House proud

Why Abigail Ahern, the design queen of dark interiors, did a deco U-turn with a lighter shade

Designer Abigail Ahern sheds some light on her kitchen

Interior and product designer Abigail Ahern set the trend for dark decorating when she launched her homeware brand in 2002. Now with a shop in London and a website that ships around the globe, she has become an influential tastemaker, with more than 140,000 followers on Instagram. But when she recently redesigned her kitchen, she decided on a fresh look, in a much lighter shade. ‘It’s a change but I love it,’ she says.

The kitchen is open-plan to the living room at her east London home, and was previously fitted with Ikea cabinets, painted black. To replace it she worked with Herringbone Kitchens on a design for new cabinets, which she had painted in Pickle, a sand-like shade from her own paint range (she also used it on the shutters, ceiling and walls).

‘I immediately knew the colour was right,’ she says. ‘It’s a lovely warm shade, and it links with the bare brickwork on the walls.

It’s made the whole space feel more cohesive.’ She hasn’t lost her love of dark drama, though: the worktops and splashback are in a contrasting black quartz.

Changes to the kitchen layout were small but significant: a line of wall-hung units was replaced by a long open shelf, the island was widened, the oven moved to an opposite wall to free up cupboard space, and a new pantry cupboard was installed. ‘It’s the perfect mix of beautiful and functional,’ notes Ahern.

A similar kitchen will cost £7,235 from Herringbone Kitchens (herringbonekitchens.com)

A similar black mixer tap costs £149.95 from Victorian Plumbing (victorianplumbing.co.uk) The island, worktops, shelf and splashback are in black quartz; Caesarstone’s Raven quartz is similar (£410 a metre, caesarstone.co.uk) Aged-brass handles, from £42, Herringbone Kitchens