New This Week: How Dark Can Your Kitchen Go?
These 3 kitchens wow with dark cabinetry and drama
White kitchens are all the rage, but they’re not for everyone. Going to the dark side has its benefits too. For example, some homeowners find that dark kitchens are less fussy because they don’t show smudges the way all-white spaces can. And darker kitchens tend to offer a more relaxed, inviting atmosphere. Here, three moody kitchens show how it’s done.
2. Contemporary
Designer: Kelly Hinchman of Studio H Design Group
Location: Coronado, California
Homeowners’ request: Sleek, modern and open, with dark contrast to balance the bright white spaces found throughout the new custom home.
The cabinets: A high-gloss material from Spain (Luxe by Alvic).
Other special features: Custom 5-by-3-foot brass light fixture. Bronze metallic tile backsplash. Dark granite (Black Agatha) countertops with waterfall edge. Butler’s pantry behind the range.
Backsplash tile: Solistone; bar stools: Revolver, Hay; sconces: Galliano Wall Light; cabinet fabrication: Holland’s Custom Cabinets
See more of this home | Find geometric brass light fixtures
Designer: Kelly Hinchman of Studio H Design Group
Location: Coronado, California
Homeowners’ request: Sleek, modern and open, with dark contrast to balance the bright white spaces found throughout the new custom home.
The cabinets: A high-gloss material from Spain (Luxe by Alvic).
Other special features: Custom 5-by-3-foot brass light fixture. Bronze metallic tile backsplash. Dark granite (Black Agatha) countertops with waterfall edge. Butler’s pantry behind the range.
Backsplash tile: Solistone; bar stools: Revolver, Hay; sconces: Galliano Wall Light; cabinet fabrication: Holland’s Custom Cabinets
See more of this home | Find geometric brass light fixtures
3. Traditional
Designer: Dave McFadden of PB Kitchen Design
Location: Geneva, Illinois
Size: 208 square feet (19.3 square meters)
Homeowners’ request: A kitchen that reflects an attitude of permanence and timelessness while feeling modern, forward-looking and relevant.
The cabinets: Dark juniper green painted cabinets. Medium dark stain alder cabinets on island.
Other special features: Peruvian walnut and hammered limestone perimeter countertops. Petit-granite-topped island with custom Italian-made forged wrought iron legs in Queen Anne style. Custom hammered pewter farmhouse sink. Hammered limestone perimeter cabinets.
Designer secret: “The table island sets the tone for this kitchen,” designer Dave McFadden says. “It’s also designed to be less imposing than it would have been had it covered the floor like a typical island. This design, while aesthetically pleasing, doesn’t help for storage. So we created a platform at the stairwell leading into the basement for easier access to pantry items.”
Cabinets: PB Kitchen Design; appliances: Thermador; table and stools: Charleston Forge; hardwood flooring: Somerset; light fixture: Currey & Co.; dishes on display: Simon Pearce; pottery bowl: vintage Bennington Potters; leaf plates: Takashimaya
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More
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Designer: Dave McFadden of PB Kitchen Design
Location: Geneva, Illinois
Size: 208 square feet (19.3 square meters)
Homeowners’ request: A kitchen that reflects an attitude of permanence and timelessness while feeling modern, forward-looking and relevant.
The cabinets: Dark juniper green painted cabinets. Medium dark stain alder cabinets on island.
Other special features: Peruvian walnut and hammered limestone perimeter countertops. Petit-granite-topped island with custom Italian-made forged wrought iron legs in Queen Anne style. Custom hammered pewter farmhouse sink. Hammered limestone perimeter cabinets.
Designer secret: “The table island sets the tone for this kitchen,” designer Dave McFadden says. “It’s also designed to be less imposing than it would have been had it covered the floor like a typical island. This design, while aesthetically pleasing, doesn’t help for storage. So we created a platform at the stairwell leading into the basement for easier access to pantry items.”
Cabinets: PB Kitchen Design; appliances: Thermador; table and stools: Charleston Forge; hardwood flooring: Somerset; light fixture: Currey & Co.; dishes on display: Simon Pearce; pottery bowl: vintage Bennington Potters; leaf plates: Takashimaya
See more of this home
More
Details That Count: 11 Designer Secrets to Work Into Your Kitchen
How to Reface Your Old Kitchen Cabinets
When to Use Black in the Kitchen
More resources on Houzz
Find a kitchen designer or remodeler
See thousands of elegant black kitchens
Browse kitchen lighting and fixtures
Designers: Jeffrey Dungan and Joel Solomon of Jeffrey Dungan Architects; Richard Tubbs (interior decor)
Location: Lake Martin, Alabama
Size: 300 square feet (27.9 square meters); 20 by 15 feet
Homeowners’ request: A comfortable, unfussy yet durable space.
The cabinets: Poplar in a dark custom stain. The walls and island are yellow pine planks.
Other special features: Silestone countertops. Lake view.
“Uh-oh” moment: “The big hurdle came when we saw how great the view was out of the windows and didn’t want the ventilation system for the [island] cooktop to interfere with the light coming all the way through the kitchen,” architect Jeffrey Dungan says. “We decided to do a more commercial ventilation system that we designed into the ceiling, and voila.”
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