The other week we shared a navy blue and grey bathroom that Maria of Studio Black interiors designed and today we’re taking you into the client’s matte black and timber accent kitchen!
Featuring open pocket shelves, marble look herringbone splashback, and of course black joinery, this kitchen serves up a big dose of design inspo.
Related article: Design inspo: Beautiful black kitchens
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Words by Maria Cerne
Kitchen inspiration
The client had clear vision for this kitchen and wanted matte black joinery and concrete look benchtops.
I love a black kitchen, but I was keen to add a bit of warmth and interest to the joinery. So I pulled together a mood board of ideas which I find is an effective way to explain your design concept to a client.
I was inspired by these images of integrated shelving. Not only do they provide visual interest, they’re a wonderful way to add a touch of your own personality by styling with cook books, kitchen trinkets and plants.
Project challenges
The kitchen had a L-shape format, and the concern was having everything in black which we thought may overpower the space. I suggested, removing the cabinetry along the left-hand side wall to open the space and opt for a floating timber shelf as an alternative. The client already had a very large walk in pantry, so we were fortunate enough to be able to remove this joinery from the kitchen design. We also added little timber box features to the back wall, to break up the black and add visual interest.
Favourite features
I love the herringbone splashback! That pop of white is a lovely contrast to the black and grey palette. The benchtop is also one of my favourite features. It’s a Caesarstone benchtop in ‘Sleek concrete’ — it’s a warm grey and looks like concrete without the maintenance — which is fabulous for this family of five.
Suppliers
Kitchen – The Good Guys
Kitchen splashback – Rivoland Tiles
Benchtop – Caesarstone ‘Sleek concrete’
Timber shelving above gas top – Thor’s Hammer
Pendant – Beacon Lighting
We hope you enjoyed this matte black kitchen tour. What was your favourite feature? We especially loved those pocket shelves to add interest and soften all of the black joinery.
More kitchen inspo
About the author
Maria is the Interior Designer behind Studio Black Interiors, a boutique residential design practice in Canberra. Known for her modern and paired back aesthetic, her design style is inspired by the balance between function, beauty and simplicity. Maria has a passion for architecture, design, styling and homewares. She loves keeping up to date with the latest design trends and products and sharing this with other interior enthusiasts. When not designing, she’s a mum to two beautiful young girls and married to Michael, her sports obsessed husband.
Web: studioblack.com.au
I love the integrated shelves. We are planning a kitchen reno and thats what I’d like to do except that I want them recessed into the wall (which means that we maybe need an artificial wall to accomodate the space). I was wondering what the depth of the shelf is?
Thanks, looks fantastic!
Hi Ela, thanks for your lovely comment. The shelves are 300mm deep to comfortably allow books and other items to fit 🙂
Gorgeous. Composed so beautifully. What indoor plant is cascading infront of the oil? The one that looks like there’s little flower buds in them in the last photo on the website?
Hi Nadia, that’s just an artificial plant from IKEA 🙂
Are you sure these benchtops are Caesarstone ‘sleek concrete’ and not ‘raw concrete’ ? It looks too light for sleek concrete. I am obsessed about this because I am trying to choose between the two and have samples of both lol. Either way, it looks great though !
Hi Jo, yes Maria provided all the suppliers for this project and said it’s ‘sleek concrete’… perhaps the photos are a little exposed which is why it appears lighter? Hope that helps 🙂
Hi Maria, May I ask what length the pendant is over the island bench? Beacon lighting have a 1200 wide & 1800wide? Thank you it looks stunning
Hi there, I used an Ardex grout. From memory it was the lightest grey in their range ‘magellen grey’.
Beautiful work! love the timber accent you suggested for your client even though they had a colour scheme in mind
may I ask what kind of grey you went with for the splashback grout?