Experience Countertops
January 9, 2013
When I got through writing some of this article, I noticed that it was quite long, so I decided to split it up into a few parts. Here is Part 1. Part 2 should be out some time next week.
Before we start getting into kitchen design, we want to preface the discussion by telling you that we are not kitchen designers. Although Nord Alta has renovated quite a few kitchens over the years, we are, first and foremost, contractors. Our perspective on kitchen design is from seeing what works and what doesn’t work through projects that we’ve been involved with. This guide is meant to give you a little hint at what we like when we’re putting together a kitchen.
Colour Schemes
What’s your favourite colour? Robert likes red and Michael is a fan of navy blue. We would never use these colours in our kitchen renovation, however. Although we have seen some very beautiful red kitchens or fantastic looking blue bathrooms, we feel that we have seen more examples of people getting rid of bold colours in favour of neutral or earth-tone colours. Why is that? It’s much easier to coordinate your furnishings if you don’t have to compete with contrasting colours.
Take this kitchen for instance:
This kitchen was featured in an article on a popular website about the hottest trends in kitchen design. Sure, it’s a great looking kitchen…right up until you put something in it that doesn’t go with that blue. Already, that red picture frame in the photo sticks out. You can’t stop looking at it now, can you?
In our opinion, natural wood colours are a great place to start when choosing a colour scheme. Michael is a big fan of the natural look of maple or cherry. Robert, on the hand, prefers something a little darker. The point is no matter which natural wood colour is in your kitchen, your curtains, place settings and table cloths will almost always fit in. In addition, you don’t have to worry about a potential buyer’s colour preferences if you decide to sell.
If you have your heart set on some bolder colours in your kitchen, the best place to implement them is in painting your walls. Changing out those blue cabinets that you’ve grown tired of is an expensive proposition. Repainting your walls isn’t. Another place to add some colour is adding a 3 or 4 inch strip of mosaic tile as an accent in the backsplash on your countertop. Keep in mind that some of that mosaic tile is expensive.
Remember, this is only our opinion. If you feel those blue cabinets are the bee knees, we have no problems ordering them for you.
To read part 2, click here.
If you’re in the Greater Edmonton area and are looking for a contractor for you renovation project, visit our website at www.nordalta.com/contact/ to find information on how to contact us. We’d be happy to speak to you about what we can do to get the ball rolling on your next home or office project. You can also leave comments with us at robert@nordalta.com.
Michael Breault is a project coordinator for Nord Alta Construction. You can find the company website at www.nordalta.com. You can also find Michael and Nord Atla Construction on facebook at www.facebook.com/NordAltaConstruction, on twitter at www.twitter.com/Nordalta, and on LinkedIn.
