Will black and white kitchens go out of style? This is the most common question asked to kitchen designers from all over the world. The answer is definitely “no”. However, there are tricks to making a black and white color palette feel timeless and relevant no matter what the hottest trends in kitchen design may be.
Before we talk about our three ways to keep that palette timeless, let’s discuss what not to do with a black and white palette:
First, limit the amount of shiny surfaces. High-gloss black countertops with shiny white cabinets will certainly date a kitchen. If you layer this with even more shiny hardware like silver chrome, it will pick up an eighties movie feel. It is important to balance the sharpness of black and white with some softness and different levels of gloss.
Another way to date an otherwise classic kitchen stool is to overuse the black and white theme. Avoid using black appliances or infusing extra black and white decor or artwork. The use of black and white should be a subtle backdrop to showcase other great design features in your kitchen.
3 black and white kitchen ideas
Here are three tips to keep your black and white kitchen a classic.
1. Don’t take black and white too literally
A surefire way to soften the contrast in your black and white kitchen is to tone down the black and white shades. We’ve seen a lot of grays used in kitchen design where you still get the contrast of black and white, but it’s more subtle.
A popular gray color we love is Concerto by MSI. If you are looking for a similar concrete look, we always recommend Rugged Concrete from Caesarstone. This is a popular material that has the earthiness and texture of real concrete with the durability of quartz.
We’ve seen a lot of white cabinets over the past decade. It looks modern and clean but to make it feel a little warmer, try a soft or off-white. Benjamin Moore has a great selection of whites with yellow, gray, brown or even pink undertones. Two beautifully muted whites are White Dove and Swiss Coffee. Alabaster and Classic Light Buff by Sherwin Williams are also popular colors that are often used to replace bright white.
Our top 3 most popular quartz colors are all softened versions of black and white. They also mimic the Italian marbles that are the very definition of timeless. You can use the countertop to mix and balance the two colors.
