Monochrome kitchen interior

Style is often synonymous with the ‘new’; an exciting futurescape built around neon lights and bright colours, floating walkways and endless opportunities. However, think back over the last hundred years and look at what makes a real style icon. It’s the restraint, the classic cool, a certain effortlessness captured in photographs of Grace Kelly, James Dean and Clark Gable. It’s no coincidence that these timeless images were captured in black and white, a look that can be extended into a Hollywood interior of your own. Monochrome kitchen design brings with it a historic, timeless and effortlessly classy edge.

Choose a side

The light side or the dark side, a choice everyone has to make at some point. A well-defined room will tend to one side, with the foundations being either black or white and incorporating highlights from the other.

White lends itself to every kitchen, acting to visually expand the confines of the room, with sleek black surfaces and minimalist features drawing crisp, ultra-classical focus within its canvas. The key is to keep the shade as clean as possible; shades of off-white can be difficult, though not impossible, to marry into a seamless scheme.

That said, black is the new black, and designing a monochrome kitchen with a darker base brings a deeper depth and glamour in the home. Think of it as the smart dinner jacket: sleek and stylish in its simplicity and complemented by the crisp white shirt worn underneath. Subway style brickwork held together with white grouting brings a certain art noir feel, while vintage furniture and industrial-style lighting make a bold statement, for a bold kitchen.

Experiment with texture

A pencil sketch can often hold more detail than a colour one, using different strokes, lines and patterns to present layer after layer in a portrait. Using differing textures does the same to a black and white kitchen, with materials, patterns and surface finish all giving depth to a masterpiece.

Block gloss finishes are a statement in themselves, helping to further reflect light – desirable for a darker kitchen in particular. Meanwhile stained wood, flecked surfaces or veined marble add unique visuals to running surfaces. Combined with matte finishes elsewhere, a kitchen develops subtle features hidden underneath its initial stark contrast.

Simplicity

A monochrome kitchen is defined by its minimalism and sleekness. Creating the modern monochrome kitchen means streamlining it wherever possible. Consider, for instance, making cabinets and drawers handleless to maintain a flow to the room. Alternatively, a more retro look can be a desirable one. Achieved through checkerboard patterns and fifties style aesthetics, aim to channel the classic cool we discussed at the beginning of this article. Think of chrome oven dials, rounded rectangles and metallic light shades.

Less is certainly more in the world of the monochrome interior. However, this doesn’t mean a minimalist kitchen has any less functionality than a cluttered equivalent. Remarkable storage solutions are available to multi-stack items within drawers and appliances can be fitted directly into surfaces for effortless use. Attachments for food processors and blenders can be built into the counter, lighting embedded within the flooring and wireless charging inserted into a very unique table.  

Play with shape

Simple doesn’t mean boring. Shapes are an endless opportunity to add personality to a kitchen, whether it’s through the layout, furnishings, décor or even the way light falls within a room. An inkblot can be thought of as a simple shape yet, if you look closer, it’s remarkable in its uniqueness. Subtle round edges can keep a look clean and defined while projecting character into the space. Tapering edges, on the other hand, can direct the eye to new textures and features. Experimenting with symmetries can produce stunning effects. Lines diverging from one another in polarising fashion can make for a definitively eye-catching monochrome kitchen.

Make a statement

Black and white are striking together.

Often that’s enough as a statement. Despite this, it’s worth remembering that there are no steadfast rules: your kitchen is yours, do as you please. Shades of grey can be used as an intermediary, blending the kitchen into a softer, more subtle design, while a dot of bright colour stands out infinitely more against a monochrome background than in a more colourful kitchen where it is likely to get lost. Like a bright pocket square on a black suit, flashes of colour should be kept at just that to really let the colour ‘pop’. A bright red oven control, or perhaps a vibrant watercolour on the wall is all that’s needed. After all, the devil’s in the detail.

Here at Extreme Design, our expert designers will collaborate with you to craft the kitchen of your dreams. Visit one of our studios or contact us today and discover a kitchen that tells your story.