A moody, monochrome kitchen makes a strong style statement and allows the details to take centre stage, whether that’s kitchen joinery, pendant lighting, marble benchtops or a rockstar lineup of stunning appliances. Colour is fabulous, but sticking to a greyscale palette means your kitchen won’t date as colours fall out of fashion. You can always hang beautiful artworks or bright decor, too, adding pops of colour to a monochrome kitchen which you can change at will.
There’s nothing ‘black and white’ about monochrome kitchens these days. The design world has moved on a little from the chessboard lewk, so think ‘marle’ (yes, like the sweaters), greige (grey meets beige), almost-black (such as Dulux Domino) and every shade in between. Mixing textures will add depth, such as natural stone, VJ panelling, stainless steel and sheer curtains.
Check out these inspirational kitchens for tips on how to carry off the monochrome vibe with catwalk prowess.
A monochrome kitchen shines with a marble island bench
Luxe Carrara marble from Gladstones Granite evokes a stormy sky in this Melbourne kitchen, above, in a renovated home that was built in the Spanish Costa Del Sol style. The 2-pac cabinetry is in Dulux Natural White and the Grazia & Co ‘Dita’ stools add a black accent to this calm, monochrome kitchen.
Dark cabinets add texture to this monochrome kitchen
The fluted cabinets in this striking kitchen on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, above, work harmoniously with the island bench of Calacatta Statuario marble, which sits on a Scandinavian Profile base in Dulux Mt Aspiring.
A dark and moody home bar to die for
Technically, this is a home bar (above) and not a kitchen per se, but the edgy joinery in Dulux Monument paired with a dramatic Talostone bench in Super White meant it deserved a place in our list. The rest of the home adheres to this magic monochrome scheme, allowing artworks and soft furnishings to shine.
A Hamptons-inspired kitchen in Perth with depth and drama
‘Hamptons’ doesn’t always mean white, as seen in this striking Perth kitchen, above. The dark cabinets are finished with Polytec Thermolaminate in ‘Tempest’, while the Polytec ‘Venette’ cabinetry in Ultra White is sleek and pure matte. Kethy ‘Fornel’ gold handles give the kitchen a Midas touch, contrasting with a Franke sink in Onyx. Herringbone marble tiles pull it all together.
A practical black and white kitchen with a Tuckey table
A bespoke Mark Tuckey dining table is the hero of this monochrome kitchen (above): because it’s on castors it can be easily moved to the island bench, making the bench super-sized. Takahashi Asako ‘170’ dining chairs from Curious Grace complement the dark floor-to-ceiling cabinetry, from New Age Veneers in ‘Smoked Ash’.
A cosy kitchen is given a striking monochrome makeover
The challenge for interior designer Chelsea Hing was to incorporate a living zone, pantry and cooking space into a compact but chic kitchen (above). She succeeded, including a luxurious honed Carrara marble benchtop, Corporate Culture ‘Caravaggio P2’ pendant lights, stainless steel workspace, dark cabinetry and whitewashed timber floors.
