Do you recall my recent post about decorating bedrooms -?- I touched on the fact that lately I have been drawn to bedrooms in dark shades of brown, black and grey. Perhaps it is my response to having lived in an almost entirely white box for the last few years? All I know now is that I yearn for a dark, cosy and rustic space. I suppose I am with the “times” as the Lenzing Color Trends for Autumn/Winter 2010/2011 reflect such mood.

Week before last, This is Glamorous dazzled us with a collection of rooms, decorated dark. I was thrilled to see I am not the only one who is crushing on black! How gorgeous, no? You must pop by to see the entire post.

Perhaps painting the trim is the perfect balance I am looking for? It’s unpredictable. Isn’t trim almost always expected to be a shade of white?! Then I remembered the gorgeous townhouse that was featured in January’s Elle Decor. Bingo. My light blue walls AND black trim in one spot = OMG I am in L-O-V-E! Obviously, S.R. Gambrel is a fan of dark trim. Just look at these examples are that I found spattered throughout his portfolio…

In our last place, our interior bedroom was dark brown, the bathroom was grey and on one wall of the living area we used black. I was dying to make the entire living room black, but I had not quite convinced Mr. D it was a good idea. I wonder where we will end up next – and if I will have the nerve to do something like this fabu black apartment below? Apartment Therapy has touched on the idea of dark walls several times.

Which brings me to the idea of a black kitchen. I know, I know I have talked about black kitchens before … I may be bucking the trend. I realize that House Beautiful’s “kitchen of the year” is white. It actually (when I think about it) is pretty much the same kitchen that they featured as KOTY 2007 (only the 2009 version has got open shelving – GAG! Talk about a dusting nightmare!) I remember this because when they announced the 2007 KOTY ~I was completely crushed! I had been dreaming of a white kitchen throughout 2004 and 2005. I finally designed our kitchen in ’06 and installed it in early 2007. When “our” kitchen look was announced as KOTY 2007 – I couldn’t help but think our brand new kitchen felt instantly dated, trendy and oh-so-2007. I really wish that House Beautiful was a little more forward thinking with the 2009 Kitchen of the Year. I was looking for something exciting. I wanted innovation and they basically recreated Ina Garten’s new Hamptons farm kitchen – only this time with stock cabinetry – not her uber fancy custom Henry Built cabinets. Boo for that. Okay, I am done being critical…

By no means am I in love with every element of the kitchen above … but I do like the look of a patterned floor with dark cabinets. Below (bottom right) the checkerboard adds a folky, homespun flair to black cabinets. I could totally see that look in a lake house!


Above we have an image from Bobby Brown’s kitchen which was featured on La Dolce Vita Blog. Pretty isn’t it? And if all else fails, Point Click Home is an excellent source for kitchen inspiration and to help you start thinking about dark cabinetry. I will continue to collect kitchen images until Mr. D and I have a new kitchen to renovate. Who knows, by that point I might have moved onto a new color scheme!

Posted by Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo / ABCD Design Inspiration and Color Palette and Design and Dream Decorating and Interior Design as Inspiration and Uncategorized