One of the biggest features of your kitchen, if not the biggest, is the units you choose. Whether you go for matt or gloss, the finish has a big impact on the overall look and style of your kitchen. Since both finishes are highly durable, easy to clean, and suit contemporary designs, it can be hard to decide on which one will work best in your kitchen.
We’ve shared what each finish has to offer, and some key differences between matt and gloss to help you choose the units that will suit your style and look great in your home.
Gloss
High gloss units create an elegant statement in the kitchen, and work well as the standout feature of a room with their sleek, glossy finish.
With the ability to reflect light, gloss units create a sleek, modern look and makes the room appear more open and spacious, making them a great choice for small kitchens. Position the units at eye level to have the most amount of light in the room reflected.
Remember that the lighter the colour of the units, the more light will be reflected and therefore the more spacious the room will appear. That being said, even a dark colour like black will still capture the light and give the room a hit of brightness that will make it appear bigger.
With gloss units, it’s important to choose your colour wisely as the shiny finish creates a bold impact even in a more muted shade. Since the light will reflect off the units, it can catch other colours in the room which can make the units look off-colour. Therefore, it is often recommended to stick to one colour palette for a kitchen with gloss units.
That being said, pairing two contrasting bold colours for your gloss units can create an interesting and unique look as the colours bounce off each other, creating an incredibly stylish and modern aesthetic if it’s done right.
Matt
Matt units have a more smooth and subdued look, which is great for achieving a minimal interior style in your kitchen that is equally as stylish as a glossy finish.
With light being absorbed rather than reflected, the colour of the units remains consistent and solid even in low lighting or from a different angle, which gives the room a slightly warmer feel and more options for choosing your colour.
You could opt for pale colours to make a small space appear bigger, choose black or dark grey for a contemporary look, or go for a bold colour choice to inject some personality into your kitchen - the soft finish will prevent the units from looking too bright and over the top. You could even combine more than one shade a lot more easily, as the units won’t reflect the colours of the rest of the room like a gloss finish.
Matt units can still create a dramatic and striking look in your kitchen, but since their appearance is more muted, it allows you to add bold features elsewhere in the kitchen, such as the dining set or splash back. Alternatively, you could choose soft, upholstered chairs in your dining set to match the softness in the matt finish of the units, to create an understated elegant look.