What Granite Goes Well With Birch Cabinets?

Granite Choices

• Granite comes in a wide range of color tones and patterns. The main consideration in making your selection is color. Warmer hues will contribute to a convivial atmosphere that is cozy and friendly. Cooler hues have a clean and serene effect. Decide which kind of color is more appealing to you and fits with the way you use the space. Granites with smaller patterns create a smoother, less active surface than larger patterns that attract the eye with bigger shapes and more contrast. If your windows face north or east, your space will have cooler natural light. You can balance this effect with a warmer granite tone. If your windows face south or west, the natural light will be warm, and a cooler granite tone will create balance.

Birch Finishes

• The natural color of birch cabinets is a lovely, warm, light cream color or a reddish brown tone. These rich neutral tones complement all colors, light or dark, warm or cool. However, birch is a close-grained hardwood that also successfully takes on many finish colors, so a variety of birch color tones are offered in most cabinet lines.

Floor Color

• The floor color in the space is a consideration in choosing the granite and cabinet colors. If the floor tone is dark, lighter granite and cabinet colors will lift the spirits of the room and create balance. If the floor color is light, the granite and the cabinet tones may be dark or light. Kitchen rugs will subtly modify the tone of the floors, if necessary.

Appliance Color

• Appliance colors are also a consideration in choosing the hues for granite and the cabinets. Most appliances have neutral tones, such as stainless steel, black or white. However, these neutral tones affect the lightness and darkness in the space. For example, if the cabinets, floors and appliances are all in deep color tones, the room may begin to seem smaller and more closed in. A lighter tone of granite could provide some balance.

Paint color

• Paint is the easiest and least expensive design component to modify, and can tie the cabinets, floors and countertops together into a harmonious design. Choosing a wall color from one of the tones in the granite is one way to effectively link the various design elements of space.