Add a hint of colour with tonal highlights Contrast your shiny white kitchen cabinets and worktops with flooring, wall paint or tiles and ceiling paint in a tonal colour palette to keep the look uniform and sophisticated.
It's a fickle business, but if there's one thing we know to be true it's this: decorate for you, and you only. High gloss, contemporary, slab front cabinetry was all the rage not so long ago. But they've taken a dip in popularity over the last few years, making way for more traditional-style kitchen trends.
Cream gloss kitchens pair well with stone worktops to create a contemporary kitchen look or opt for a classic shaker kitchen and wooden worktops for a traditional look. You can also mix and match your kitchen neutral colours with cream and sage or go for a warm look pairing cream with natural wood tones.
Icy blue and grey tones
For a seamless design experience, choose pale blue and grey shades of paint that are also featured in adjoining rooms. Add brass or copper fittings, and houseplants for an extra pop of colour.
The Pros of a Gloss Finish
Combined with the latest kitchen appliances, your gloss kitchen will be ultra-modern and impress any guest! Another reason to choose gloss, especially if you're working with a small kitchen, is that gloss finishes make the room look and feel bigger.
Drawbacks of High Gloss Kitchen Cabinets
Visible smudges and fingerprints - Due to the reflection of so much light fingerprints, dirt and scratches are much more noticeable on high-gloss kitchen cabinets than they are on matt or semi-gloss cabinets.
The skilful combination of colours and textures is a central element of perfect interior design. This also includes the combination of glossy and matt surfaces in the same colour. The juxtaposition of matt and gloss creates dynamism and gives the room depth, character and a touch of avant-garde elegance.
Classic Grey. A timeless yet impactful direction has to be the classic grey tile, which perfectly complements white kitchen cabinetry. It brings luxury into any cooking space, especially if you opt for an oversized slate style.
Create contrast – add a spot of drama in an all white kitchen by mixing different finishes, for example by pairing gloss cabinets with a natural stone worktop, or combining matt cabinets with a shiny splashback.
Since kitchens are such a busy part of a home and often need extra cleaning, a satin or semi-gloss finish is the best options. Satin and eggshell finishes are commonly believed to be the same, but in fact, satin is a bit shinier. Satin finishes are easy to clean and good at standing up to mildew, stains and dirt.
Capable of creating an unrivalled natural contrast to your cream kitchen, greys and blacks are especially striking in our marble effect floor tile range.
Yes, cream kitchen cabinets are making a stylish comeback in 2024 and 2025. Their neutral tone provides a versatile backdrop that fits both traditional and contemporary kitchens, making them a popular choice among homeowners and designers alike.
Neutrals, blonde and warm-toned woods, and earthy hues like soft pinks and browns are defining features of 2024, bringing comfort and a timeless appeal into the home.
However, if you want a highly reflective finish that will make your kitchen feel more spacious, glossy is the way to go. If you prefer a slightly more subdued shine that's still highly durable, then semi-gloss is the better option.
Gloss kitchens: Cons
The reflective surface can be one of the biggest problems with high gloss kitchen doors as they can require more regular cleaning than matt kitchens. This is because the reflection can make minor blemishes like dirt, fingerprints, and scratches seem more noticeable.
A white kitchen serves as a blank canvas that can either be subtly improved by adding lighter colours such as white, beige and grey or boldly contrasted with the choice of a bright colour such as red, yellow or even orange!
Natural texture pieces like jute rugs, seagrass mats, and other items made of natural materials can be used to layer texture and add warmth to a white kitchen. You can also choose window treatments made from wood or woven materials. The roman shade above the sink was an early addition to our DIY White Kitchen.
If you want a chic, durable option for your kitchen tile flooring, marble-look porcelain tiles are a top trend to watch in 2024!
Matte-finish tiles are dull and do not reflect light like gloss-finish tiles. Hence, they are more appropriate for larger kitchens. Matte-finish tiles in compact kitchens can make the kitchen look and feel smaller, unless the rest of it is carefully designed to counteract this effect.
While the world of style is constantly changing, there's a clear trend we're noticing crop up more and more in 2024: Matte and Satin finishes. While the industry has been moving away from glossy finishes for a while, it seems like this is going to be one of the top years for low-sheen floors.
Since gloss kitchens are so sleek – especially handleless high gloss kitchens – it's easy to wipe them clean in the event of smudges or spillages.
Combining different styles of kitchen cabinet
Combining different styles of cabinet door is a very effective way of adding visual interest to a kitchen. One great option involves mixing and matching traditional Shaker style cabinets with contemporary slab doors and drawers.
They were used in modern kitchens with a space-age aesthetic – but it was a style that fell out of fashion for the flattest, most-matte cabinetry styles which are, by in large, still in fashion today. However, we're now starting to see high gloss return to kitchen design, albeit in a different form.