Many designers like to use in their work such a trick as “ Accent wall”. Even without clarifying the meaning of this term, on an intuitive level, it still becomes clear what the speech is about. An accent wall is a wall that is an order of magnitude different from the rest of the walls in the room and attracts attention due to its unusual texture, bright color or pattern.
This trick is designed for a “wow” effect and is loved by almost all designers to get extra attention. It has been scientifically proven that the impression of a person's location is formed in a quarter of a minute, and everything that he sees after this time is perceived by the brain under the yoke of the first impression.
A reception with an emphasis on one of the walls of the room not only serves to attract the first glance of the guest, it can serve as an original decoration design solution... Its function depends on the type of accent. In this way, you can visually change the room to increase the space, narrow, highlight bright elements decor or architectural features of the room.
Let's see when it is appropriate to make an accent wall and consider some rules. Let's see in which rooms it is most appropriate to use this technique, and what are the rules for correct location accent.
Conditions for applying this effect:
- Usually, the accent wall is the one that first comes into the field of vision of the guest when entering the room;
- The emphasis is on only one wall, not on two and, moreover, not on all four;
- You can focus not completely on the entire wall, but only highlight certain fragments or protrusions (optional);
- The wall is decorated not only unusual wallpaper... Accent can be done with paint, bricks or decorative ceramic tiles, wood panels, etc .;
- You can play with visual effects... By using warm colors (oranges, reds, and yellows) for accent, you can zoom in on the wall. If you paint one of the small walls in an elongated room with this color, then you can bring it closer to a square. But do not do this with a long wall, otherwise you will further narrow your room;
- Cold use colors for accent (blue, green and purple tones) on the contrary, visually remove the wall. Therefore, if you still want to focus on the long wall of the room, then use a cold color for this. It will help to move the wall away and thereby expand the space;
- To ensure a calm atmosphere in the room, it is better to do without the use of saturated and bright colors in the interior, and stop at a shade close to the base color of the walls, the accent can be placed on the pattern or different texture materials;
- Conversely, for a bright accent, use the opposite color, which, due to the contrast, will provide a wow effect;
- If the design of the room is made in a neutral color scheme, then any color you like can be used for an accent without worrying that it will not work;
The accent wall can be decorated in any room in your apartment and completely different ways, but more often than not, designers prefer to put the accent on the wall in the living room or bedroom. In both the first and second versions, the accent wall is most often distinguished by wallpaper.
Living room
In this room, the accent in the TV viewing area, where you can put or hang the plasma, will look beautiful. They also often draw attention to the affected area by completely changing the color of the wall behind the sofa or sticking a wide strip of contrasting wallpaper in the middle of the wall.
If the living room area is quite impressive, then in this case it is also not worth highlighting the entire wall, it will be enough to focus on a small space. They can serve workplace, a section of a wall near a bookcase, etc. A flawless look is created by an accent in the fireplace area.
Bedroom
There is not much choice here, basically, the accent is made on the wall or part of it at the head of the bed. The wall cladding also looks very nice in the bedroom. wood paneling... See for yourself and appreciate all the uniqueness and unusualness of this design.
And a few examples of how an accent wall looks in a corridor, a nursery, and how it is able to zone a spacious room. Notice how attractive it is when the pattern on it matches some of the decor.
In interior design, facelessness - dangerous enemy... However, in the fight against it, it is important not to slide to the other extreme and not to make the interior overloaded and colorful. The balance will help to keep the accent technique in the design: an accent can be a large decor item, bright spots in textiles, or just a wall highlighted with color, pattern, material or texture.
We have already written about creation in the interior. A much cheaper and easier way is to highlight the wall with color or ornament.
General principles
The emphasis is on one wall, in very rare cases on two. You can select the entire wall as a whole, or you can only select a part of it, especially if it is a niche or ledge.
Interior partitions or inner surfaces arches are good to make accent in order to emphasize zones in space.
In a studio apartment, this technique can be used for zoning as follows: a small section of the wall stands out between two functional areas rooms. This seems to show that there could be a wall here. Or a part of the wall is painted where a certain zone is located.
How to choose a wall to highlight? Usually this is a wall that is visible immediately upon entering a room, or just one on which you want to focus your attention. For example, highlighting a wall of family photos encourages guests to look at them.
V different rooms choose their zone for emphasis. In the bedroom, a wall is most often distinguished behind the bed, in the living room - behind the TV or behind the sofa, in the kitchen - an area with a dining table.
Accent color
You can highlight the wall by painting it in one color or using wallpaper. An accent is not necessarily a contrasting spot in color. If you want to maintain a calm atmosphere in the design of the room, but at the same time make it more interesting, you can choose a color close to the dominant one. For example, in a blue room, a light green wall will draw attention to itself, but look calm.
The choice of color is very important for the perception of the room. Aggressive warm colors, such as red, orange, warm shades of brown, bring the wall closer to the observer, and deep and cold blues, greens, grays - move it away. Consider this when designing an elongated room: only short walls can be painted in "hot" shades.
Accent pattern
A wall covered with wallpaper with an ornament or pattern or painted with stripes or zig-zags will make the room more multifaceted. The pattern will make the space volumetric, affect its geometry and mood.
Stripes - universal tool control of perception. Horizontal stripes on the wall they make it wider, but bring the ceiling closer, vertical ones - on the contrary. A contrasting striped wall will bring dynamics and energy into the room.
Control the atmosphere in the room with a choice of patterns: floral patterns will make the room more feminine and soft, the checker - brutal, and the ornaments that create a visual illusion - modern and bold.
Remember Vera, the secretary from Office Romance? The one who taught the main character, your boss, fashion and style. "You see, Lyudmila Prokofievna," she said, "such a thing as combinatorialism is important."
Combination is really important, but not only in clothing. One of the most popular and demanded interior combinatorial techniques is the accent wall. So, they call one, a certain wall(or part of it), which differs from the rest in color, pattern or texture. But why, you ask, is this difference, what is its meaning?
Accent wall tasks
- Firstly, the accent wall brings a certain surprise to the atmosphere, a charge of energy, a share of picturesqueness.
Adding patterns and lines to the interior, unexpected texture, it makes it more effective and heterogeneous.
- Secondly, with the help of accent walls, you can correct the geometry of the room. If, for example, it is too elongated, then the middle of a long wall, painted in a color contrasting to the main palette, will visually "align" the room, giving it the appearance of a square.
- Thirdly, an accent wall can visually divide a room, making a recreation area or a work area more convincing.
And the main thing. An accent wall is the first thing that catches your eye when a person enters the room. And this means, through it, they draw attention to necessary subjects... And distract from "unnecessary" ones, making them less noticeable.
Accent wall in the interior: types
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The easiest way to make an accent wall is to paint over it. intense color... But, let's say, not a single paint. There are exactly the same number of varieties of the accent wall,. This is, for example:
- an accent wall created with wallpaper - ordinary, corrugated, embossed, with a photo ... And so on.
- A wall or some part covered with decorative stone, brick or glazed tiles.
- Wall clad with planks or wood paneling.
- Wall with fireplace portal, real or its imitation. The portal is complemented with stucco elements, clinker or wooden beams.
- Mobile accent wall consisting of large mirror in an expressive frame, modular interior painting or screen-partition.
- An original drawing, painting or fresco will also become an accent wall.
- Vinyl stickers (the same dial, for example) are one of the most unpretentious ways to draw attention to the chosen surface.
- Finally, an accent wall can be decorated with furniture - a “branded” design of a shelving unit or a showcase with art objects.
Of course, this is not a complete list of accent wall types. Any design decor applied to the surface, as well as a large, beautiful, prominent object, can become an accent wall or its component.
Accent wall rules
It would seem that it could be easier - to take and paint in an emotional, contrasting color a certain part of the room. But creating an accent wall is always a big risk. Having made a mistake with the place, choosing the wrong color and texture, you can distort the space and disfigure the interior.
In order to avoid mistakes in the design of the accent wall, the following nuances should be taken into account:
- hot and warm colors bring objects closer. That's why long wall in a narrow corridor, do not paint in yellow, orange, red, brick tones.
- On the contrary, objects of cold color appear distant. It turns out that blue, smoky, lilac, mint shades are suitable for the same conditional wall of the corridor.
- An antagonist color (purple if the walls are light green or egg yellow if they are blue) will add liveliness and expression to the interior. A color close to the main palette (emerald if the walls are gray or blue, brown if the walls are peach) will act as a sedative.
- How richer color near walls and furniture, the more carefully you will have to choose the shade and method of creating an accent wall. But if the room white then this simplifies matters. In a room with neutral walls, an accent of any color scheme is acceptable - juicy or pastel, restrained or extravagant.
- Color isn't the only design tool. There is also a print and texture. They also have to get along with the pattern and texture of the surrounding walls, as well as with the furniture. For example, smooth walls are perfectly combined with one rough, embossed, finished with a rough artificial stone.
If we are talking about patterns, then it should be remembered that horizontal prints lengthen the room, add dynamics to it. And the vertical ones make the room higher. Plant pattern and a cage will provide additional coziness, and flower drawings will envelop the room with a languid romance. - To avoid fiasco in your attempts to create an accent wall, choose a color that doesn't clash with the color of the furniture and main objects that stand against the wall. A piercing blue sofa against a bright pink wall is, of course, very picturesque, but too loud and shocking.
Accent wall options
Accent walls made using traditional, mosaic or with different effects are suitable - brickwork, mother of pearl, tapestry, marble, painted on plaster, with floral designs or simple geometric prints ...
A special place in the list possible materials the design is occupied by wallpaper with a 3D image. It can be abstract patterns that bring assertiveness into the interior, enhance the sense of order ... Or complete landscapes, giving the space the perspective and the right mood.
They will also benefit if you fit an accent wall into their context. First, you can use besides ordinary paint, the most up-to-date, advanced finishing technologies - decorative brick, metallized, mirror, plasterboard 3D panels, fiberglass, plastic structures and vinyl stickers ... Secondly, collages from black and white photos, geographic Maps, rare posters, retro posters, graffiti.
Those who like it can make an accent wall by resorting to wood of various shades, cork, bamboo, jute or ordinary paper-based wallpaper depicting grass, foliage, wood cuts. And even venturing into a living, green phytowall is an impressive recent trend.
Especially "love" the accent wall compact rooms... By highlighting one wall in a small space with a rich eye-catching color, you can achieve visual depth and greater volume.
Turning to such a maneuver as an accent wall, it is not difficult to create "two in one", that is, to double small space... How to do it? For example, to paste over one of the walls with stereo wallpaper with the illusion of a niche, arch or gallery, which will visually stretch the room.
Accent wall in the hallway
In the hallway, a large-scale mirror often plays the role of an accent wall - this is logical and functionally justified. But you can also make the area accentuated, on which the gaze falls literally from the threshold of the hallway. How? Highlight it with a thick, concentrated color, beat it with texture (brick arch).
If the hallway is too narrow and gloomy, ideal solution will become volumetric wallpaper light shades- fields, reservoirs, bridges and roads extending to the horizon.
In the living room, an accent wall is, one might say, a hot must-have, without which the room looks flat and too stereotyped.
Take your pick: you can highlight a wall with a TV panel, a wall with a sofa or armchair, or a window-side wall. The latter option, it should be noted, you see rarely, but it is he who can lead to a stunning result. Indeed, in this case, the window merges with the ends, forming a single aesthetic ensemble.
In the bedroom, the wall adjacent to the bed is most often accentuated. Once upon a time, carpet was used for this purpose, but today - brick, and wood, and, and eco-leather, and mirror applique ...
Often they also create two fragmentary accents - at the headboard and dressing table, highlight the dressing room with a velvet, deep color.
By the way, in the bedroom it is not superfluous to accentuate the accent wall additionally - by means of floor lamps, sconces or LED strips attached at the edge.
Accent wall in the office
In the office, a purely workplace is allocated or they focus on shelves with books, busts of thinkers, a globe and other details.
Psychologists say that a correctly accentuated work angle disciplines a person and stimulates them to work. What does “correct” mean? A rich, not too harsh color (blue, cherry, green, burgundy), strict and clear prints will set a measured, working rhythm, and make the room more varied.
If you want to achieve respectability, business impressiveness, decorate one of the walls under brickwork without forgetting about the false fireplace.
Accent wall in the children's room
In the nursery, a play area or a place where the child rests is allocated. In the first case, the wall deserves motley, active colors that encourage movement, play, and study. Here they draw or paste multicolor cartoon characters, stories from fairy tales, views of the jungle, ocean depths, wallpaper with letters and numbers ...
And in the case of a place to sleep, preference should be given to soft, soothing colors, flowing floral prints, drawings of the magical starry sky.
Accent wall in the interior of the kitchen, dining room
In the kitchen (in the dining room), the accent wall usually exists by default - we are talking about the traditional ceramic tiles, which are used to decorate the cooking area. The more contrasting, brighter this tile is, the more attention the wall focuses.
But the dining area also needs to be accentuated. Otherwise, it will merge with the working, household space, which will make the kitchen "soulless", expressionless. The wall against which the dinner table, can be highlighted with a catchy "fruit" color, accentuated with a large still life or a panel of colorful decorative plates.
Accent wall in the bathroom, wc
In the bathroom, an accent wall is desirable because, as usual, it is the smallest room that risks remaining a faceless sanitary box.
In most cases, accentuate the wall around the mirror. The easiest way to do this is with a coating other than the main shade design, tiles with embossed pattern, drawings of seashells or ships, mosaics.
Another place where the accent "asks" is - the wall to which the bathtub adjoins. Plates of "southern", "tropical" color will make the font warmer and more comfortable, and cool, airy-sea shades will not only attract attention, but will fill the room with freshness.
Accent wall in the interior - photo
As a rule, the role of the "first violin" in the interior of the bedroom is assigned to the wall, to which the bed is pressed by the headboard. However, you can choose any of the walls for decoration, for example, opposite from the bed, side, wall with a window or doorway. But we will tell you about the simplest and most effective ways to decorate the surface, focus on it, point by point.
Blooming canvas
Again, we are talking about the wall behind the headboard of the sleeping bed, because this area forms a single whole with the bed, side tables or tables on the sides, lamps and the headboard itself. It is perfectly logical to make this particular wall accent, and the easiest way is with the help of bright patterned wallpaper. It will take a little time to paste over one wall, but the positive effect will be obvious.
It is recommended to choose wallpaper with natural background color and colorful vegetable pattern(flowers can be graphic or consist of geometric shapes), - a universal option for a large number of interior styles.
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Background for painting and decoration
The selected wall can be painted in a pure contrasting color, but only it should be natural (herbal, cobalt, coral, honey), or neutral (white, gray, black), and the paint must be matte.
After the surface is prepared, it will not be difficult to choose the decor: paintings in frames or on stretchers, posters, panels, busts and bas-reliefs, as well as simply beautiful curly frames and mirrors.
Prevailing shades in decorative objects should work with the background color of the wall and the tones used in the interior. If you take a little more time to select them, the result will be pleasantly surprised.
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Focus on the headboard
The headboard of the bed itself can make an accent wall, if it is very high, curly, decorated carriage coupler, capitons, enclosed in a carved frame, or upholstered with expensive fabric, leather or even fur.
Even the most beautiful headboard, if it is not practical, loses much of its charm, therefore, it is worth thinking carefully before using too intricate shapes, embossed carvings or a material that cannot be washed or wiped down often. Alternatively, you can use a mobile structure (decorative screen, panels) or a removable cover with attachments to the base of the head of the bed.
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Graphic variations in tone
It happens that the interior of the bedroom is made soundly, the colors are chosen correctly and, in general, the situation looks harmonious and holistic, but something is missing. Perhaps the room is too homogeneous, and the atmosphere clearly feels the need to somehow revive and diversify it.
We suggest using graphic designs and motifs in the context of the color scheme of the bedroom. The wall can be distinguished with the help of unobtrusive squares, circles, geometric ornaments, as well as reproductions of prints or painting fragments using shades that match the basic tones of the room.
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Sculptural light
Various lighting Moreover, the more unusual the shape is chosen for them, the more original the entire surface of the accent wall looks. The main thing is to use more than two lamps near one of the walls, for example, together with wall sconces at the top of the wall, put a couple table lamps or floor lamps below eye level. You can use a directional light and turn the lampshades in the desired direction if necessary - this will diffuse the streams of light more evenly, and create a light, cozy atmosphere.
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Rich texture
This method of accentuating the wall is more costly and time-consuming, since it takes time, investment and creative approach... We are talking about decorating the surface with such facing materials, how wooden planks (parquet board, beams, modular panels), ceramic tile, decorative brick, upholstery with natural fabric.
Choice natural materials it is no coincidence, because in the interior of the bedroom on the wall they look original and soundly, and the soft natural palette of shades of gray, caramel, woody, sandy, brown calms and gives a feeling of security and closeness to nature.
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The layman differs from the designer at least in that he cannot explain (to himself, first of all) what exactly “works” in this or that interior. He just likes the "big picture" with white interiors, or, say, an interior with furnishings built on the nuances of tone. Instead of asking the question, “why does it work,” and, most importantly, “will it work in my own interior,” bloggers follow the cliche path - they select bright, inspiring photos of white apartments and declare: “White is an absolute blessing for small apartments ". Friends love pictures, they like them. As a result, the posts of friends (and friends-friends) fill your information field. And now, making repairs, you are unshakably confident in magic power white walls. Perhaps some of these clichés need, if not revision, then semantic adjustment. Let's start!
Etica Studio
Reception number 1. Paint the walls in bright hues to expand the space
Light colors (especially pure white) make the room brighter, due to which the feeling of "air and volume" is created. In addition, when the ceiling and walls merge, the space becomes "limitless" - which also has an expansive effect.
But this technique also has side effects. So, a ten-meter room painted white will still not look like a spacious hall, but it will become cold and uncomfortable like a hospital ward.
As a compromise, many owners choose nondescript for small rooms. beige tones... Alas, this is not an option - the interior merges into a continuous indistinct mass, loses its contours and expressiveness.
When choosing a wall color for a small room, remember that light, pastel shades and snow-white white are good in sun-drenched, and most importantly, not too small rooms, and in a miniature room with such a technique you will only achieve the feeling “I want to go home”. To avoid this, add colors to light interior... A bright accent wall will give it depth, and contrasting details will help liven up the setting without destroying the airiness.
erin williamson
Don't be afraid of saturated dark colors: although they "eat up" the light, they give the interior depth and respectability, make the room solid and comfortable. Intimacy is not the same as crampedness. A light ceiling and floor, plinths and platbands will be enough. To prevent the room from looking too dark, take care of additional sources of lighting.
jamesthomas Interiors
By the way, it looks very interesting small room, painted in a dark color, together with the ceiling - the latter merges with the walls, as if it does not exist at all. Such a room will not look light and spacious, but it will not seem cramped either. Dark color walls are especially good in private areas - bedrooms, offices - it gently envelops and relaxes.
Damon liss design
Reception number 2. To hide the cramped space, choose furniture in the same range as the walls.
The logic is simple: furniture that merges with the walls is not conspicuous. You have probably seen such almost monochrome interiors, where instead of a sofa there is only its shadow, instead of a bed - its outline. Yes, pure white (or blue) rooms look good in the picture, especially small ones. But by "dissolving" all the furniture, we again get an interior in which the eye has nothing to cling to.
What to do? Use metered dose. "Dissolve" only bulky and functional furniture, for example, a wardrobe or a bed, and define the role of "nails" for smaller, light elements. A bright armchair or bedside table, a contrasting floor lamp or chair will catch the eye and make you forget about the surrounding cramped conditions.
NASONOV DESIGN WERKE
Advice: Make sure that around such interior soloists (and there should not be more than two or three of them) there is enough space for perception, do not block the physical space.
Nexus Designs
A picture or a panel can play the role of an accent. Do not be afraid of bright large shapes, even in small room- if the rest of the interior is designed in light colors and in a minimalist style, an expressive accent will only add volume and depth.
Tobi Fairley Interior Design
If you think that choosing furniture to match the color of the walls is easy, then you are mistaken: a step to the side and you will get dissonance. Even have white on different material have their own shades.
Are you afraid of daring experiments? Then just type in monochrome interior one additional bright color to match the background. Let it be present on the upholstery of armchairs, textiles, accessories - the interior will immediately become livelier and more cohesive. And, by the way, do not forget that furniture on legs looks easiest in small rooms.
WALK INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
Reception number 3. Avoid large patterns in small spaces so as not to exaggerate the cramped effect
This rule is absolutely true when it comes to bright, multicolored, dense drawings - they really "squeeze" the room, as they are directed towards the viewer. On the other hand, a small, close-fitting flower or a thin, but rich strip will also "eat up" the space.
In fact, the matter is not so much in the size of the picture, but in its density and multicolor. A subtle graphic drawing, with rarely located elements, will give the interior more airiness and lightness than even a monochromatic painting: contrast here is synonymous with volume. The drawing does not have to be on a white background, a dark one will do. The main thing is line fineness, contrast and spacing. Then the "air" between the elements of the print will enter the room.
All of the above applies to striped wallpaper: wide contrasting stripes, alternating light and dark tones, will push the boundaries of the room, while wallpaper in a dense saturated strip without "air" will make it tighter.
Hege in France
Reception number 4. Make one wall accent,
to give the interior depth
If you want to have a beneficial effect on the visual perception of space, choose contrasting solutions. A strip next to a floral print of the same color may add some variety to the interior, but it will not affect the placement of accents and depth. It is the contrasting solutions that create the volume: light walls- dark accent, pale pastel - bright paint, plain wall- catchy pattern.
Vika Bogorodskaya
A dark accent wall will appear closer to the viewer. At the same time, the side walls, on the contrary, will visually move apart. This interesting optical effect also works in reverse side... A light accent wall against the background of densely colored walls seems to move away, pulling the space after it (see the example in the photo).
Other contrasts will work in the same way: warm, bright colours, rich, dense patterns will bring the wall closer, and cool whitened tones, light subtle patterns or monochrome solutions will move away.
If in a narrow light room you highlight one of the long walls with color, the room will seem even narrower and longer. In this case, the dark should be narrow, end wall located further from the entrance. Often this role goes to a wall with a window, do not be confused by this. On the contrary, you can accentuate with curtains. If you want to highlight exactly the long wall, choose the inversion - dark walls and a light accent.
Remember that the effectiveness of this method depends on the angle of view. If you want to influence the perception of the room from the entrance, accentuate the wall opposite to the door. If it is important for you that the room looks more spacious for the person sitting on the couch (lying on the bed), move the wall opposite the seated one (lying).
Douglas Williams Photography
Do not try to "load" the dedicated wall with functionality - it has a special purpose. Near such a wall, you can place one large piece of furniture (sofa, chest of drawers or bed), or put several small ones (chairs, cabinets, lamps), but make sure that there is a lot of free space around these items - it is important that they themselves are perceived as part decorative solution.
Daria Kharitonova
Reception number 5. Hang a mirror to remove the blank wall effect
The mirror trick is a lifesaver for designers, but it can also fail. For example, if you place a growth mirror on the wall at the end of a long narrow corridor, in order to let the air into a closed, cramped room, you will get another problem: the corridor will visually become even narrower and longer. In this case, place the mirrors correctly on long walls.
Yes, it will be inconvenient to look in them, and there seems to be nothing to be reflected there, but if you supplement the composition with illumination, the mirror on the wall will reflect the light, and the space as a whole will become more voluminous and lighter.
On this photo - the best option placing a mirror in the hallway: opposite a wide doorway. The reflective surface works for two rooms, bringing light and volume from the room into the narrow passage, and "destroying" a blank wall when viewed from the living room.
INTRO by Chak
Consider what exactly your mirror will reflect. It is bad if there is a dusty corner or a blank wall, it is good if there is a light source (including a window) and most of the room's space.
Giulia Novars Moscow
Reception number 6. Use glossy surfaces to brighten the room
Gloss reflects light, multiplies glare and adds volume to the space. But his shortcomings are "mirror": the space becomes "colder". To avoid this effect, balance glossy surfaces with warm matte textures. Natural wood textures work well as a visual "insulation". An interesting and unobtrusive contrast turns out.
I-projectdesign
As a "glare generator" in the kitchen, we recommend using kitchen apron, a metal lampshade or a shiny hood are places that you rarely touch with your hands. And you don't have to waste time erasing fingerprints from the glossy surface.
In general, the rules for combining are simple: glossy facades - matte apron and countertop, decoration and accessories. Matte facades - glossy decor.
Design studio "Decotrend"