How to Match Floor Tile & Kitchen Cabinets
For a cohesive kitchen design, all the elements must work together in some way. This includes the floor tile and the kitchen cabinets. These two areas sit directly next to one another and take up a large percentage of the kitchen real estate. Making sure these two areas coordinate helps ensure that your total kitchen design is a success.
Style
One of the first things to look at when selecting your floor tiles and cabinets is to coordinate their style. Contemporary, slab style cabinets work best with floor tiles that have clean edges and narrow grout joints. Raised panel cabinets can handle multipiece pattern tile floors, as well as floors stone tiles. Cabinets that have strong lines or pronounced wood grain need a floor tile with equal character to stand up to them. This includes slate or tiles made to look like other materials, such as wood or fabric.
Color
The floor tile often needs to balance the colors in the rest of the kitchen. For example, a kitchen with light cabinets and dark counters would have a dark floor to provide balance. If going for a kitchen that uses multiple shades of one color or tone, choose floor tiles that pick up the darkest color in the kitchen cabinets. This can be the glaze color, or the darkest tone in a wood grain.
Size
The size of the tiles you choose is linked partially to the style you select. Sleek, contemporary kitchen cabinets work best with over-sized floor tiles that have fewer grout lines. Cabinets in antique farm kitchens may make use of smaller tiles that have a lot of variation in color. The smaller tile sizes mean that more variation is visible in the floor. Generally, however, tiles in modern kitchen should measure at least 12 inches in size. This size ensures that the floor isn’t broken up into a small grid, which can draw the eye to the floor.
Accents and Pattern
Tile pattern adds interest and design to the kitchen, but they don’t work with all cabinet styles. Contemporary kitchen cabinets can clash with floors that are too busy, but traditional style cabinets, raised panel cabinets and decorative cabinets can work beautifully with a pattern on the floor. Keep the size and style of the pattern in keeping with the cabinets, and let the pattern itself take last place in consideration. This lets the harmony of cabinets and tile show through.
Courtesy of homeguides.com