Give the hob landing space
Clear counter on both sides makes the cooking run usable and keeps the nearby cupboard doors free.
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ROOM 110 · Kitchen
The black kitchen that is not severe
Published
A contemporary urban rear extension, conceived for South London.
Black cupboards are not the difficult part. The difficult part is keeping a dark kitchen useful, bright enough to work in and pleasant to sit beside. Broad garden glazing, pale maple and a little pistachio do that work here.
See the product sourcesTHE DESIGN
The cooking run is deliberately straightforward. The hob has clear counter on either side, and the island leaves a working aisle behind it. Friends can sit on the outer face without occupying the route between the sink and oven.
Cream stone reflects daylight beside the darker doors. Pale timber adds a warmer edge where people sit, while pistachio appears beyond the main working surfaces. The room does not need a row of gold accessories to prove that black can be welcoming.
The kitchen still life belongs to the dry wall, where it can be seen from the seats. The selected ceramics and glassware are useful things first. A jug left ready for water is a more convincing sign of hospitality than a permanently styled bowl of ingredients.
WHY THE ROOM WORKS
Dark cupboards need daylight, not a compensating layer of ornaments.
Colour palette
- Soft black
- Pale maple
- Cream stone
- Pistachio
Stools face out
Guests sit beyond the working aisle, rather than between the cook and the oven.
Glazing does real work
Daylight enters beside and beyond the island, keeping the working surfaces bright while the cabinetry remains dark.
Put art outside the splash zone
The still life belongs on the dry end wall, where its colour can be seen from the table.
WHAT TO BORROW
Check the kitchen with the stools occupied. The path between sink, hob and oven should still belong to the cook, with somewhere beside the hob to set a pan down.
THE PIECES BEHIND THE DESIGN
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The design began with these pieces from our Shop. Open each product for its exact size, finish and retailer details.
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Doon Bar Stool
The Roost
The 65-centimetre Doon stool suits counter-height seating, keeping the breakfast perch comfortable rather than treating it as a high bar.
£210.99
Bower Pendant Light Medium in Oyster White + Sphere IV
The Roost
Oyster-white pendant light softens the black cabinetry above the work surface without introducing a heavy dark shade.
£185.00
Cali Side Plate
Earth Blue
Nkuku
The Cali side plate brings the scheme down to the scale of an actual breakfast, beyond cabinetry and stone.
£20.00
Yala Hammered Jug
Glassware · Mauve
Nkuku
Hammered metal catches the available daylight on the counter, adding a useful vessel rather than a decorative appliance.
£32.00
Nalgora Wine Cooler
Kitchen & Dining Accessories · Antique Brass
Nkuku
The Nalgora cooler belongs to the kitchen's hosting side, keeping a bottle close to the counter seating.
£65.00
Anjuna Reactive Glaze Decorative Jug
Large · Black
Nkuku
The reactive-glaze jug adds a softer, irregular surface among the precise cabinet fronts and pale stone.
£75.00
Karuma Ceramic Jug
Serveware · Small · Blue & White
Nkuku
Karuma introduces a small ceramic pattern where the larger surfaces remain deliberately plain.
£28.00