Trust Us On This One

We all know the kitchen is typically the most impactful room in a house, but did you know that we spend more than 300 hours a year in there? It’s a shared space that is in constant use and often the central hub of family life. Whether you entertain frequently, using your kitchen to host big dinner parties or the most used appliances are the microwave and espresso maker, your kitchen design reflects your tastes. It not only needs to be functional and a comfortable place for the entire family, but it should look good too.

Over the years we’ve worked in and seen some kitchens that may have missed the mark, taste wise, but did reflect the homeowners design proclivities, with a style all their own. It’s safe to say we have seen it all and know what works and what doesn’t. One colorful kitchen cabinet trend that’s been working really well in recent years is two-toned and uses contrasting colors for different parts of the kitchen and different sets of cabinets.

There are so many great ways of using two-tone cabinets in your kitchen that almost anything goes. At N-Hance Boise we’ve refinished cabinets in contrasting finishes or made use of an accent color in every style of kitchen imaginable, from ultra-modern to rustic cottage and everything in between. We think it’s safe to say the two-tone cabinet look can be amazing, great for highlighting specific design features in the kitchen and it’s definitely here to stay.

Some Of Our Designs

We couldn’t be happier with the results of our many two-tone cabinet refinishing jobs and want to show off a few. It’s so popular right now that we have examples of this design in a variety of kitchen styles and want to show you just how stunning this look can be when done right. Take a look and feel free to share some of these great examples of our work. Most of these were done by us here in Boise, with a few coming from our fellow N-Hance owners across the country.

Contemporary

With almost unlimited options for two-tone cabinets, one of the most prevalent kitchen designs right now has a combination of white wall cabinets with dark base cabinets. We’ve refinished the base in colors from light gray to espresso and everything in between. The navy blue in this kitchen is one of the trendy colors right now and we have done a lot of variations on this look. The idea behind this combination is to distinguish the look of the floor from the walls and the dark cabinets create a separation that lets the eye focus on those areas more easily. This style of two-tone cabinets often starts with a kitchen that’s all white to begin with and the owners want to change the open, and sometimes flat feel that can happen without a splash of color.

Modern

This variation on the two-tone look does a couple of things in this somewhat small but modern kitchen. The dark cabinets match well with the bar and countertop surfaces creating a defined entryway and border for this space. While the white cabinets in the back help create a more open look to expand the feel of this kitchen. Another idea behind this design often focuses on what’s in the cabinets…a light color for the dishes and glassware with darker cabinets housing the pots, pans and appliances. One thing is certain…the dark color of the natural stonework surface creates a really defined line where the look transitions and it causes the eye to just stop and take it all in before continuing down.

Islands

An island is usually a natural focus of the kitchen since they’re almost always in the center of the space and often have a large and unique work surface. We do a lot of cabinet refinishing jobs like this one and they always offer just a little more appeal to the otherwise muted kitchen. The island’s seafoam accent color on the shaker style cabinets offers the perfect contrast to the surrounding cream-colored cabinets of the style. Without the accent color, often the island cabinets will be different in style than the wall cabinets to help create a contrasting look without a different finish. We like it better with a splash of color, don’t you? It can also help set apart a beautiful island countertop that sometimes gets lost against a similarly colored floor.

Retro

To help maintain the retro look of this kitchen the cabinets are refinished in different shades of the same color, with the same texture. The backsplash creates a soft transition from the wall cabinets to the floor cabinets as they darken a shade or two. The island cabinets are refinished in a somewhat bolder color which helps draw the eye and keeps the gray floor from washing away the look of the wall cabinets. Two-tone designs don’t always need extremely different colors to create a nice look, like we see here. Also, the cabinet hardware was a smart choice and offers a subtle but perfect compliment to the other retro features in this open kitchen.

Traditional

If you thought two-tone cabinets only worked in contemporary kitchen designs, think again. Yes, the look is more popular there but here’s a great example of more traditional looking cabinets that were refinished to create something really unique. We have done a handful of kitchen updates where the hood was the only thing different than the rest of the kitchen cabinets. Here they matched the hood to the wall cabinets, refrigerator and floor cabinets all on the same wall. That side of the kitchen pulls you in past the contrasting white island and over the breakfast bar which is finished in a combination of the other two colors. The two-tone style in his kitchen does a great job in featuring the natural stone countertops which complement the backsplash extremely well…especially in the cooking area where the brick backsplash goes all the way up the wall. That much surface area balances well with the expansive countertops.

Two-Tone Cabinets By N-Hance Boise

With the right planning, an eye for color and cabinet design, the number of amazing looks that can be created using accent colors and two-tone finishes is limited only by the imagination. These examples look amazing and are just a few inspirational ideas for you to consider when remodeling your kitchen or updating the cabinets. Looking for a little more inspiration? Spend a few minutes in our gallery or schedule an appointment to come by the showroom. There we can walk you through all of your options and give you a close up look at why our refinishing services create a better look and stronger finish than painting.