New This Week: 4 Kitchens With Dramatic Black Cabinets

See ways designers integrate dark-colored cabinets while creating bright, inviting spaces

Mitchell Parker October 2, 2020

Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative trends, breaking news, industry analysis and humor.

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No other kitchen cabinet color can deliver elegance and drama quite like black. It contrasts nicely with whites and woods to offer a dynamic palette, and it coordinates well with almost any metal finish. Here, four designers on Houzz share how they turned to black cabinets to create beautiful kitchens.

Janet B. Siegel, Architect

1. Espresso Expression

Designers: Joanne Murphy of Cabri, Janet B. Siegel (architecture) and Meredith Guida of MG Interior Designs
Location: Summit, New Jersey
Size: 330 square feet (31 square meters)

Homeowners’ request. A classic, timeless kitchen with more access and flow in relation to surrounding living. “The homeowner desired a black-and-white kitchen, expressing the need for contrast but in a subtle manner,” designer Joanne Murphy says. “The black cabinetry was to be proportional to the space, neither overpowering nor overtly darkening it. Cabinet finishes are what you see and are very important.”

Cabinet color. Maple in black finish with espresso glaze. “Black in itself can be stark,” Murphy says. “The addition of the espresso glaze tones and softens, providing depth as well.” The maple island base and pantry cabinets are white. The maple X details on the island ends are a warm brown stain.

Other special features. Custom range hood in stainless steel with antique brass bands. Nero Marquina marble countertops.

Designer tip. “We used different-size drawer pulls on the base cabinets, depending on horizontal or vertical placement, and treated upper cabinets with knobs,” Murphy says. “Cabinet hardware placement is an important detail.”

“Uh-oh” moment. “One challenge during the design was how to handle the finish on the crown molding above the window,” Murphy says. “Should it stay black on the cabinets and white over the window? Or all black? It was ultimately decided to keep the black crown, connecting the cabinetry and producing a statement in materiality between tile and trim.”

Cabinets: Brookhaven in square-edge Presidio recessed-door style, Wood-Mode; custom range hood: Amore Design Factory; project photography: Lauren Hagerstrom

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Architrave Interiors

2. Daring Dark Gray-Brown

Designer: Amy Rothman of Architrave Interiors
Builder: Eberia Construction
Location: Bel Air, California
Size: 305 square feet (28 square meters)

Homeowners’ request. “The kitchen had already been demolished months before I first saw the house,” says designer Amy Rothman, who collaborated with her clients through Houzz ideabooks. “The house, originally built in 1955, had magnificent midcentury elements. The kitchen they demolished had been partially redone in the ’80s or ’90s with natural maple cabinets and other elements that were clearly the wrong style. Our goal was to improve the function and flow and to create a visually stunning kitchen that complements and blends beautifully with the original architecture.”

Cabinet color. Maple cabinets in dark gray-brown stain. “Large windows flood the room with light during much of the day, so the dark cabinets do not overpower the space at all,” Rothman says. “The room feels very airy, welcoming and bright.”

Other special features. “The white floating shelves and glass-fronted wall cabinets brought the whole project together,” Rothman says. The countertops are white quartz with light gray veining. The floor is polished concrete.

Designer tip. “Window location is really important and is often overlooked,” Rothman says. “A well-placed window can breathe life into a room. Changing the original location of the windows greatly enhanced this kitchen experience. A larger and more centrally placed window allowed us to move the sink to a better location in the kitchen and improved the positioning of the appliances and floating shelves. This new window also drove more natural light into the kitchen and provided a wonderful view of the vibrant greenery just outside. Paying attention to window size and location can often go a long way.”

Cabinets: Whitman style by Kemper Cabinets in Storm stain, MasterBrand Cabinets

Reidy Creative

3. True Bold Black

Designers: Tiffanni Reidy of Reidy Creative (interior design) and EastWing Architects (architecture)
Builder: Mewshaw Home Improvement (construction)
Location: Patterson Park, Baltimore
Size: 312 square feet (29 square meters); 13 by 24 square feet

Homeowner’s request. “The homeowner is a chef and was clear about wanting a clean-lined, graphic space,” designer Tiffanni Reidy says. “She gravitated toward black and white but needed help deciding where to apply the colors to keep the space feeling balanced. She wanted space for guests to sit with her while she cooked, while keeping ample space for storage, cookbooks and prep. To achieve her streamlined look, we used flat-panel cabinetry, shallow pulls and a minimal number of textures.”

Cabinet color. Black slab-front with satin brass hardware.

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Reidy Creative

Other special features. “We used the white brick accent wall and island space as an opportunity to bring in two black faucets,” Reidy says. “By mixing brass, black and the stainless steel of the appliances, we were able to keep the space cohesive while giving each surface an accent.” The barn door to a bathroom is made of reclaimed flooring.

Designer tip. “The most important decision in this space was to honor the original architecture,” Reidy says. “Retaining the character of the home was important. The kitchen is the focal point when you enter and is adjacent to a sitting room, which retains most of its vintage charm. This is also the space where the stairwell ascends and therefore sets a tone for the rest of the home. Through keeping the exposed brick wall and original floors, we were able to tie this new space into other areas of this historical home. We suggest taking cues from the architecture whenever working in a historical setting. This will always make the renovated space feel more cohesive and intentional.”

“Uh-oh” moment. “Whenever working in a historic home, there are bound to be issues transferring over to new plumbing and electrical,” Reidy says. “This project was no different, but it seemed like every time we turned around there was an issue with some component, whether it was the AC no longer functioning or the electrical grid being overloaded. With all of the expenses for fixes adding up, the client had to make some tough decisions regarding the budget. In the end she decided to go with a simpler island instead of the one we had custom-designed that included a walnut waterfall edge and extension table. While we would love to have seen that piece come to fruition, we’re so glad she scaled back and still went with a clean surface that doesn’t distract visually from the clean lines and simple color in the kitchen.”

Wall paint: Snowbound, Sherwin-Williams; door paint: Onyx Black, Glidden; project photography: Our Endless Adventure

Axiom Design Build

4. Black Stain Style

Designer: Annalea Overa of Axiom Design Build
Location: Seattle
Size: 300 square feet (28 square meters)

Homeowners’ request. “The home had gone through a series of updates and renovations over the past few years, and the kitchen was really the last space that needed a remodel in order to tie all of the spaces together,” designer Annalea Overa says. “The previous kitchen was dated and the island was set on an angle, creating an odd flow through the space. The cabinets were all wood, with dark granite countertops, which really made the space feel dim and enclosed. The homeowners wanted a sleek and modern kitchen perfect for entertaining.”

Cabinet color. Rift white oak with a black stain. “This was a custom finish that we worked with our cabinet manufacturer to achieve,” Overa says. “The painted white cabinets allow the black cabinets to pop, as well as walnut accents throughout in the open shelving and the walnut-cased pass-through to the living room.”

Axiom Design Build

Other special features. Concrete-look quartz island countertop. “The backsplash window was previously a full-height window,” Overa says. “Shrinking it down to fit snugly between the upper cabinets and the countertop still allows natural light and greenery to flood the space but gives the client a lot more storage. A nice surprise during construction was realizing we had the ability to vault a portion of the kitchen ceiling when we discovered vaulted rafters above. Vaulting the ceiling and adding two new skylights added even more natural light into this space, making it feel open and bright. A downdraft hood fan allows the island to be free of any equipment interfering with sight lines.”

“Uh-oh” moment. “A slight uh-oh moment was realizing that the wing wall we wanted to remove while creating a pass-through between the kitchen and living room was a structural post,” Overa says. “However, this actually turned into one of the coolest design features in this space. Keeping the wing wall post allowed us to create a really unique eroded corner that creates the pass-through between the kitchen and living room. If we had removed the wing wall, it would have just been a standard rectangular pass-through with a lot less design interest. This pass-through was cased in walnut to match the other walnut accents throughout.”

White cabinet paint: Super White, Benjamin Moore; wall paint: Fleur de Sel, Sherwin-Williams

More on Houzz
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