Majjie's Blog

I've had a question from Caroline - asking for some ideas as to what sort of kitchen would go with the Falcon range cooker and fridge-freezer that she's decided to buy - both in China Blue. 

She hasn't given me any clues - as to whether she wants a modern or traditional look - or as to what her kitchen is like ... big, small, well lit or dark. I thought I'd have a look at a few options though ...

My first thought was that a cream kitchen would look good:

I've just pinched someone else's kitchen here (one that I designed earlier) ... to try out the colours. The units are inset framed in style - which may not be to Caroline's taste - but with an overall modern look. There was already a 900mm range cooker in the design (a stainless steel one) - so I just swapped it for a Falcon 900S cooker in China Blue. Again this may not be the right model - but it fitted!

Looks a bit insipid, I think - even with the dark granite either side of the cooker. If you mix China Blue with cream, then I think you probably need a darker floor too. So I changed that:

That's better - I like that combination. But what if the units were oak? Oak shaker doors are a good choice for a classic kitchen. They can be made to look modern or traditional, depending on what handles and accessories you put with them:

Mmm ... I don't dislike that ... but the oak and blue are a similar tone ...

What do you mean - I haven't changed all the units! Do you think I've got time to waste!? Anyway it's very trendy to mix and match finishes.

I think a darker wood might look good. How about walnut ...?

The very dark granite worktops wouldn't work so well with walnut, so I've changed them to a stony coloured quartz (please note: they're NOT white ... white worktops are a nightmare to keep clean!).

I really like that combination. A slightly darker, mottled, stony coloured floor with walnut units (or some other dark woodgrain finish ... could even be very modern units with flat doors) and a pale stony worktop. The contrast between the blue and the dark wood gives you a bit of wow factor and the kitchen would look good whatever size it was. It wouldn't be too dark, even if the kitchen doesn't get a lot of light.

That's what I'd go for Caroline!