Can you ever have too much wood in a kitchen? This is a question we often get asked by people who have a wood floor and are contemplating a wooden worktop. What should they do? Should they forget the idea and go for granite or stainless steel or can they make a wood worktop “work” with their wood floor? In our view (and of course we’re a bit biased), you can’t have too much wood in a kitchen. If you think about it, a wood floor can be perfectly off set by some contrasting cabinet doors which are then topped off with a wood worktop. Where’s the problem? To be honest, the problems come when you don’t plan your wood combinations. Here are a few scenarios that we think could work really well. If you’re working around a floor that you don’t want to change, here are some helpful hints:
If you’ve got a light coloured oak floor, the chances are you’ll have an interesting array of markings on your floor, which create activity and interest at floor level. If this is the case, then it’s best to opt for a worktop that pretty much matches your floor or is almost without markings. When it comes to colour, matching light with light is really effective and can work well with either light or dark coloured cabinet doors.
If you have plenty of light in your room, you could opt for a complete contrast and team a really dark worktop with your light floor. That said, again if your floor has lots of interest, try to opt for a worktop with discreet markings. As a final option, depending on the age and condition of your floor, you could consider staining it to match the worktop look that you prefer.
If you’ve got a medium coloured floor, then the chances are you’re likely to want stick with the warm tones of your room and compliment this with a warm toned worktop. In fact the same message goes as with the light coloured floor. If your floor has lots of interest, either try to mimic the look of your floor in the worktop or go for a worktop that has very little markings. Trying to put two woods together that have lots of knots and patterns, but that are different is like putting flowery jeans with a checked top. While it can work, it takes a brave person to give it a try.
For anyone who has an almost black floor, unless they have lots of light in their kitchen, the best advice is probably to opt for a nice, light coloured wood worktop, unless you are planning extremely light coloured cabinet doors. With a dark floor, a dark worktop and dark cabinet doors, you’ll have a real challenge to spread light in your room, either naturally or artificially, so having one light element in the equation is important.
It may be that you opt for a dark worktop to tone with your dark floor and then combine the two with high gloss white or stainless steel cabinet doors. This would add contrast and style, while giving you the sought-after monochrome, modern look. That said, if you want to plump for a light coloured worktop, then the likes of a full stave, premium oak option would top the whole look off with class.
If it’s a new floor you’re planning, rather than your worktop, then here are our top tips:
If you happen to have a premium, full staves iroko worktop, then you can really choose any flooring option that takes your fancy. A real blank canvas, the premium grade iroko wood is virtually knot free and has a long and interesting grain. If your budget is tight, you could quite happily team this with a rustic grade floor that has lots of interest and when it comes to colour, you can simply choose whatever takes your fancy. Our personal preference would be to team this option off with a nice dark floor, but if you like a light and airy room, who are we to criticize?
If you’ve opted for a medium coloured oak worktop or have inherited one from a previous owner, then the chances are you’d be best to stick with a natural, neutral palette for the floor. Sticking to warm wood tones will give a cosy and homely feel to your room. The only thing to look out for here is that you don’t combine two woods that have lots of different markings. If your worktop has lots of markings, then it’s important to pick out a flooring option that has fewer markings or is perhaps aged or distressed to look as if it has been reclaimed from an old building.
If you’re working around a dark walnut worktop, the chances are you’re either desperate to stay with the theme or your desperate to add some light to the setting. The good news is that with a dark coloured worktop, either option will work. The only thing to watch again is that there isn’t too much action in the knots of the wood.
If you are concerned about swamping your room with too much wood, think creatively about having some of your worktop in wood and some in stainless steel or granite for example. If you look in interiors magazines you’ll get loads of inspiration to help you have the confidence to be brave. Even things like adding hot rods, curved edging or drainage grooves will add interest and make your project really original.
If you’d like to chat about wood worktops or wood floors, why not get in touch? At Wood and Beyond we’re passionate about both and will happily help you make the right decision for your project.
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