Tight living spaces present challenges, but challenges often evoke great creativity and ingenuity–and this is certainly the case inside these four small studio apartments. Not only are these tiny homes packed with great space saving ideas and bespoke furniture inspiration, but they manage to exude style within their limited proportions too. Exciting accent colours, artistic partition walls, a smart mezzanine, a chic glass wall bedroom and beautifully crafted small bathrooms all add up to amazing small living spaces that can easily contend with the big boys. Take the mini tour through each one and find yourself laden with a myriad of ideas and home style envy.
Designer:Maria Ko| Visualizer:Anastasia Bila
In Saint-Petersburg, Russia, a 23 square metre studio apartment is decorated in warm umber, cobalt blue and pale lemony accents.
Each piece of furniture is custom built into the apartment to ensure that every single centimetre of space is well utilised. Storage cabinets have been built around the base of the window, and drawers pull out from the space under a custom made sofa bed. Yellow and umber handles add dashes of colour.
A Neuro pendant lamp by Davide Groppi zig zags up the side of a Bauhaus art print, ensuring that the small space is spiced with big design statements.
Three yellow base cabinets and three wall cupboards make up a tiny kitchen at the centre of the floor layout. Whilst the yellow base cabinets define the kitchen as its own zone, an open shelf unit is umber coloured to create a cohesive link with the rest of the home decor. Basic white tiles cover the backsplash and countertop.
A glass wall and ceiling wraps the small kitchen , which prevents kitchen steam from rising directly up into a mezzanine bedroom above, and stops cooking splashes from hitting the adjacent sofa bed by the window.
A cat ladder staircase design climbs up to the mezzanine bedroom. Black handrails assist the quirky ascent.
Underneath the mezzanine level, dark blue tiles with umber grouting colour a hallway seat by the front door. The closets in the entryway provide much of the storage for the tiny home, though there is additional closet space on the mezzanine. Recessed yellow handles add an extra stripe of colour, which matches them with the built in storage cabinets around the window.
The bathroom is concealed behind mirrored glass doors, which make the narrow hallway appear open and spacious.
The umber stripe that’s painted around the top half of the apartment engulfs the whole mezzanine bedroom. An open fronted wardrobe system is painted in the same umber shade so that it falls back into the walls. The mezzanine platform doubles as a floor bed design, offering a shallow recess in which to lay the mattress.
Directly underneath the mezzanine floor bed is the downstairs bathroom.
We find more blue tiles with umber grouting in here, and bright yellow accents.
Birds-eye view of studio with mezzanine.
Studio floor plan.
Perspective drawing.
Designer:Anastasia Bila
Our second tour takes place in an artistic studio apartment interior with a classical air. A contemporary swing arm wall lamp entends over a bed built behind a Roman column-like partition. A sculptural bust provides bedside decor.
The super chic tiny space brims with elegance.
On the other side of the column-inspired partition wall, we discover that the storage cupboards have double sided access.
Rich umber flooring grounds the light grey and white scheme.
Though the apartment is small, an area has been allocated to a home workspace . A mid century modern chair gives the plain corner its fashion sense.
A column separates the utility area from the wash and pamper zone of the bathroom.
Floor plan visualisation.
Visualizer:Alexandru Ionita
Tour three is a 38 square metre micro apartment kitted out with scaled-down home comforts. The bedroom is separated from the main living area by glass partition walls, and a raised floor. A privacy curtain draws around the inside of the glass to complete the divide. The adjacent living room is a gorgeously executed design with a plush white couch and elegant arcing floor lamp .
The glass bedroom walls allow sunlight to permeate from two tall living room windows.
Stepping up into the bedroom gives it a mini sense of grandeur.
Colours inside the glass wall bedroom meld with the rest of the interior, though a dark grey headboard wall gives the tiny sleep space it own subtle identity.
An Ikea Evedal Lamp on the lounge side table also serves as a bedside lamp.
The opposite side of the apartment is home to the kitchen, which surprisingly has room for a substantial kitchen island.
The kitchen island and two bar stools serve as the dining room.
White subway tiles are set in a herringbone design across the backsplash.
White marble makes up the countertops.
A trio of pendant lights make the kitchen a bright and welcoming space.
Unique bathroom furniture fashions a high-end bathroom design.
Attractive wood effect panels back the vanity splash zone.
Grey stone tiles complete the look.
Visualizer:Artem Rechitsky
Lastly, we come to a 36.5 square metre home in Moscow.
Red accents bring a white interior alive. A dark red sofa is teamed with a red small side table and red wall art in the lounge.
A grey TV wall cools things down on the opposite side of the room.
Red curtains run between the lounge and bedroom area.
A round dining table straddles the lounge’s wood flooring and the kitchen tile. A white and wood kitchen design embraces the dining set within its L-shaped arrangement.
Two modern wall sconces make a cosy glow in the bedroom. Grey wardrobes shade one wall.
Dark luxury interiors speak of sophistication and sweet decadence, like a really indulgent chocolate bar. These two particular deep toned designs are home to strictly high end furniture, expansive room proportions and some truly stand out features that would only be found amongst high society. This is an opportunity to take a look at luxury at its finest inside one home that has infusions of vivacious red running through its veins, and a red ferrari parked in its living room. Also, the impressive apartment of a wealthy Russian photographer that is styled with highly decorative classical touches alongside modern technologies, cloaked in dark boiserie with bang on trend fixtures.
Designer:One Tone Architects| Visualizer:One Tone Architects
Located in Dubai, UAE, this 130 square metre modern dark interior design pulses with bright red accents running through. Sectional sofa arrangements are strung around the edges of a huge open plan living room, creating an undercurrent of colour at the base of jet black walls.
KAWS cartoon bear sculptures add a glossy element by the red footstool. Only the highlights on their reflective surface define them from their flat black backdrop. A minimalist wall sconce shines concentrated light onto the sofa.
Huge windows pile natural light onto the remainder of the red sectional sofa. A freestanding modern fireplace glows at the centre of the lounge layout.
A couple more multi-directional wall sconces snake around the opposite end of the couch, adding pin pricks of light onto a basic black wall. Black window blinds build dark bridges across expanses of window glass.
One side of the expansive living room contains a large circular platform that highlights a Ferrari .
A modern chandelier installation throws spotlight onto the focal point of the car lover’s living room.
The three halos of light shine from golden rims. A gold dining island and matching dining chairs sit just metres away from the car exhibit.
In contrast to the deep black interior walls, the floors are tinted mid grey. An enormous grey area rug matches with the tone of floor tiling.
Black and grey decor follows in the hallway of the home. A black cube stool slumbers by a wall of smoked glass mirror. Black door handles hide in the shadows against black slab doors.
A more formal dining table is set away from the kitchen, with eight gold framed dining chairs.
Black wallpaper sends swirls flowing behind disc-like dining room pendant lights . A decorative vase brings a flourish of red accent colour to the table.
Furniture in this home follows a linear style, but rounded out corners bring a look of welcoming comfort.
A black staircase leads to a mezzanine landing above the gold dining kitchen, where a huge piece of red coloured pop art is displayed.
A black backsplash and countertop interrupt the metallic kitchen run.
Moving on into the private rooms, a black bedroom scheme with metallic accents makes up the master suite.
The swirling wallpaper design from the dining room is repeated here, next to a designer black platform bed.
A black minimalist bathroom design opens up to the skyscape.
Black basins top the double sink bathroom vanity .
Designer:Mossebo Studio
Our next deliciously dark luxury interior measures in under 75 square metres, though the decor builds a feeling of much larger grandeur. This is the home of an affluent young bachelor, a photographer, who requested an apartment design where classical style and modern technologies are harmoniously combined. Decorative boiserie brings flourishes to black painted walls, which adds drama behind gold sconces and a gold floor lamp .
The black colourway is timeless, and exposes compositional features. It is somewhat ironic that this midnight black apartment is situated in ‘The City of White Nights’: St. Petersburg, Russia.
The homeowner has a penchant for art and architecture, and stipulated importance of form and composition over colour.
A stunning gold chandelier hangs from a traditional ceiling rose, on an all black ceiling.
A deeply decorative fireplace pushes forward from the shadows.
The profile of the homeowner is one who likes to travel and very rarely cooks–though this doesn’t stop the kitchen from being a thing of sheer beauty. Glass doors keep it on display to the lounge at all times, which also increases the sense of space and light.
A kitchen prep counter and hob is hidden away behind decorative panelled doors. The eye-catching dining room chandelier is the Volta L92.2T , which drips with gold. Designer kitchen bar stools add sumptuous texture and style.
A square sink cuts into the marble kitchen island.
, a wine decanter , and a decorative vase add flourishes to the clean cut countertop.
A second set of glass doors in the lounge lead directly into the bedroom.
More boiserie wall panels decorate the grey bedroom , though this time with the addition of monochrome art prints.
A brown bed set brings autumnal tones.
The bathroom holds a more diluted scheme of graphite gray in place of black. Deep brown tiles cover the floor. An illuminated vanity mirror and bathroom vanity lights add golden glow.
Matte and glossy textures further diversify the dark palette
A black bathtub is plumbed within the shower wet zone.
Light wall tiles ripple with a hint of grey glaze.
A black toilet and bidet set hang against a half wall of black subway tiles; large format marble slab tiles open out the top of the room.
Dark isn’t the first theme that comes to mind when designing a kitchen. Stereotypical assumptions are of white and bright kitchens matched by light wood—something like the color of breakfast pancakes. Have you ever thought otherwise? Perhaps something like a modern dark kitchen?
We’ve got a collection of stunning spaces sure to switch up your vision. This black kitchen design inspiration is the sexiest interior design can muster. All divulging in shades of black, navy, or dark brown, they add what white kitchens cannot—a seductive allure that says sleekness and sophistication at the same time. Take a peek at some brilliant interiors on the darker side to see if a modern luxury black kitchen could be for you.
Modern Dark Kitchen Design Ideas to Inspire Your Next Renovation
1. Make it an All Black Kitchen
Visualizer:Design At Sketch
Almost completely covered in black, a few minor elements shine in chrome and wood in this kitchen interior. We love how the textures do the talking, especially through the matte table under black wood-panelled walls. But having an open approach like this means that every one of your accessories on display—including knives, wine glasses, mugs, cutting boards, teapots, cookie jars, etc.—need to be on point.
2. Add Wooden Elements
Visualizer:Bogdan Tovstyy
This black beauty edges towards wooden elements. We see a speckled floor, a white wall, and a central bench. Rounded black lamps hover over the island, providing functionality and style. If you’re wondering how visual intrigue is added to this modern black kitchen… a huge credit goes to the abstract art!
3. Complement the Black Kitchen with Orange
Source:Vancouver House
A bit of curve rounds out the hard edges—adding some much-needed warmth. This wave-design bench leads up to an orange-hued enclave in this black-and-silver interior. The burnt orange sure makes a design statement (apart from the unique central island).
4. Keep Your Dark Modern Kitchen Simple
Visualizer:Panda Fox Studios
A simplistic look makes this black kitchen a winner. We see the basics: a light floor, a black minimalist island, and sleek cabinetry. But the contrast between light and dark keeps the ambiance interesting, while the large window welcomes plenty of natural light.
5. Make it Dark… Or Not?
Visualizer:Who Cares Design
If you’re eyeing a dark kitchen aesthetic but are hesitant to make the change, this is it. Introducing more light, this black kitchen is hardly dark at all. Black benches, cabinetry, fixtures and stools are intersected by large-panel windows, a white shelving stand and light flooring.
6. Make Use of Asymmetry in the Black Modern Kitchen
Visualizer:Visual Method
This modern black kitchen takes another angle on this kaleidoscopic space, breaking all spatial boundaries. Black and glass alternate in this chic kitchen as the interesting ceiling design keeps the space unconventional. We’ve also got to appreciate the cherry blossoms, doubling as decor even within the interior.
7. Factor in Some Warmth
Source:Modulnova
This warmer-looking kitchen makes a move to brown. It strategically achieves the purpose with the use of wood. This not only introduces natural textures but also makes the ambiance inviting. Talk about a modern style that’s equal parts welcoming!
8. Place a White Island in a Black Modern Kitchen
Visualizer:Jean Regauer
An instant way to brighten up a dark kitchen (we mean, get the best of both worlds)? This kitchen space shows us how by using a white island on a black floor. The backsplash further enhances this dark-and-light effect, while the cowhide rug adds just the right amount of coziness.
9. Make Marble Your Best Friend
Architect:Chamberlain Javens Architects
If you’re looking to create a modern luxury black kitchen, you know what you’ve got to do: Go big on marble! This natural stone adds the luxe factor to any space, especially as a large, central island, as seen in the kitchen above. You can also add it through the backsplash.
10. Make it Mysterious
Visualizer:Tomek Michalski
You can double the visual intrigue in your all black kitchen by adding some mystery. In this kitchen, mood-lighting sets the scene in black and grey, while a marbled bench acts as the hero. The back inlet and flooring create contrast and depth. Taken together, these elements make the space an interesting one.
11. Layer Gray and Gold
Visualizer:Mitaka Dimov
Black kitchens are cool, but what if we layer in gray and add accents of gold? This stunning kitchen space uses gray flooring to add diversity to the otherwise black palette. The thick gold panel is one way that makes the space look incredibly high-end.
12. Add French Style to Black Kitchen Design
Visualizer:Aeroslon
Make your kitchen both modern and French with traditional black cabinetry. In this space, standing armoires act as sinks, and all other displayed items remain black. The stark white clock can surely act as the focal point of the space!
13. Consider Soft Elements
Visualizer:Julia Sultanova
Rough, light wood and low-hanging white lights set this kitchen interior a world apart. You can also notice a layer of light gray cabinetry, adding variation to the otherwise dark color palette. These elements factor in softness to the black kitchen design.
14. Let the Accessories Do the Talking
Photographer:Mikko Ryhänen
In this black-and-wood creation, the accessories take center stage in adorning the interior. We love the houseplant, but the crockery deserves a special mention for doubling as decor. The light oakwood backdrop further warms the space up.
15. Consider a Matte All Black Kitchen
Visualizer:HDR Designer
Neat square panels perfectly line up to emphasize the stark black minimalism that is at play here. We love how the cabinetry is matte black with no hardware, adding a sense of simplicity. The herb planters are a healthy green addition to bring the otherwise simple space.
16. Add Some Stencilling to Black Kitchens
Visualizer:Julia Sultanova
Fine lines and stencilling set this monochromatic space apart. Lined by black magnetic lights, black stencils and glossy white facades, it makes its mark on a light wooden floor.
17. Build a Shape Out of Black
Visualizer:Huso
18. Create a Modern Dark Kitchen with Gradients
Visualizer:Mario Nogueira
If you’re wondering how the intrigue in this space is working… It’s the gradients from black, to charcoal, to light grey. White surrounds in the walls and a monochromatic hanging light. This clever design technique makes sure the space is anything but boring, even if it’s using mere neutrals (minus the stunning orange dining chairs, of course).
19. Leverage Black Textures
Visualizer:Nefeli Kallianou
One instant way to add interest to a black kitchen is with textures, as seen in this metallic matte kitchen. This accounts for decorative presence in the light and bright space, providing character to an otherwise simple room.
20. Work on the Functionality of the Modern Dark Kitchen
Visualizer:İbrahim Ethem KISACIK
This dark modern kitchen makes sure it’s as functional as is stylish. The central island is paired with a black dining table, while all necessary appliances are fixed into the cabinetry. We also see pendant lights and lighting under the hood providing just the right illumination.
21. Create a Modern Classic All Black Kitchen
Visualizer:A&L Interior Design
Folks seeking an inviting all black kitchen can look towards this modern classic space. It merges contemporary elements (through sleek black cabinetry) with traditional ones (as seen in the wooden backsplash) to bring together the best of both worlds.
22. Put Essentials on Display in Your Modern Black Kitchen Interior
Visualizer:Polygon
Yet another kitchen that uses black and wooden elements to create a dark-themed interior. What sets this one apart is the hanging pans. They do offer easy access as the residents cook, but they also double as decor! (Note how the pans also use black and wooden elements to stay coherent with the theme).
23. Add the Industrial Style to the All Black Kitchen
Via:Emotion School
Industrial style lovers, rejoice! This is THE inspiration to set up your favorite interior design style, the dark way. This kitchen uses rustic wood and exposed elements for the ceiling to create an industrial black kitchen interior.
24. Make a Statement with Black Chunky Lamps
Via:HomePicture.in
All eyes on the two chunky lamps hanging in this monochromatic setting. They do add focus but also allow the contrasting white inset to shine. Not to forget the central island, providing plenty of storage space.
25. Make Room for Keepsakes
Visualizer:Maxim Goryachev
There’s nothing like personalizing your space to who YOU are. This kitchen serves the purpose by adding keepsakes and heirlooms. Also, black leaves room for details, so it’s one of the best colors to use if you’re hoping to display knick-knacks.
26. Use Black to Add Intimacy
Visualizer:Helen Bank
Who says dark colors make small spaces feel smaller? We only see black adding luxury to this compact space (with some credit to the white flooring adding brightness). This kitchen—with black marble backsplash—speaks opulence, and for all the right reasons!
27. Enhance Black Kitchen Design with Patterns
Visualizer:Ksenia Lenski
This black kitchen interior makes a design statement with the patterned marble island. Its sleek metallic legs lift it off the floor, creating an illusion of space. Simultaneously, the textured inset makes sure visual interest is added.
28. Don’t Forget a Black and White Rug
Visualizer:Nada Aboelrous
If you’re not in for a complete kitchen renovation, simply painting your cabinets black and adding a black-and-white patterned rug will achieve the purpose! We love how this kitchen keeps sets the base with white and tops it with black.
29. Let the Lighting Make a Statement in the All Black Kitchen
Architect:Artpartner Architects
When everything else is understated, letting the lighting create a statement is a good idea. This matte black kitchen interior uses rod lighting to do the talking. It sticks to the all black kitchen color scheme, though!
30. Tone it Down
Visualizer:Valeria Mosolova
This open floor plan uses dark gray throughout, showing us that black can work in more spaces than the kitchen 😉 It sure makes a design statement for those cooking and dining—or lounging!
31. Consider a Black and Wooden Bar
Visualizer:Amir Emami
This is the ultimate modern luxury black kitchen! After all, what’s better than displaying your favorite collection of beer right behind the black kitchen island? The low-hanging pendant lights also add to the black kitchen design.
32. Add the Gothic Vibe
Visualizer:Sebastian Lorio
This dark-gray kitchen is super simple with its sleek, hardware-less cabinetry. Well, except the far left end. Here, we see a statement piece of art and intriguing layered lighting created a focal point.
33. Stick to the Minimalist Style for Black Kitchens
Visualizer:Miguel A. Ramos
This compact kitchen space follows the simple rule: white walls paired with black cabinetry and an island. Even in this nook, the space is able to make a style statement while providing optimal functionality. The window here gives a contrasting element of light to the otherwise dark modern kitchen.
34. Layer Lighting in the All Black Kitchen
Visualizer:Tatiana Durnescu
We see shades of gray and black coming together to bring this modern dark kitchen to life. What we especially love is the multiple types of lighting, all layered together to bring visual interest to the space.
35. Set the Backdrop For Your Living Space
Visualizer:Sasha Zolotukhin
