Small dark black kitchen - is this a terrible idea?

[WhatJustHappene]

We’re going to be re-doing our kitchen soon and unfortunately our budget only stretches to ikea. So I went it today for a look around and fell in love with the Lerhyttan kitchen. Only available in black.

But, our kitchen is relatively small at 9m2 and gets very little natural light, although it does have a very high ceiling. We always have the lights on in there at the moment and it’s currently white.

I was kind of thinking we could embrace the darkness of the kitchen and just put in lots of good lights. We’d probably go with the ikea colour scheme of white walls and ‘wooden’ countertops as well. The kitchen already has visible wooden beams (it’s an old house in the country) and we’d probably get wood-look floors (either karndean or wood tiles).

Would this look terrible and depressing though? Or could it look cozy and welcoming like it does in my imagination?

It would be just for cooking in, if that makes a difference. We have a separate dining/living room.

Sounds lush.

Apparently you’re supposed to do places with little natural light in dark colours anyway. White makes it look cold and gloomy.

I'm not sure I would fit a black kitchen in a small room with beams, but the high ceilings might make a difference. Saying that, I do love a small dark room - they are very dramatic and cosy!

Do you have a photo of the room as it is currently?

Done well I think it could look amazing

I came across this whilst browsing kitchen island porn on houzz for our kitchen refurb. It’s not a dark room but it’s black cabinets, white walls, wooden countertops and beams so it immediately sprung to mind.

Ho! Thank you for not immediately shooting the idea down.

I don’t have a current photo, Singed, but the current state of it is hopefully nothing like what the end result will be like. There’s currently a bathroom in one corner of it (don’t ask) that is coming out, and the false ceiling of that is coming down too. Current cabinets are falling-apart Formica, which is just lovely.

I don’t like dark kitchens because it’s not possible to see creepy crawlies on them.

Eh, old house in the country, we get lots of creepy-crawlies, and even though I know they’re there, I’d prefer not to see them.

Sounds fab.

What if you kept the base cabinets black and went for as little possible on the walls open shelves, nothing at all or white cabs.

We are planning on something like this but with dark blue base cabs. I wish I could go minimalist on the walls but I know I need the storage space. Similar sized kitchen to yours (smaller maybe) at 9ft × 4ft galley.

I love the style of those doors BTW and am off to IKEA on Saturday to finalise our kitchen but might have to take a look at them before we sit down! What a shame they don't do them in other colours... Bodbyn is the closest I'd say.

I like the kitchen style in the pic and would also consider embracing the dark. Lots of under-unit lighting/zone lighting to compensate. However, don't go for real wood worktops, they are a pain in the arse to maintain and I'd never have them again. When I can afford it about the time when hell freezes over I'll go back to granite that I had in my last house.

It could work if you don't have the dark cabinets on the wall. We have dark grey, in a larger space, and I find it too dark but it is really the few wall cabinets that give it the dark opressive feeling. Although when drenched in the sun, I love the whole kitchen.

I personally don't think grey or black goes with brown wood worktops though. We have white speckled quartz and that helps with light reflection.

I think it sounds great and I love the suggestion Josella has shared. I think if you can do contrasting white like that it'll really help with the light. I also saw a similar spread in a magazine not so long ago - black kitchen with copper utensils etc (copper lights/kettle/toaster/pictures etc). It looked great.

My only reservation would be dust and dirt. We have a black washing machine which I loathe because it picks up every single speck of dirt and dust. I have to clean it twice daily. BUT. It's got a shiny plastic coating so would assume that wood wouldn't have that problem....?

This is the picture from the IKEA catalog and I think the wood and black cabinets really work well together. I hate the tiles in that picture, though.

Not sure about open shelving on top. We have some at the moment, and they get so greasy and dirty, it's gross. I would prefer the glass-fronted cabinets with lighting inside and underneath.

Love the idea of copper accessories as well, Maverick. You can get copper-coloured door handles etc with the kitchen and I'd be sorely tempted.

Thanks you all for your comments. I really appreciate them.

If you have v high ceilings, I think it would be gorgeous. And I agree with you about open shelving!

I think it could look amazing. My parents recently painted a gloomy room in their house navy blue. It looks so much better than when they tried to make it brighter with light colours.

There is loads of inspiration on Pinterest if you search small black kitchen.

@briochebriochebrioche please post a photo of your parents navy room if possible. Dyou know what colour they used as I’m looking too and struggling. Huge thanks!

Yeah, go on @briochebriochebrioche! Give us a nosy some inspiration.

Sounds gorgeous. I’ve wanted a black kitchen since I saw Tamara Beckwith’s on Celeb Come Dine With Me as a student 😂 Totally agree with pp about using dark colours in smaller spaces and embracing them. Also, green plant accessories. I always have Aloe Vera in the kitchen for burns. Currently in a copper bowl.

I’d love to but I like far away and the only photos I have are with people in!

I think it was a b&q colour match for a F&B colour, perhaps The Hague blue.
Definitely changes the feel of the room. Fighting the darkness with white walls just made it look gloomy before.

Dp is not convinced. Buggeration.

Ahhh never mind brioche
May I ask what colour carpet they have with the ‘potentially’ Hague blue. All I see is wooden floors but we really fancy a carpet.

Try it in the visualisation software.

I thought I wanted navy but when I saw it mocked up in our narrow kitchen it was awful. We are going with pale cabinets and using a dark colour on the walls instead.

Carpet in a kitchen snowglobes??

Aww i love it ,looks modern & fresh .be nice with pale grey walls.
Go with what you want we all have different tastes.x