Kitchen Clarity Adventures in Kitchen and Bath Design

Has yesterday’s featured kitchen, with that unfortunate black accent wall, put you off the idea of black in the kitchen altogether?  Let’s redress the balance with some kitchens where black really works:

Dramatic black splash (Stadshem via Freshome)

There’s been such a strong swing towards ethereal whites and grays in kitchens these last few (several?) years.  In contrast, grown-up, sophisticated black adds a whole new gravity to a neutral palette. The texture of this black stone mosaic is a feast for the eyes, (for the fingers too – don’t you just want to touch it?) and brings out the warmth of the wood in traditional setting as well as a contemporary one:

A kitchen in Victoria, Australia (Desire to Inspire)

A kitchen in Victoria, Australia, (Desire to Inspire)

I’ve posted before about the downside of glossy black kitchens. Definitely to be avoided above the counter if aging in place is one of your considerations:

Super cool - but hard to endure (jastimber.co.uk)

But there’s nothing like a black frame to bring out the warmth and drama of the other kitchen materials, and to visually anchor a corner in a large, multi-functional room.  This Paris apartment has just about the perfect volume of black, framing a lively kitchen space:

Paris Kitchen (Desire to Inspire)

(via)

They don’t come much more chic than that, now do they?

Related Posts:

• Kitchen Color – Halloween Mood
• Kitchen backsplash – where it has to end
• New Ravenna Tile
• Bricks and stones – kitchen texture
• My mosaic – the big reveal