Belonging to a proud pair of grandparents, the interior of this townhouse may be considered a little out of the ordinary for the more mature mindset that comes at this stage of life. The first concept from the designers at Art Group was for a strict classical interior, but the modern thinking clients immediately rejected the notion. Instead the homeowners suggested that the team not restrain their imagination: “Guys, do not perceive us as conservatives, do not look at age and social status! We want a modern, bright, even brutal interior.” The team came back with this bustling carnival of quirky colour, pattern and accents, where unique contemporary lighting design contributes in unexpected ways.
To meet the multi-generational needs associated with housing an extended family, the open plan townhouse required some creative zoning. A ‘territory’ was allocated for each generation of the family, and the large living room was defined as a common space for family meet ups.
This is an occasional residence for the owners, as they spend the majority of their time in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The couple acquired the townhouse with the intent of using it as a country recreation place, where all generations of the family could gather and reconnect.
The fireplace is often the focal point of a family room but this one simply can’t be missed, tiled over in bright green and white pattern. A vertical box shelf is mounted to its left to hold cut logs ready to fuel the wood burning stove. A flat screen tv is mounted on the adjacent wall, framed out in white to blend with the wall and art gallery.
The decor may be a little jarring, but the living room furniture is soft and welcoming in taupe coloured cushioned upholstery.
A small divide sections off another sitting place.
Copper cabinets make wow factor in the kitchen. A run of mirrored wall cabinets reflect the lounge area opposite. The copper kitchen also has a central island where family members can pull up a gold stool and chat to the cook.
To the right of the one wall kitchen with island, there is a family dining area next to the window.
Multi-coloured legs twist at the base of the table. Mix and match dining chairs pick out a couple of the hues.
Blown glass light shades dangle like festive ornaments from the ceiling.
Colourful kitsch accessories adorn the dining table and bright artwork creates movement over the wall.
Bar stools perch at the divide between the casual sitting area and the main lounge.
A pink accent chair and matching stools create a crash of colour with a red and blue tribal rug, and red decorative birdcages.
Wavy shelving units interlock to create a unique display point for interesting art and keepsakes.
Mismatched glassware brings colour to the bar that divides the room.
Blue and orange decor fills a third sitting room. Despite the zany character of the room, the furniture is functional and comfortable. The rustic raw brick walls work as a neutraliser of the vivid colour.
There is a symbiosis of paintings by Russian artists, joyous African fabrics and Uzbek ikats, and flea market finds from Spain and Italy.
Layer upon layer goes into the room, with the base layer revealed at the flick of a light switch. Strips of LEDs cut up the wall and across the ceiling at various lengths and intervals.
The striped LED light effect is repeated in various widths behind a double workspace, poking out from behind a gallery of paintings. A trio of pendant lights offer alternative illumination.
In the master bedroom suite, the LED stripes slot inside the gaps of a white slatted wall. If the feature wall wasn’t busy enough, clashing bedclothes and a multitude of home accessories saturate the room decor with colour.
A small white bedside unit stands by a single mirrored closet.
White plaster from the ceiling descends down over the upper part of exposed brickwork walls in a freestyle undulating effect.
A freestanding shelving unit displays colourful accessories, next to unusual wall art.
The slatted feature panel with LED lighting runs the length of the ceiling over the bed, and descends behind a mirrored console table opposite its foot.
Luxurious ensuite bathroom facilities are framed in a picture window.
There is a citrus theme at play inside the ensuite, where lemons are bunched on branches around a freestanding bathtub.
Green and yellow pattern dances merrily across the tile floor and over the walls. A green vanity unit matches the theme, topped by a live edge wood countertop.
Gold faucets match the yellow tones.
Stone basins bring weight and substance to the light scheme.
Another double bedroom is a wild magenta and electric blue concoction.
Pink artwork decorates brickwork walls.
Glass blocks build a headboard feature wall.
Blue floor tiles colour a small WC.
A horizontal mirror helps the room appear wider.
The third double bedroom carries an earthy palette, enlivened by a tribal rug.
A rustic chest serves as a bedside table.
By the window, a comfortable bedroom chair has been paired with a coffee table.
A shelving unit divides the bedroom sitting area from the rest of the space.
The ensuite shower room has a riot of colour across the floor.
A rustic vanity unit fits into a niche.
Despite the overall fun factor, the finishing materials in this home are respectable high quality.
Embarking upon the interior design of an extra small space can be a real challenge but sometimes it’s within strict constraints that creative teams concoct the most interesting solutions. To achieve a high level of comfort and style over a restricted floor area requires a little - or a lot - of thinking outside the box, and the shedding of preconceived ideas. This kind of free thinking is exactly what has occurred here in these three very compact homes. Tour one demonstrates clear zoning techniques in close quarters; home tour two brings new meaning to the term ‘sofa bed’; number three revolves its layout around an unusually centrally placed bathroom suite.
Visualizer:Sobo Studio
Home number one, located in Kyiv, Ukraine, contains an interior that was created for a young couple. The open space required clever and comfortable zoning; colour was used to distinguish the lounge from the bedroom by selecting a bold blue modern sofa .
A gold fruit bowl provides luxurious sheen on a small coffee table by the chaise style sofa.
Dusky blue stripes the wall in the form of a long media console unit decorated only with simple glass vases . Siena paintwork colours the ceiling, warming the look of the cool concrete, metal and ceramics.
Bifold doors reveal a walk-in closet/dressing area with generous storage space considering the limited dimensions of the apartment.
A dark grey kitchen contrasts with the natural pigment of a siena wall.
The partial room divider between the kitchen and lounge works double time as display shelves and book nooks.
Golden kitchen pendant lights glow over a breakfast bar, and underline a suspended shelf.
A trio of indoor plants mark the end of a window seat. The plant stands used here are the Wire planters by Norm architects for Menu.
Raw concrete brings an industrial vibe to the interior. Pale laminate wood flooring smooths out the scene.
The walls and ceiling around the bathroom volume are pure black to create stark contrast.
Inside the bathroom, we return to the siena colourway.
Bespoke cabinetry utilises every inch of limited space but is kept simple for a minimalist bathroom aesthetic.
Wood panels on the exterior of the walk-in closet lighten one wall of the black entry hallway.
The home plan shows how the generous closet almost equals the size of the bathroom.
Visualizer:Denis Svirid
Our second stop is at a modest unit in the historic center of Melbourne. Tucked in the South Yarra district where property prices soar, the home has a compact unit area of 25.7 metres square, and a ceiling height of just 245cm. The difficult design task of comfortably housing a young homeowner here was eased only by the presence of a large number of windows, plus one full-height window with access to a balcony.
A bespoke sofa bed design occupies one entire quarter of the square floor plan. A swing arm wall lamp marks the ‘lounge’ end of the bed…
… The bed base holds the mattress at its highest point, with a sofa fashioned upon a step leading down from the sleeping podium. There are storage areas underneath the entire volume and drawers in the end of the sofa section. In front of the ‘sofa’ there is a brass framed coffee table to help form the living room. An area rug assists in zoning the space too.
Everything was removed from the apartment before the designer began to sculpt the layout anew. The area next to the largest window was left entirely unobstructed to encourage a sense of space.
An eating area runs adjacent to the bespoke platform bed. The bench was placed at a height of 90cm like the countertop of the kitchen, so that it could also be comfortably utilised for food prep. An obscured glass wall separates the bedroom from the shower room.
Entry to the bathroom is gained through a textured glass door off the kitchen dining area.
A full height mirror flanks the end of the one wall kitchen to maximise the perception of space and bounce natural light further into the unit.
Inside the 2.6 square metre bathroom, a wall mounted toilet bowl makes floor space look increased. A vertical garden wall has been cultivated above the toilet to please the eye.
The washbasin is a semi-embedded design in a narrow vanity shelf.
On the balcony, the wall bordering the neighbors has been softened with a climbing plant. We can also see the positioning of the closets along the bed platform.
Visualizer:Roy Fredy
Our last stop is at a calming pale grey and white apartment, which has a ring layout around a centrally placed bathroom suite. The living room is a cosy yet light ensemble, with just a couple of darker notes like the black nesting coffee tables .
A modern floor lamp overlaps the view through glass patio doors that lead to a separate sitting space.
Indoor plants provide a green view at the windows.
A white and wood console unit dresses one wall of the lounge, along with large art prints.
Behind a wood slatted wall off the lounge there is a formal eating area. Globe dining room pendant lights dangle over a wooden dining table.
The shape of the orb shades is echoed by a round wall mirror.
A one wall kitchen runs straight off the dining room.
To the other end of the dining room, through more glass patio doors, lies the reading nook .
A scandi style rocking chair bathes in natural light by the windows. Books line the window ledge.
The one wall kitchen ends at a structural support column. On the other side of the narrow wall there is a home study area that is part of the bedroom.
White doors cover a wall of closets.
Grey and pink bed linen make up a relaxing nest.
This birdseye view shows the bathroom at the core of the ring layout.
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
