How to create a contemporary, two-tone kitchen

When choosing your kitchen's colour scheme, we'd recommend bearing the 60-30-10 rule in mind. Essentially, this means that 60% of your room should be a dominant colour, 30% of it a secondary shade, and the final 10% an accent.

For example, in a two-tone kitchen, you may opt to have a dominant shade on your walls and top cabinets, the secondary shade on your bottom cabinets and the accent hue incorporated throughout your accessories. However, the options are almost endless when it comes to creating and styling your perfect two-tone kitchen!

If your kitchen is on the small side, then opt for a light dominant shade to add the illusion of extra space. Alternatively, if you have a spacious, open-plan kitchen, you can really enjoy getting creative with various shades, from the bright pops of colour, to the dark and dramatic.

The most classic way of creating a two-tone kitchen is by opting for different coloured cabinets. When doing this, you should always opt for the lighter shade on your top cupboards, as this will draw the eye upwards, and create the illusion of more space.

If you want to dip your toe into the trend, then tonal shading can be the perfect solution: opt for cream or pale grey on your top cupboards, and a darker shade of grey on the bottom.

Alternatively, pastel hues achieve a soft and welcoming look - opt for pretty pinks, baby blues or mint greens - which you can mix and match for a true ice cream dream; or keep it classic by pairing your chosen pastel with cream.

If dark and dramatic is more your style, be bold with a splash of royal navy on your bottom cabinets, which looks perfect when combined with a bright white.

If you prefer your cupboards to be uniform in colour, then you can still embrace a two-tone kitchen design. Simply add in a kitchen island (or a double island if you have the space and could do with an extra area for food preparation!) in a contrasting colour, to add a focal point to your room.

A matt-black kitchen with an ice-white island in the centre adds instant drama; as do bright pops of colour: think crimson red, sunshine yellow, aubergine, or sage green - perfect against a neutral backdrop of black, white, grey or cream.

Think outside the box, rather than mixing and matching various shades, embrace a two-tone kitchen design through the introduction of contrasting materials.

Sleek cabinetry with quartz or granite worktops look modern and stylish when paired with a blonde wood kitchen island (just make sure your worktops are consistent across all surfaces, to tie the constructing elements together).

If you don't have space for a kitchen island, you can still incorporate two different materials on your cupboards: opt for a wood finish on your top cabinets, and a high gloss laminate in black or white on your bottom cabinets.

Once you've chosen your dominant and secondary colours, it's time to add in the final flourishes of decoration through an accent colour,

Kitchen accessories and appliances such as the toaster, kettle, tea towels and artwork are all easy ways to add in that final splash of colour - and are also easily replaceable should you decide in a few years' time you wish to refresh your kitchen with a new accent shade.

Alternatively, you could paint a feature wall or incorporate a statement splashback, with patterned tiles picking out the accent in your kitchen.

The key to the perfect two-tone kitchen dieting is down to the colours you choose: whether you opts for tonal shades or contrasting hues, you need to ensure that it works in the space you have, and that the colours all work harmoniously together.

If you've been inspired to totally transform your kitchen, then try out our free, online planner, or book an appointment to visit your nearest Wren showroom, to speak to our experts.