Black and White Color in Kitchen Design

However, a black-and-white kitchen requires careful attention when choosing the color ratio.

Proportions of white and black

All kinds of combinations of these tones provide a vast field for designers' creativity: contrasts are always in fashion. However, it's important to determine which color will dominate initially:

• White priority. Such decoration is preferred for small kitchens, as light shades visually expand the space. Usually, white color is assigned to walls and ceiling. Black can be used for appliances (doors), partially for floor tiles, patterns or ornaments on the wall (only one), dining table with chairs, and also the lower part of the kitchen cabinet.
  
• Black priority. This layout is rare and only possible in spacious kitchens. It's not necessary to use pure black color – it's better to add graphite, wet asphalt, gray and other shades. In black, the floor, dining table frame and working surfaces of the kitchen cabinet are made.
  

Combination of black with other colors

If white and black are used for the kitchen without involving other tones, it results in a gloomy and dull atmosphere. That's why designers add various accents. How does black combine with other colors, except white? Read below:

• Bright red tone. It should find its place on open shelves, dishes, pendant lights, patterns on curtains or wallpapers. A black and white kitchen design combined with red adds dynamism and mystery to the room. It should be reminded that such a designer option is acceptable for eccentric apartment dwellers.
  
• Bright blue or green (resembling green, nature). These colors in combination with black make the kitchen original and cozy, as they do not provide sharp contrast like red does and do not stimulate activity.
  
• Yellow and orange. These tones create warmth and comfort in a black-and-white kitchen. Sunny shades add cheerfulness. Yellow can be used for cabinet fronts, kitchen apron, dining table countertop and patterned curtains with black or white tones.
  

Black-and-white Kitchen Decoration

Design: Architects Alentina Butuzova and Elizaveta Khlebnikova, Soul Concrete Studio

Choose practical materials that are indifferent to temperature and humidity fluctuations. What can be used to decorate kitchen surfaces intended to be in black-and-white tones?

1. Walls. Among the most expensive materials, one can mention ceramic tiles (used for backsplashes) and natural wood panels (they should be treated with antiseptic and coated with special lacquer). Cheaper options include PVC and MDF panels. The most budget-friendly variant is using wallpapers. It's advisable to choose washable wallpapers with black patterns on a white background. One can even buy monochrome wallpapers and paint them oneself to show to friends and acquaintances their creativity. There is also the opposite option: black wallpapers with white patterns.
   
2. Floor. The best material in terms of practicality, aesthetics and cost is tiles. They should be large-sized. Several options exist: one can cover the floor with monochrome tiles, then the cabinet fronts should contrast with this surface to avoid color blending. The second method involves using black and white tiles laid in a checkerboard pattern. If using laminate, one can choose a black color with large white patterns on the surface.
   
3. Ceiling. There are few options here: one can choose white color with black built-in spotlights, or leave the ceiling entirely white (glossy or matte according to the owner's preference).
   

Curtains

This is one of the important decor elements to which one can pay more attention. A black-and-white kitchen design implies using a shade that would contrast with the main two colors but not stand out too much. A gray tone suits well. Flowers and patterns on fabric are undesirable. Another option is white curtains with horizontal black stripes of various widths.

If it's necessary to visually make the kitchen look more elongated, hang the curtains on a rod mounted at the ceiling level. If the ceiling is high, the curtains can be short; otherwise, they should be longer. Curtains should highlight the unique design of the black-and-white kitchen.

Countertop

If you decide that it will play the role of an accent element, then it can be decorated in any tone except black and white. For example, a pale green countertop will harmonize with cabinet fronts of the same color. Or one can make the countertop and kitchen apron black.

Furniture Selection

When experimenting with black and white colors in kitchen design, it's important to remember that for small areas, only light furniture should be chosen. In other cases, everything depends on the owner's preferences. Kitchens where upper cabinets are white and lower ones are black look interestingly. Besides, this approach is quite practical in terms of originality.

Chairs can be black or white. But if monochromatic looks unappealing, one can find a compromise: buy furniture with a checkerboard fabric. If a sofa is planned for the kitchen, use covers. Stylishly, black soft furniture with a white cover or vice versa. If small cushions are used, they should contrast the sofa. Black surfaces on external parts of appliances imply white (light) cabinet fronts, curtains, etc. In the latter case, silver surfaces of microwave ovens, stoves and others look good.

Corner Kitchen Cabinet

Design: Inna Usubyana

This type of furniture is ideal for small apartments. When installed, the cabinets occupy two adjacent walls and fill the corner, saving space. When choosing an item, consider the style: minimalist cabinets should have strict fronts without patterns or carving, hi-tech cabinets should feature glossy metal handles on doors, and classical style cabinets must be made from solid wood. More details about popular design directions are below.

Styles Suitable for Black-and-White Kitchen

The described color palette pairs best with modern styles, and classical styles are less suitable. Details:

• Minimalism. Abandoning excess and full subordination to functionality of the space. No patterns on countertops or cabinet doors, shelves are not allowed. Exceptions include straight vertical or horizontal stripes or simple geometric shapes. On windows, black or white curtains with straight inserts of the opposite color: stripes or a set of lines of various widths (photo of black-and-white kitchen design at the end of the article).
  
• Hi-Tech. This style also perfectly suits such a color duo. The dominant elements are glossy metal, glass, concrete, brick. As in minimalism, there should be no unnecessary details. However, it's acceptable for appliances (ultra-modern) to be visible: they can even feature a color accent. Patterns related to technical progress or abstract black images on light walls and curtains are possible. It's better to choose silver or dark gray blinds instead of the latter.
  
• Classical Styles. Here, using black and white implies a spacious kitchen. This is due to the presence of many decorative details, columns, ornaments that inevitably occupy useful area (in a small kitchen, there is a risk of clutter). The floor and furniture should be made from natural materials, which is quite expensive.
  
• Eclecticism (mixing different styles). This design is rarely used in black-and-white kitchens. This is due to the abundance of various additional elements that should be of one shade. If this is achieved, eclecticism and black-and-white decoration will blend well.
  

Lighting

There are no special requirements here: the only point is the color of suspended lights or chandeliers. It can be black to contrast with the light ceiling, or have a third color to create full correspondence with other design elements: countertop, cabinet fronts, chairs, soft furniture upholstery, etc.

For lighting work surfaces, use adjustable spotlights (they can be built-in and already located in the kitchen cabinet shelves). A good result is achieved with multi-level ceilings: they divide the dining and work zones, and applying LED strips on the steps not only improves lighting but also emphasizes zone separation.

When decorating a kitchen in black-and-white tones, it's important to observe proportions and the ratio of dominant shades with the room area. If this is done correctly, selecting matching furniture and appliances will not be a big challenge if you follow the above recommendations.

Photo variants of black-and-white kitchen design