No matter whether you’re completely revamping your kitchen or simply sprucing up your units with new doors and a new worktop, choosing the right colour of worktop is really important. Any regular reader of this blog won’t need reminding that wood worktops don’t just look great; with the right care, they last a lifetime and will make your kitchen look stunning. So if you’re in the process of tossing a coin to decide on dark or light solid wood worktops, we want to give you a helping hand.
Generally speaking, if your kitchen is small, then it’s a good idea to work with light colours to create the illusion of space. Light coloured wood worktops literally bounce the light around your room making it look bigger than it actually is, whereas generally speaking, a dark colour scheme will bring in the walls, having the effect of exacerbating the smallness of your kitchen. If however you have a roomy kitchen, then your choices are more open. You could even go mad and break all the rules (see below).
In making this important decision, one major thing to consider is how light your kitchen is. It may be that your kitchen has lots of natural light; so dark wood worktops won’t present a problem. Or it may be that you’re planning a state of the art lighting arrangement. However, on the other hand, if you have a kitchen that’s struggling with light at the moment and you don’t plan to invest too much in new lighting, then a light coloured worktop is probably your best option. It’s important in a kitchen that you can clearly see what you’re doing and a dark worktop of any material will absorb light, so don’t be tempted to worsen a pre-existing problem by choosing badly. If light is an issue in your kitchen, plumping for a nice light oak worktop will pay major dividends in the enjoyment of your kitchen and the cooking you do in it.
Although it’s fun to break the rules with solid wood worktops, it’s safe to say, that dark wood worktops are normally teamed with state of the art, modern kitchen units or antique style units to create a more ‘extreme’ look. That said, an extremely dark wood worktop works really well with stainless steel too, creating an almost monochrome look. If you’re looking for more of a middle of the road or shabby chic type look, then there’s no getting away from the fact that a light coloured wood worktop will top off your design perfectly.
No matter how messy and “allergic” you are to housework, most people accept that it’s important to keep your kitchen reasonably clean and tidy in order to avoid the risk of illness from food preparation. That said, if you’re not someone who likes to wipe down all your surfaces on a regular basis, it’s probably worth avoiding a dark wood worktop, particularly if you live in a dusty environment. Dark wood worktops, while they will hide stains and spills slightly better than light coloured wood worktops, show dust and need regular dusting down. Light wood worktops on the other hand need fast attention to spills to avoid stains, but will hide dust more effectively, so do be honest with yourself on this point before making your choice J.
No matter the size, the lighting or the look of your kitchen or whether you arm a cloth with pride or with reluctance, you can always go mad and break all the rules. What we mean by this is plan to mix light and dark coloured wood worktops to create a unique and stunning effect. Think about things like using one option on an island and another on your units. Although this may sound a bit odd at first, with the right planning it can create a really original and design-led kitchen on a shoestring.
If you’re struggling to decide between dark or light solid wood worktops, why not get in touch? At Wood and Beyond we’ll give you impartial advice to help you make the very best choice for your project.