The dark arts

An all-black scheme is a classic choice, but monochrome can become a little, well, monotonous if there are no design flourishes. Take cues from these schemes and find novel ways to introduce pops of colour and pattern

Above left

Polish interior-design studio Mistovia (mistovia.com) has packed all of this room’s storage, as well as its appliances, behind an expanse of black cabinetry, breaking up this dominant colour with ‘Pulp’ marble-effect porcelain tiles by 41Zero42, £165 per sq m, Damura (damura.co.uk) and a bright-pink ‘Misalliance Ex’ pendant light by Lexavala, £728, Pamono (pamono.co.uk), which the designers describe as the room’s ‘cherry on top’.

Above

Black is the ideal colour to choose for a kitchen that’s all about making an architectural statement. In this ‘Monolith’ concept by Extreme Design, for instance, the dramatic palette serves to highlight the angular form of the fivemetre-long island, clad in Nero Assoluto granite. The sleek cabinets have two different finishes: textured stained timber and black lacquered acrylic. Extreme Design kitchens are available from £60,000 (extreme-design.co.uk).

Left

Paying homage to the work of the Austrian architect Josef Hoffmann and the Vienna Secession art movement, this graphic kitchen in an early 1900s apartment in Trieste was designed by the Turin-based design studio Marcante Testa (marcante-testa.it). The monochrome floor – try the ‘Regent’ black and white porcelain mosaic tiles, from £173.89 per sq m, Mandarin Stone (mandarinstone.com) – adds a measured touch of pattern to the minimal white splashback, custom-designed metal cooker hood and Gaggenau oven.