Review Options for Adding Light

• Keep upper walls light. Use light cabinets, such as maple or white on upper walls. Combine these with darker cabinets installed as base cabinets. Don't forget, too, that many new kitchens are designed with no upper cabinets. Larger base cabinets hold all of the dishes, pots and pans and food supplies. This open space on upper walls makes the kitchen seem roomier.
  
  

Combine Colors

• Mix interesting colors and stains. Any kitchen that combines light maple and dark cherry cabinets is more interesting than a kitchen that uses one stain throughout. You can also install black and white cabinetry in various combinations. Two white upper wall cabinets can be alternated with two black wall cabinets, for example. The base cabinets can have the same combination.
  
  

Raise the Ceiling

• Higher ceilings make a big difference. Even if your house is a simple ranch-style home, you can enhance your kitchen with a vaulted or tray ceiling. The extra room overhead makes the room seem large and inviting. By adding a couple of skylights on the roof, this really opens the space. If you are building a home, make the kitchen ceiling at least 9-feet tall if there is a second-story addition overhead.
  
  

Build an Island

• Seating around a kitchen island adds visual impact. If your kitchen floor has room, build a central island bar with stools, which makes the kitchen a good social gathering spot. Well-designed kitchens include a cooktop area on a central island and room for one or more cooks. The island becomes the focal point of the kitchen regardless of other features.
  
  

Incorporate Quality Materials

• Use attractive wood and tile to create an upscale kitchen. Warm wood finishes on cabinetry, walls or flooring add appeal, especially combined with nice tile patterns on backsplash areas or walls. Woodwork and tile are upscale materials that enhance any kitchen, especially when used with pleasing colors and artwork in other parts of the room.