Homeowners renovating estate kitchens face a seemingly insurmountable task of trying to find the best kitchen countertop and cabinet combinations to match chosen kitchen themes, estate’s décor and guest and public expectations.
For your next estate kitchen renovation project, consider these three common themes and popular countertop and cabinet combinations:
Coastal
With a coastal estate kitchen theme, the goal is to open the kitchen to make it so that as the light changes it is brightly lit and airy one moment and stormy the next like the seaside.
One of the best ways to achieve this atmosphere is by combining light-colored butcher block countertops, or natural or engineered stone with straight or single-beveled edges in light sand or pebble designs, with cabinetry featuring upper standard overlay six to eight panel flat clear glass doors and bottom flat panel vertical groove doors. To complement the combination, coat the cabinets in bright white or light grey laminate and use doorknobs and drawer pulls crafted from burnished brass or stainless steel.
Rustic
The best combination for estate kitchens along rustic lines focuses on open shelving, decorative accenting and rich colors.
A popular combination is stone countertops with decorative beveled or ogee edges coupled with a mix of upper and lower open shelves and fronts featuring recessed center square or arched designs and decorative accessories such as crown molding, grape or acanthus appliqués, grape or scrolled corbels and fluted fillers. Although color combinations vary based on lighting and personal preference, focus on dark or light countertops and dark cherry stained, or solid or hand-distressed antique white, blue, black or green painted, cabinetry and colonial, antique or flat black or oil-rubbed bronze hardware.
Modern
Although a modern estate kitchen can have any countertop and cabinet combination, the best modern designs maintain clean, straight lines throughout with hardware, appliance, backsplash and furniture choices serving as room accents instead of decorative additions.
A popular modern choice is natural or man-made stone in a light or dark color with eased edges coupled with dark stained or painted wood cabinetry featuring full overlay slab or flat, single panel shaker upper and lower fronts accented with bright, polished bar-style door and drawer hardware in stainless steel or satin nickel. If you have a kitchen with an island or bar, enhance the look with a waterfall edge design that carries the counter material down one or both sides of lower cabinetry.
