The Black Kitchen

Black and white kitchens are a timeless and classic color scheme. The mix of black, white, and other neutral colors can be subtly pretty or boldly dramatic

White cabinets against a bold, dramatic backdrop make a beautiful, eye-catching statement. I'm so pleased with the end results for my kitchen. Creating a wow factor with one can of paint.

Often times it's the simple things that create the most significant impact. Before painting the kitchen walls black, they were a lovely shade of gray. I liked it, and it worked, but eventually, I wanted something more! Something dramatic. I also wanted to eliminate one of the colors. My cabinets are white( yes, that counts as a color), my counters are black, and my walls at the time were gray.

It all worked, as long as I had the right wall decor to bring it all together. I no longer wanted decor on my walls. It honestly felt too busy for me, and I wanted a more simple look but still a dramatic look.

Once I removed the decor from the walls, it changed the whole look of the kitchen. Not in a good way. With the multiple colors, the eye didn't know where to go. What to focus on: white, gray, or black. That's when I decided to remove one of the dominant colors. The colors were competing for attention, and neither would be the winner.

So my options were to paint the walls white. With this option, the cabinets and walls would be the same, with a monochromatic look, or I could create some drama with a contrasting black wall palette.

Now, I did not just pick any black. I wanted to ensure the black paint I selected was in the same hue family as the counters. Hue family is not to be mistaken for undertones. I don't follow the undertone theory in my designs. Being a color strategist, I really focus on the science and data of color. The black that my counters are in the purple-blue hue family, so I selected my paint color from this same hue family.

I wanted the walls and counters to be as close of a match to each ether as possible. I didn't want a third color competing.

All colors are not created equally. There are a variety of blues, purples, blacks, reds, whites, etc. Also, don't trust the name of a paint color. Just because it's called white snow doesn't mean it's a true white or white as snow. The same holds true with blacks, purples, reds, etc.

Once the walls were painted black, I needed to find an accent color. If you're familiar with the 60-30-10 rule, I needed to find the 10- color. I always loved the greenery in my kitchen window. So I decided the 10 would be green from my plants. Of course, I have a few other colors, the silver from my appliances and a hint of gold in the vase in the window. And that's everything.

So how can this be useful to you? Well, black and white color combos are a classic beauty. Don't be afraid of paint; just select your paint color carefully. Remember, not all colors are created equally.

Keep in mind that if you paint your walls black, have enough light coming into your space that you will be happy with the darker color. I'll be honest; it took me about two days to get used to it. I almost painted over the black with white. But I knew that wasn't the answer. I knew I would like it. I needed to give myself time to seeing a black wall in my kitchen. It's not a typical color for kitchen walls, so I had to get used to something boldly different.

If you want something bold and dramatic, it's going to look foreign. It won't look like the homes of everyone in your circle. It may take some time to get used to.

Sometimes it's good to just do a small space like a wall. In some cases, that works, but in my case, it did not. It was all or nothing to get the look I wanted. I tried just doing the window wall, but it made the kitchen look unbalanced. I knew I needed to do the other wall, and once that was done, plus two days later, I loved it.

I used a Matt finish which looks more luxe than a semi-gloss.

And lastly, it's just paint; if you hate it, you can always paint it back.

Chat with you soon!