Cream kitchens are perennially popular as they suit any style and period of property and provide a neutral background to your choice of appliances, worktops and accessories.
There are so many shades of cream that you can create a huge amount of variance through using different tones on cabinetry, skirting boards, walls, worktops and soft furnishings. Cream can be pared with beige, buff and brown tones for a neutral scheme, enlivened with primary colours or mixed with black for a monochrome design. Alternatively, you may decide to go for a bolder colour on your cabinetry and use cream as the ‘accessory’ for appliances, worktops and walls.
A cream kitchen is timeless and classic giving your space longevity that can be updated easily and affordably by changing accessories to suit your changing style.
What worktops suit cream kitchens?
The choices and types of kitchen worktops is wider than ever before and includes a huge range of natural materials and man-made options.
In most cases, a darker tone will set off lighter cabinetry well. If you prefer a more neutral scheme opt for beige or brown tones, either plain or with a pattern. Wooden worktops look beautiful with cream kitchens and the ranges of man-made wood effect are now extremely realistic and easier to maintain than real wood. These particularly suit more traditional designs and period properties.
Dark grey and black worktops are very popular and pare well with stainless steel and black appliances for a clean, contemporary appearance.
What tiles match a cream kitchen?
Kitchen tiles come in a huge range of colours, textures and sizes to suit traditional and contemporary designs.
Your choice should ideally be dictated by style, price, maintenance and suitability. For neutral schemes, go for complementary colours in cream, buff and terracotta hues and play with texture and pattern to add layering.
Add a pop of colour with greens, blues and soft pinks or opt for a monochrome scheme with the huge range of dark grey and black tiles available.
Ensure that whatever range you opt for is durable easy to clean and stain resistant. If the tiles are for a splash-back behind a hob or sink, ensure they are suitable for heat and water exposure.
What are the best colours to complement a cream kitchen?
The beauty of a cream kitchen is that almost any colour complements it.
If you have opted for black or stainless steel appliances and darker worktops, then you may want to use lighter colours for the walls and use accent colours for accessories and soft furnishings. Alternatively if your style is more contemporary then neutral or monochrome designs, using a palette of white, cream and buff for walls, worktops and accessories is very effective.
A pop of colour can be introduced through brightly coloured appliances, an eye-catching accent wall colour, patterned blinds and cushions or a statement piece of art which draws the eye.
Darker colours suit any style of property, and green and blue tones are very popular at the moment, replacing the shades of grey we have seen over the past few years. Don’t be afraid to use dark colours in north facing rooms, the right tone will make a room look cosier rather than gloomy and can really lift a cream kitchen.
How to accessorise a cream kitchen
Cream kitchens can be very easily accessorised as most colours will complement it.
How you choose to accessorise depends on your style and budget and may be as easy as introducing a pop of colour with fresh tea-towels, pretty plants and bright and cheerful crockery.
For neutral themes, consider layering with different types of fabric, textured furnishings, wallpaper and tonal crockery and appliances.
Bolder designs can introduce pattern and colour through soft furnishings, smaller appliances and wall colours to great effect.
What door handles work with cream cabinets?
Most types of door handle will complement cream cabinets but the style depends on whether you want a more traditional or contemporary design.
There are a huge range of styles, colours and textures available and a mix of materials to suit all tastes. These range from traditional black ironmongery and painted wood handles to more contemporary choices such as stainless steel and burnished brass.
When choosing your handles, consider the durability, how easy they will be to clean, the size (make sure they are the right size for your hands) and the texture.
Consider choosing a different style of handle for drawers and doors to create a contrast and subtle design detail.
Getting the right kitchen lighting can be as important as what cooker to buy but is often a secondary consideration. The right lighting will add ambience to your space, be it bright light for cooking or low level spotlights for evening entertaining. This great guide by homes portal Homify gives a straightforward account on the different types of lighting and how to achieve the right effect in your home. First up, our stunning Hampshire kitchen with beautiful smoked glass pendant lights! Decisions decisions….
Lewis Alderson is very proud to support Aldro School in the fundraising for their new Sports Hall by donating this beautiful Walnut chopping board as prize for the raffle at their upcoming fundraising Ball. The prize also comes with a free kitchen consultation and design for the winning bidder. Good Luck to everyone and we hope we can raise a useful donation for the childrens exciting new facility!
Bronze and copper finishing is making a comeback in some of the most exclusive residences in London and around England. Here I show a bronze/copper effect polished plaster splash back created by Lewis Alderson’s Master Finisher. He has mixed the copper tone with a complimentary silver grey to really highlight the effect. Lewis Alderson undertake specialist finishes in all areas of the house not just the kitchen. Please call and speak to one of our directors about your requirements on 0845 474 0854.
When the final stages of the installation process approach ones mind starts to consider the other finishing touches to the kitchen such as soft furnishings, feature lights and what makes the best back splash. Another common question we’re asked is what we recommend for bar stools that work well with a new Lewis Alderson kitchen.
My first piece of advice is that bar stools look best in multiples, you can’t just have one as they look so solitary. There’s a sculptural quality to the backs of the stools when aligned at the Island. You’ll be looking at the back more than anything else, so make sure you’re happy with every angle, specifically that one, before you buy.
It is also important to think about the amount of time you’ll actually be sitting on one. If you’re just going to use them for having a quick coffee and not lounging for hours, then wood or metal seats are perfectly fine. But if the stools are meant for dining over longer periods or in a kitchen where people like to relax, go with a bigger upholstered almost chair like variety. We’re happy to advise where to source the stools featured or other products for different settings, any excuse for us to do a bit more shopping!
A recent discovery of ours is Kin Knives, beautifully hand made Kitchen knives, imported from Japan. The knives are exclusively designed and made for Kin who feature a generous range for use in all aspects of food preparation in the kitchen. including blade care, chopping boards and maintenance.
Company Director Harriet Murland, kindly demonstrated the simple but essential ritual of keeping a kin blade sharp. We were amazed at their precision and sharpness, cutting wafer thin see-through slices of vegetables with ease. Each knife is unique and so beautiful due to the laminated blades that have a wonderful marbling to the steel.
Our particular favourite is the Tanaka Santoku, a perfect all round prep knife, beautifully presented in a gift box. It would make the perfect gift for any budding Gordon Ramsay (who by the way, has a signature range), or any number of celebrity chefs who choose to use Kin Knives. After all, if it’s good enough for Gordon, it’s good enough for us.
We recently visited the BBC good food show in Birmingham and one of my missions was to meet the Team from Ramsay of Carluke. Family butchers for over 150 years and purveyors of the country’s finest Black pudding and traditionally cured bacon. Ramsays take great pride in the exceptional quality, flavour and texture of their traditional meat products.
Andrew Ramsey said: “We use only Farm Assured, outdoor bred pigs to produce Traditional Ayrshire Bacon, Black Pudding, Sausages, Free Range Pork and Cooked Hams, as well as some of the tastiest Haggis in the world. We also supply succulent pork and matured Scottish grass-fed beef, including farm assured Aberdeen Angus.”
Only the finest ingredients to grace anyone’s pantry freshly packed for overnight delivery. So I had to buy a couple of full black puddings, the texture was amazing and the flavour was truly the best I have ever had! Ramsey have a website that provide overnight delivery to anywhere in the UK and I can’t wait to try their other products!
Here is a great little Black Pudding recipe to warm up those cold January mornings!
BLACK PUDDING, POACHED EGG AND SOLDIERS
1. Bring a pan of water to the boil and add a pinch of salt and a splash of vinegar. Heat a medium-sized frying pan to high and add a little olive oil. Pull the skin off your black pudding and crumble it into the pan. When it starts to crisp, pop your bread in the toaster. When the pudding looks and tastes done, spoon it onto kitchen paper to drain on the worktop while you poach your eggs.
2. Stir the boiling water to create a motion that will help the egg white wrap around neatly. Crack in the eggs (you might want to do 3 in case you break one). They will cook in a few minutes, depending on how you like them.
3. Butter your toast and smear it with a thin layer of Marmite. Cut each slice into soldiers. Serve a poached egg next to the toast, sprinkle over the black pudding and you’re away!
The Nordic TWINTAPS Round is the first tap set with a boiling water and mixer tap in the same finish. The boiling water tap has an added safety feature. When the tap handle is touched an LED ring lights up to alert the user that it is a boiling water tap. Due to the grooves on the side the Quooker is also easily recognised.
At Lewis Alderson we love the boiling water tap and every client that has it designed into their kitchen absolutely loves it! One comment that keeps coming up is “we can’t believe how much time we used to waste waiting for the kettle to boil”. Now the Quooker has a matching mixer tap the system has become even more appealing to our clients!
