In many kitchen remodeling situations, designing the space from an aesthetic standpoint is a balancing act. There are several primary features of a kitchen, from cabinets and countertops to flooring and various fixtures or accessories, and blending them all together in purposeful ways goes a long way toward achieving optimal design.
At Creative Granite & Design, we offer not only a wide range of custom granite, quartz and other stone countertops, but also major expertise in all areas of a kitchen remodel where our products are involved. One particular area that gets a lot of attention here is coordinating floor tile color themes with those of the countertops you’re selecting – here are some basic tips we can offer down these lines, including why the countertops are usually the first area you should make your choices in.
Countertops Take Priority
There are a couple reasons why countertops should usually be chosen before floor tiles during a kitchen remodel, and the top one for many homeowners is cost. Countertops tend to be some of the highest-value items in a given kitchen, generally coming with significantly higher costs than floor tiles, and this is a great reason to select them first and use them as the design baseline.
In addition, countertops will be exposed to a greater variety of wear-and-tear throughout their lifespan. We’re not talking about total impact – floors obviously receive a lot of this, too, due to foot traffic. Rather, we’re talking about a diverse range of stressors, from food contact to heat, cool temperatures, knives and various other kitchen accessories that may be used on the countertop. For these and cost-related reasons, countertops tend to hold priority.
Basic Schemes and Accents
As you get going with your countertop and tile selection, you should enter this process with a general idea of your desired color scheme. In many cases, we recommend choosing at least one (or maybe two) dominant colors, plus a third accent color to use for smaller areas.
Color Variations and Tiles
Within stones like granite or marble, it’s common to see minor variations in color, often in veins or other smaller formats. These color variations are often a perfect choice for tiles, serving as a beautiful accent that complements the overall appearance in several ways. Instead of viewing these variations as imperfections in the stone, consider them outlets open up your design capabilities.
Matching Colors
Finally, work to match your tile colors with the dominant and secondary colors of your cabinets. Consider colors of a similar hue for the primary color, but then contrasts for secondary colors that help keep the eyes moving and don’t stall them out with too much of a single color.
For more on matching floor tile aesthetics to your countertops, or to learn about any of our custom countertops, speak to the staff at Creative Granite & Design today.
