4 Common Mistakes to Avoid with Two-Tone Kitchens

July 16, 2019

Two-tone kitchens, or two-color kitchens, feature a design theme that focuses on two separate colors. Usually, the result is two-tone kitchen cabinets where upper cabinets are a different color than lower cabinets or the cabinets of a kitchen island are a different color than cabinets in the rest of the kitchen. When done right, a two-tone kitchen can create a unique, fresh look in your kitchen. When done wrong, it can make your kitchen look “off” or poorly designed. Here are some common mistakes to avoid with two-tone kitchens:

Mistake #1 – Having Too Many Focal Points

The more elements you add to a room, the harder it can be to make sure they work together. With two-tone kitchens, it’s easy to get caught up in colors and start applying them everywhere and including them in other decor elements.

You do want to add coordinating decor elements to help bring things together, but you also want to make sure the room has balance. Instead of having a bunch of different focal points that can easily overwhelm the room, stick with one focal point. This gives you an anchor for the room and makes it a little easier to coordinate elements around the rest of the room with it.

Mistake #2 – Choosing Colors That Clash

With two-tone kitchens, it’s important to get your colors right. It is possible to pair two bright and bold colors together, but it’s also easy to get this wrong and end up with colors that clash horribly.

Picking out color palettes beforehand, especially with the help of a designer, can help you choose colors that will work well together in your two-color kitchen. You can go with a neutral palette, pick a neutral and a bright or bold color for contrast, or even pair two bold colors together.

Mistake #3 – Not Thinking About Placement of Colors

Once you have your colors picked out, it’s important to also carefully consider the placement of those colors. Not thinking about this ahead of time and making a decision on the fly can affect the look and feel of your kitchen and, oftentimes, not in a good way.

You can break or bend design rules and still end up with a great look. But, this is usually recommended when you have an experienced designer as a resource to help ensure it works and still fits with all the other elements of your kitchen.

Still, there are some general guidelines to follow with color placement in a two-tone kitchen. If your color pair features a dark and a light color, it’s generally recommended to put the darker color on lower cabinets and the lighter color on upper cabinets.

You can also put the darker color on the kitchen island and the lighter color on all the cabinets aside from the island. This can help the room seem more open while also helping the darker, bolder color stand out even more.

Mistake #4 – Focusing Only on Trends

Another common mistake is to choose colors based on what is on-trend right now, regardless of what you might like long-term or how it might look a few years from now. You want to make sure the colors you are choosing are colors that you will enjoy seeing over time and that will withstand the “test of time”.

It’s fine to get experimental, especially with more temporary decor elements. But, you want to make sure you’re sticking with color combinations you know will work well together for the more permanent aspects of the kitchen. Testing samples can also go a long way in helping to ensure the colors you’ve chosen will work well in your kitchen.

There are a lot of options to consider with a two-tone kitchen, especially if you get textures involved. By keeping these common mistakes to avoid with two-tone kitchens in mind and checking out some design tips for two-tone kitchens, you can skip over the pitfalls and get a look that works well for your kitchen.

Navigating design details can get complicated with one room, let alone a house full of rooms! Instead of getting overwhelmed, partner with a custom home builder with an in-house design/build process to help you cover all the details with ease and get the look and feel you want in your home. If you’re ready to make your dream home a reality, contact Custom Home Group at 717-284-4090!