Selecting countertops with contrasting colors or materials can produce a striking effect in your kitchen, when it’s done right. Let’s look at some best practices for mixing and matching your kitchen countertops.

For appearance

Mixing and matching your countertops can create an incredible contrast that completes the design of the room. Maybe you’re a big fan of marble but think it would be too overpowering if the whole kitchen were made up of it. So, you could have a marble surface for the island in the center of the room, and a different material for the countertops surrounding it, for example. This could also resolve budgeting issues if you can’t afford to fit the entire room with a material such as marble.

The same goes for color as well as material. Dark countertops produce a dramatic look but can overwhelm a room, so contrasting this with some lighter colored surfaces can produce the look you’re after. You can use color variations to accentuate certain areas or features in the room to really pull everything together. If you want the kitchen island to be the focal point of the room, for example, then you could select a bolder colored surface for this area.

For functionality

While most mix and match design choices are done for the look they produce, it can also be a good technique for tailoring to different functions in your kitchen. For example, you may have different areas of the kitchen for preparing, cooking, eating, etc. You may not want the same material for all these areas.

Wood countertops aren’t the best choice for around the sink or areas where you do a lot of food prep as they are more porous than stone or laminate surfaces. But, you might choose a wood counter for a breakfast bar, for example, where you sit to eat. If you plan on doing a lot of baking in your kitchen, then you might design a dedicated area for this and use a different material for the rest of the surfaces. Natural stones like marble and granite are cool materials that provide the ideal surface for working with dough.

If you don’t want the design of your kitchen to look too one-dimensional, then mixing and matching your countertops can be very effective. You can apply these same principles when selecting the texture of your countertops, as well, or the edge profile of them. If you need any guidance for designing your dream kitchen, get in touch with Amanzi Marble, Granite & Tile for services around Winston Salem, Greensboro, High Point, and Kernersville.