Paint It Black: 7 Dark & Moody Kitchens to Enjoy All Year Long
It’s the color of choice for tuxedos, limos and chic little dresses. Black is luxurious, mysterious and it has gravitas — and in 2019 it’s been bringing all that badness to kitchens all over the world.
This fascination with dark, moody kitchens is a natural reflex to the white kitchens that have been so dominant for the past decade — so are all the other colors trending now.
“Everyone is looking for spaces that are moody and cozy and comforting,” says Sarah Robertson, principal designer at Studio Dearborn in Westchester County, New York. “Black makes the walls recede.”
Black is also a natural foil for the light wood and stone floors that are popular right now, too.
Even if you’re not thinking about taking your home kitchen to the dark side, you’ll still be inspired by these seven examples of black kitchens. Some are small, some are sleek and modern, others are cozy and comfortable. But no matter how you look at it, black is beautiful.
Black Russian. This ultra compact, 24-square-meter (that’s 250 square feet) apartment designed by Tatiana Shishkina of Inroom Design in Vladivostok, Russia has just a slip of a kitchen. But with its textured walls, jewel-like appliances and white shelf and simple dining counter, it says so much. The best part may be the way she used skeletal stairs to divide the kitchen from the rest of the flat.
Black gold. Ken Fulk’s wonderfully warm black kitchen spans classic, farmhouse and midcentury. He collaborated with KitchenAid to outfit the Tribeca loft that’s his new East Coast headquarters. The matte black cabinetry features bright bin pulls and brass luggage corners.
All black everything. California designer Nicole Hollis went all in on black to create this stunning kitchen for her San Francisco studio. We love how the shiny glass tile adds light and reflectivity. Using a range of finishes from the glossy to matte creates its own kind of palette, even though everything is black — save the salt.
In a black mood. With its fine handmade cabinetry and effervescent globe lighting, this airy kitchen in the House WW in Brussels flows into a dining room and terrace. Yet in the right light, there’s something a bit unsettling about this space by K2A. Most kitchen art runs to still lifes of flowers or food. But adding the pensive black-and-white canvas and the historic bust creates the sense that you may not be alone.
In the black. An Auckland couple wanted a statement black kitchen in their open plan home. Michael Cooper Architects used stained American oak and matte Florim stone on the backsplash and island, along with Blum hardware to create this striking space. The light pebbled flooring, coordinates with the island but sets it off too.
Black and white. The team at Moscow-based Balcon Interior Design creates a luxurious space with a sense of drama. Sleek black appliances contrast with the textural cabinetry that makes you want to touch it, while the hidden LED lighting behind the open shelving elevates putting the dishes away. The showstopper is the black-and-white marble with pattern that feels like rushing water.
Black beauty. Technically it’s a bar, but this drop dead speakeasy is part of the stunning kitchen interior designer Michelle Nussbaumer of Ceylon et Cie created for her Dallas home. She snapped a photo of an Art Deco mural in Paris, and had it recreated on silver mylar wallpaper. Framed by black fractured Silestone, faceted stone bar and floral stools, this home bar makes an indelible impression in a jaw-dropping space that was just named House Beautiful’s 2019 Kitchen of the Year.
