantly different.  
 

 

BOX THE PATTERN IN FOR GREATER EFFECT

  If you’re going for a splashy look that’s instantly arresting, hypnotic even, consider using the pattern inside a unit cut-out or constraining it to just a particular area above the countertop. That is, as a stand-alone background to the sink or the stove, where it’s both needed and center-stage.    
 

WHAT DOES THE HERRINGBONE PATTERN SAY ABOUT YOU?

  When you’ve decided on going with a particular style pattern in the kitchen, take a minute to ponder what that style expresses at first sight.  Use plaid for a dash of homey quirkiness, for instance – geometrical shapes, on the other hand, will evoke a playful character and floral patterns will speak to the unfaltering optimism within you. Stripes will bring a cool formal streak to your kitchen and make your guests unwittingly sit up straight, while oriental patterns will inject an exotic, worldly air in your kitchen – so get ready to talk about your travels!
 

It’s a professional designer’s job to take the hard and fast rules about patterns and bend them to fit the client’s wishes, of course. So, for a successful marriage of personal style and riveting aesthetics, trust the professionals to make sure your kitchen makes the right kind of splash!  

☎ CONTACT

If all the patterns out there are giving you a headache, we’d be happy to help! Call us and let’s sift through all the available choices for kitchen patterns until we find the perfect fit for you!