Bridging the gap between modern minimalism and comfortable traditional design, these open-plan living rooms offer a practical and accessible style for just about any taste. All four of these interiors are the work of Architektura Design and share the same approachable aesthetic, but each one has something different to offer – this post contains inspiration for spaces small and large, with light accents or dark, using themes that are ornate or streamlined in turn. We hope these subtle (but important!) differences will help you find ways to incorporate this pleasant style within your own unique environment!

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Visualizer:Architektura Design

The first featured living room is an exceptionally compact design, but the smart layout of the home allows for a comfortable and spacious-feeling atmosphere. It’s a bright and cheerful interior, made even more endearing by its careful application of pale yellow accents.

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Even the grey tones harbor a secret hint of warmth, a classic match for its more colorful focal points. Most of the decor remains simple, but the colors make them stand out with incredible character.

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Are you surprised to see a spacious hallway in a home with such a compact living room? This efficient design likely saves quite a few spare feet that went toward the private areas like bedrooms and baths.

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Creative storage helps keep the interior looking tidy while still feeling like home. This media center includes overhead cabinets, open shelves, and low table to hold speakers and electronic equipment.

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The kitchen layout is extremely charming, and makes it easy to feel connected with the rest of the living room – an important feature for any family that frequently entertains guests.

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Intricate, but not overworked – this interior makes good use of geometric forms, especially by employing furniture that could easily double as sculptural artwork. Contrast is an important theme even beyond the color palette. For example, the weight shifts between the light base of the Eames dining chairs compared to their substantial seat.

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When you’re hanging a perfect piece of artwork, a simple frame is the best option. This home remains streamlined and refined to give this amazing garden view the emphasis it deserves.

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Industrial influences shape the material choices: plywood walls, wire furniture details, and a dash of concrete (the base of the Line One lamp). This living room demonstrates the warmer side of industrial-style decor.

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The plywood cladding even extends to the stairwell.

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And the kitchen! This cabinet arrangement looks gorgeous, with a stripe of open shelves neatly displaying the most commonly-used spice so they’re just within reach.

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This space is seriously small. Such a compact apartment almost requires an extremely minimalist approach. Here, the designer decided to forgo decoration in favor of lots of light, clean surfaces, and bountiful open space.

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The desk looks like it can accommodate some serious work – but it also doubles as a dining table. The next photo demonstrates why!

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Even the patterns and textures remain smooth and simple. The only hint of pattern comes from the polka dots or perforations on the feature wall and upper cabinets behind the sofa.

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Here’s one of the most decorative homes in this series. Despite the lack of art or knick-knacks, the delightful combination of textures helps to weave a strong personality and warm character. Pale yellow furniture dots the interior with focal points to anchor the eye.

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Do you notice anything different about the wooden volume on the right? Cabinets open to reveal an adorable tiny kitchen. Being able to conceal this area makes the rest of the room look slightly larger.

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Residents can easily serve food directly from the range to the breakfast bar – perfect for entertaining guests.

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The kitchen and dining are spacious and bright. Stylish coordinated jars on the open shelves ensure everything is within reach and looks tidy, and the potted herbs are a nice addition as well. In the kitchen, it’s important to balance aesthetics and function very carefully.

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Drying rack, wash pans, and cutting board are just a few of the accessories that can extend the functionality a kitchen sink. This set looks especially nice.

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Although more common in small studio apartments, even sprawling interiors can benefit from the sense of freedom an open plan layout allows. Hosts can prepare drinks while keeping up with the card game raging at the coffee table, parents can catch up on their favorite television shows while keeping an eye on kids doing homework at the desk. It’s great! But total openness does have drawbacks: lack of space to hang artwork, fewer walls for shelves, and even increased ambient noise. These stunning luxury homes offer a smart compromise with dividers and creative layouts – solutions that work for smaller homes too.

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Visualizer:YØ DEZEEN

This gorgeous stone-clad interior features a circular layout that revolves around a spectacular onyx wall that contains a bookcase and offers a mounting point for the television. This bookshelf, and other bookshelves throughout the living room, helps to compartmentalize the interior without fully isolating any functional area.

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While the original plan would have resulted in a typical minimalist interior, the designers decided to up the ante with luxurious details with just a touch of jazzy Art Deco flair.

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Lighting features include LED strips in the ceiling, a pair of impressive Brubeck floor lamps in brass – and most impressive of all – lighting sandwiched between the translucent onyx panels in the bookshelf.

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Separating the living room from the kitchen is another breathtaking dividing wall covered in a lush vertical garden.

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Together, these natural features make the home feel like an exotic hidden cove, a piece of modern living carved into the stone.

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A formal dining room occupies the space behind the onyx wall. Its combination of reflective and matte materials brings the otherwise subdued furniture to life.

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Storage surrounds the table on all sides, providing artistic accents to admire and a library of design books for guests to flip through over a glass of wine.

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The chandeliers are from the Castle collection by Jason Miller, named for the orthogonal movements of the chess piece.

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Continuing the circular path around the open plan layout, the kitchen peeks out from behind a wall of open shelving. Smoky backing obscures without feeling heavy-handed.

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Grey travertine covers the kitchen in soothing ripples that flow along the backsplash, floor, and charming breakfast island.

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No matter where guests choose to congregate, they’re certain to meet beauty at every turn.

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Visualizer:Julia Sultanova

This home also makes fantastic use of a central bookshelf for subtle division and convenient organization – and it conveniently solves the question of where to hang artwork in such a spacious open plan interior. The bookshelf portion is open to the other side of the room but uses potted plants as a clever shield.

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Its high-contrast color theme isn’t flashy, but quality materials and decor exudes luxury. Vibrant plants stand out even more effectively against the black and white palette and capture attention without effort.

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Surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows, this home appears bright and cheerful despite its moody palette.

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The dining room is elegant and well-composed, sharing decorative details with the living room thanks to the open shelving.

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Carefully curated materials serve as their own form of ornamentation. Rich wood grain, textured concrete, and small marble details capture the eye as well as any sculpture or painting.

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It’s not an extraordinarily large room by any means, leaving a narrow but workable path between the chairs and kitchen. The view more than makes up for the compact layout!

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Creative cabinetry and shelves can really make the kitchen. This design flips the expected upside down with black cabinet faces and wooden backing.

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Visualizer:Anya Abramova

Occupying a long and somewhat narrow floor plan shaped like a “U”, this open living room had to take a very careful and calculated approach to its layout. The sofa and media area occupies the middle of the room, with a kitchen at one end and a small office at the other.

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The central volume that makes up the “U” shape (on the left) allows extra room for useful storage space. The kitchen island (on the right) takes a similar approach by integrating extra shelves on its outward facing side.

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For items that aren’t suitable for display, like linens and clothing, there is plenty of storage in the hallway as well.

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Even more shelves adorn the wall on the opposite side of the living room. The little corner niche on the white dividing wall is an especially creative touch.

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The wall itself shields the small office from the rest of the room, and even provides the desk! The comfy-looking chair is called “Tabano” by designer Patricia Urquiola.

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Visualizer:Ebru Yucesan

This extravagant interior makes an unforgettable first impression with swirling marble tables, stone tile floors, and spectacular wall cladding. Its layout is simple and straightforward, but uses a dividing wall technique much different from the other homes featured in this post.

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Rather than using partial walls to divide, this one uses them more like a frame. The island on the left serves as one part of the frame, with the artfully suspended planter serving as its counterpart.

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The unique pattern that makes up the bars on the planter show up again on this dramatic feature wall, but this time the polished metal is set into a rich brownish red backdrop.

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Classic furniture completes the look - the stools are a midcentury design by Harry Bertoia – a tasteful piece for any interior.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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?

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Visualizer:Huso

18. Create a Modern Dark Kitchen with Gradients

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Visualizer:Sasha Zolotukhin