Italian Design kitchen cabinets

If you're looking to add some visual interest and contrast in your kitchen, you may want to consider two-toned kitchen cabinets. This design flourish will allow you to add color diversity to your kitchen, and it can even help to emphasize the strengths of your kitchen space.

One of the most popular uses of two-toned cabinets is the creation of a focal point. This often takes the form of an island in a complementary or contrasting color or design from the rest of the cabinets. This can work particularly well for traditional designs without a lot of color or visual diversity.

Next up, designs where the top and bottom cabinets are painted in different tones have become quite popular. This technique works particularly well if there's a need to ground the bottom cabinets using a darker color, or if you're looking to create a cozier feel in your kitchen by "pulling the ceiling down" with a darker tone for the top cabinets.

Another tactic is to contrast finishes as well as colors. For example, a modern cabinet scheme in a dark brown contrasts beautifully with stainless steel cabinets, either in their familiar steel shade or in shades of red or deep blue.

Similarly, it's possible to break up a somewhat monotone natural wood color palette by painting a selection of cabinets—top, bottom or interspersed—with a gentle blue or red.

Lastly, consider combining hues from the walls into your cabinet design. While it's unlikely you want a perfect match, accenting two-toned cabinets with a hue from the same color family as the wall can be a great touch.