Is It Okay to Match Kitchen Cabinets to My Hardwood Flooring?

It is becoming more and more popular for homeowners to forget about separating the kitchen floor space from the rest of the house and simply extending their other room’s hardwood into their kitchen. While this provides better flow throughout the home and simplifies your material choices, how do you avoid a mismatch with your cabinets? It may seem like a logical choice to try to match the floors and cabinets to each other because they are both wood, but here are a few reasons why that may not be the best decision for the space:

One of the reasons hardwood is so popular is because of how much character it has. All of the different grains and stains available can give you an endless variety of looks that will best fit your home’s design. The only problem is the wood that you are choosing for your floors and the wood you are opting for your cabinets are most likely not going to be sourced from the same place. Because of this, they will vary slightly and even sometimes dramatically in color and grain, causing them to clash style-wise when installed. When your materials are coming from two different places, it becomes almost impossible to create an exact match. It is best to choose cabinets and flooring that contrast one another so that they will bring out the best in each other through their differences.

If you are the type of person who would like some part of the kitchen to be matched up, try using the floor color on your counter to tie it all together. Another way to bring the floor color upwards is to install separate open shelves of the same stain between your contrasting cabinets to provide a little harmony.

Another trick you can use to make your cabinets work with the wood floors is through painting them. Light, neutral colors will contrast nicely with naturally dark floors. If your floors are on the lighter side, using a pop of color on the cabinets will draw the eye upward and provide a beautiful variation in design.

If you are still hesitant, let one of our experts at Levi’s 4 Floors help you make the tough design decisions. Our knowledgable staff will help you decide what will look best in your space and give you the ease of mind.