Gloss or Matt Kitchens from Kitchens Direct NI
For some people whether they want a Gloss or Matt kitchen design is an easy decision and they have an immediate preference for the look and qualities of one over the other. But this is not the case for all! So if you have no immediate inclination based on looks, and like both Matt and Gloss, how do you decide whether a Gloss or Matt kitchen would be the best choice for you?
Gloss and Matt kitchens, can form the basis of visually stunning designs that are timeless in appearance, easy to maintain, and highly durable.
High Gloss Kitchens
Quality of construction is essential to the kitchen’s appearance but it is also important to recognise that Gloss kitchen colours can look slightly different in appearance within different settings. Eye level units usually receive and reflect more light but can also reflect other colours within the room, for example if you include orange lighting, or colour-changing LED lights this will alter the visual appearance of the door. Meanwhile in any kitchen area where the Gloss finish is below waist-level it can be difficult to tell if it is Gloss or not because there is less light hitting the surface to produce a reflection.
So from the offset it is strongly advisable to seek help from an experienced designer in determining the Gloss colour and effect you want, and establishing complimentary decor, essentially how kitchen lighting will affect this.
Accomplish this, and you will be able to fully appreciate the beauty of the high Gloss kitchen! Its appeal lies in the polished lustre of the door’s smooth finish, reflecting light from both natural and artificial light sources for an elegant kitchen shine, and bright kitchen space. But in conjunction with its looks, the Gloss kitchen possesses other qualities too:
High Gloss kitchen qualities
Highly polished Gloss kitchen doors reflect light back across the kitchen, as apparent in the door’s visible surface reflections. The effect of this is an elegant look but the reflected light also creates the impression of a larger room, particularly within lighter Gloss kitchen colours. The smoother the surface and lighter the colour tone, the more light is reflected and the bigger and brighter a kitchen space will appear. For this reason, a white Gloss kitchen is the best choice for a small kitchen where it is essential to maximise the space, or for anyone else to whom a light bright kitchen space is a prerequisite.
Gloss kitchens are available in a wide range of colours including some that are exclusive to Gloss such as within Gloss acrylic or Gloss lacquer.
The quality of the Gloss finish is important within light Gloss kitchen colours but of even greater significance within darker colours. High quality kitchen furniture within dark tones creates an impressive shine with deep reflections.
Gloss kitchens are easy to wipe clean with just an e-cloth and water, making them a stylish and practical choice for families, enthusiastic cooks, or pet owners who regularly have to mop up splashes and spills. However Gloss finishes can show fingerprints which is something parents should consider. If you anticipate this occurring in your kitchen then a two tone kitchen arrangement with Matt or textured base units, but high Gloss wall units may prevent this being a problem.
Why choose handleless for a Gloss kitchen finish?
If struggling to decide between a Gloss or Matt kitchen finish it is also worth thinking about whether you want a handled or handleless kitchen, as Gloss kitchens are always best in conjunction with the handleless kitchen style! The reason is that handled kitchens attract more dirt as it can gather in and around the handles, making them harder to clean. But what does this have to do with a Gloss kitchen finish?
A Handleless kitchen means touching the door surface less frequently as you open by curving your fingers round the top edge of the door and pulling it forward. Essentially this means you aren’t touching the door’s surface, reducing the likelihood of fingerprints on the Gloss! Similarly, handleless kitchens are typically nudged or even pushed shut with a knee or foot, so don’t actually require touching the door, meaning the base units will stay clean for longer.
Matt Kitchen Finishes
As with Gloss kitchens, quality of construction is one of the leading requirements for achieving a successful Matt kitchen design. A high quality Matt finish can create one of the most stunning possible looks for a kitchen. As suggested by its name, it differs in appearance from the Gloss kitchen because it has a Matt surface, absorbing rather than reflecting light, for a muted rather than shiny appearance.
But a lack of shine in no way means the Matt kitchen is inferior to the Gloss, and it too has many qualities that make it an excellent kitchen option.
Matt kitchen qualities
The look of the Matt kitchen can be described as one of understated elegance. The doors have a smooth texture and continuous even colour, creating a sense of refined luxury. The Matt kitchen represents a more solid base of colour than a Gloss kitchen as it is not dependent on light to maintain a definitive hue. For example, in low lighting the unit won’t appear black but you will still be able to see consistency of colour.
Matt doors are available in a wider range of colours than Gloss doors, but like Gloss, also work in successful combination with other materials and tones.
The Matt kitchen is durable, scratch resistant and like the Gloss kitchen easy to clean, but with the added benefit of any fingerprint and smudge marks proving less noticeable.
As with Gloss kitchens white is the most popular kitchen colour choice and like Gloss, but to a lesser degree due to the lack of reflection, white Matt tones will also contribute to a kitchen space feeling light and bright. Second to white colours, grey tones are the next most popular colour option within a Matt kitchen finish.
So is a Gloss or Matt kitchen best?
Ultimately, whether a Gloss or Matt kitchen finish is best still comes down to personal preference so it’s really not about what’s best, but what is right for you. Arrange for our Designer to bring samples of each when he calls for your Home Design Visit and place within your new kitchen area so you can draw a comparison, ideally with your chosen lighting in place.
