How to Get the Perfect Two-Tone Kitchen Style

One of the hottest kitchen design styles of 2020 is two-tone kitchen cabinetry. Though all-white kitchens may have once been the rage, homeowners now are embracing color in a way that is both trendy and timeless.

The key to this look is to play with color without going to extremes. The two-tone style allows you to incorporate variations in hue and tone while still achieving a balanced, calm aesthetic.

If you’re curious how you can make this style work in your home, consider these three guidelines:

1. Variation in Color Tone

The two-tone style doesn’t work by just pairing any random two colors. Instead, you really want to pay attention to variations in tonality.

For example, you might choose just one color, say blue, and vary the tone with a darker blue for the lower cabinets and a lighter variation of that same shade for the upper cabinets.

If you do want to incorporate two distinct colors, make sure to pay attention to their brightness factor in addition to tonality. For example, you might do darker blue lower cabinets with a correspondingly lighter tone of off-white for the upper ones. Or, you might pick a bright orange as an accent color on just one wall, balanced out by a neutral shade throughout the rest of the cabinets.

If you’re not sure about fully embracing the two-tone look, you can still incorporate these basic color principles into some of your kitchen accents. For example, you might choose to paint just your crown molding in a slightly lighter or darker shade to create a well-defined border.

2. A Study in Contrasts

Another way to think about color in a two-tone kitchen is to choose material elements that will contrast the undertones of your main color scheme.

For example, if you choose a cool blue color for your cabinets, you could pair this with dark stained wood or stone for your furniture and/or countertops. A white kitchen with black cabinets and gray accents could pair nicely with a light blonde shade of wood.

3. Strategic Neutrals

One design principle that stylists love is the 60-30-10 rule. This principle can help you achieve visual balance in your color palette. The idea is that approximately 60% of the kitchen should be the dominant color, with about 30% in a secondary color and the remaining 10% in an accent color.

If you’re experimenting with a two-tone kitchen design, it can be a good idea to choose a neutral shade for your accent color. For example, you could use white in a few strategic places around the sightline to give the eyes a place to “rest” as they take in your main colors.

One of the best common tools you can use as you start to plan for a two-tone kitchen is the color wheel, which you can use to determine analogous colors, complementary colors, and matching undertones. You may also want to bring in some professional expertise to make sure you get a pleasing color palette.

To explore two-tone possibilities for your kitchen cabinets and get a complimentary kitchen design, give our team at RTA Wood Cabinets a call at: 800-788-7575.