The Cabinet Finish That Makes Kitchens Feel More Spacious, According To Mike Holmes

The kitchen is the central hub of activity in a house, especially during meal preparation, which happens at least thrice a day in a regular household. As such, the kitchen should always look and feel spacious, in addition to being functional and aesthetically pleasing. However, homeowners can only do so much to mask the actual size of a tiny kitchen, like limiting their appliances to smaller versions, for example, or opting for open shelving to create a more airy feel. Fortunately, there are ways to go about this without sacrificing one's dream full-size appliances and kitchen cabinetry.

According to HGTV star and contractor Mike Holmes, choosing a glossy cabinet finish is an effective way to make the kitchen feel more spacious. "Glossy finishes reflect light and enhance the sense of space," Holmes shared on his Make It Right blog. By reflecting so much light, the glossy finish can brighten the room and make it look bigger. The same principle applies to mirrors and how they create the illusion of expanded space in any room. However, there are downsides to the glossy finish that some may find annoying if they are particular about cleanliness. Like mirrors, glossy surfaces collect fingerprints, smudges, and dust. They are also prone to scratches. On the upside, daily dirt buildup on high-gloss cabinetry is easy to handle since it's a surface that is easy to clean with a microfiber cloth. 

While Mike Holmes' hack for making a kitchen feel spacious may seem doable and tempting for a DIY weekend project, it's not a one-size-fits-all solution. The glossy finish does not suit all styles of kitchens or colors of paint. The shine it gives to surfaces mostly pairs well with modern aesthetics. It's not the ideal choice for traditional, rustic, or country-style cabinets that add a warmer appeal to the kitchen space. Matte and woodgrain finishes work best for such kitchen types. Hence, it's important to assess your kitchen design and furniture before selecting a paint finish to achieve a cohesive and desirable final look.

To pull off the glossy finish with ease, go for light color paint, as this can also make a room appear brighter and bigger. Holmes recommends white or pastel shades, but you can also use light gray for a muted yet sophisticated look. Do note that you have plenty of other finish options as well, including matte or flat, eggshell, satin, semigloss, gloss, and high-gloss. Matte is the best paint finish when using a darker paint since it is a non-gloss finish that preserves the depth of dark colors, but it won't provide the convenient room-expanding effect. Eggshell and satin have a hint of shine in varying degrees, but it's minimal compared to semigloss. Among the remaining three, the most practical choice to make a kitchen look larger would be gloss. Semigloss is more subdued, while high-gloss can be intensely shiny — the surface it's painted on could end up having a mirror-like effect that's a bit too extreme for most kitchen designs.