29 March 2024
  • 29 March 2024

The Dark Side

on 1 January 2019 0

Our minister of interiors Carine Seitz suggests some stylish modern moods for your kitchen.

Whether you’re planning on investing in a new kitchen, or just like to keep an eye on the world of interiors, you can’t fail to have noticed the current trend for dark colours. This move towards embracing deep shades of navy blue, charcoal grey and black as a stylish kitchen colour palette has certainly been influenced by the Scandinavian aesthetic, but using darker tones is a sophisticated style favoured by designers the world over.

The kitchen is a room where people tend to favour neutrals – after all, it’s an expensive investment buying a kitchen, so keeping it neutral means it’s more likely to stand the test of time. Whereas this has traditionally meant lighter shades like white, magnolia (shudder) and cream, we’re now looking at the other end of the spectrum for moodier palettes that give a much more dramatic look. 

It’s no coincidence that items we traditionally think of as ‘white goods’ – appliances like washing machines and fridges – are now increasingly available in black and darker shades of grey.

If you want to embrace the look but don’t want to cross over to the dark side entirely, consider two-tone cabinets. Mixing wood cabinet doors with black is a really contemporary look that can break you in gently. In fact, working wood into the theme is a great tip. It softens the look and keeps it modern and cool, whether the overall style is sleek or more rustic. Why not try some wooden seating and accessories like bowls and chopping boards on display? 

Other natural textiles in soft and natural shades are key to avoiding unintentionally ‘80s-style monochrome territory. Exposed brick, raw ceramic and white crockery all work together with dark tones to achieve a cool, contemporary feel, and touches of luxe metals like gold, brass or copper can lend an expensive-looking air. 

If your budget doesn’t stretch as far as replacing units or doors, consider painting them. Home improvement stores now have a brilliant range of durable, wipe-clean dark paint colours. You can also paint walls a dark hue to complement existing light-coloured cabinets. Tiles, backsplashes and hardware are other places to start. Black taps look super sleek and modern, and a brass tap against a black backsplash is gorgeous.

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