Black kitchen cabinets are the latest interior design trend. Many homeowners feel black is the new white, at least in kitchen spaces.

If you’re thinking about installing new kitchen cabinets, make sure you plan ahead.

According to the National Kitchen Bath Association (NKBA), cabinets are the top category being substituted for each of kitchen and bath’s four industry segments: manufacturing, building and construction, retail sales and design. As one designer put it

“It’s taking upwards of 20 weeks to get cabinets in.”

Black Color Essentials

Black is one of the basic colors that are important to the interior design and overall palette. It’s neutral, the same as white and gray.

These nuances are highly versatile and used in many different ways. Black in particular, is a powerful color that can be subtle when needed and can also make a statement.

Known for elegance and sophistication, balance is thus essential when decorating with black. The color is easy to use as an accent because it goes with everything. It’s straightforward and robust, contrasting with other colors.

Black Kitchen Cabinet Ideas

Black kitchen cabinets are in more kitchens today than ever before. It doesn’t matter the size of the kitchen. If you want a contemporary look, then black cabinets will help you achieve your design goal.

Old And New

Tessfine

In this example, a rustic green kitchen buffet is paired with black kitchen cabinetry.

Natural Light Provides Balance

Kitchens have a heavy natural light source. Black kitchen cabinetry to contrast with natural light provides a fresh spin.

Farmhouse Black Kitchen Cabinets

Talk about inspiration for a farmhouse kitchen. The white backsplash and colored cement floor bring so much space into this kitchen. The tall black pantry cabinet a drawers just go to show that you can use black cabinets in almost any kitchen.

Small Black Spaces

As the darkest color, black isn’t confined to large spaces. This tiny kitchen looks chic and modern with its black flat-front cabinetry.{found on creative}.

Black, White, And Red Accents

In this example, the classic color combination makes for an ideal kitchen. Complete with black kitchen cabinets, white subway tile backsplash, and checkered dish towels.

Traditional Black Kitchen Cabinets

Kitchendesigns

Black cabinets may not represent the “traditional kitchen,” but that’s changing.

Black Kitchen Cabinet Hardware

If you don’t want black cabinets, then try black hardware. Black kitchen cabinet door handles are a good place to start. This kitchen is inspiring if you don’t want black kitchen cabinets, but you still want to use black in your kitchen.

Black And Butcher Block

Apartmenttherapy

The starkness of the black kitchen cabinetry here is softened by a medium-stained butcher block countertop. A spring green backsplash color adds to the natural vibe.

Galley Kitchen Cabinets

Simple, clean-lined black kitchen cabinets in a galley-style kitchen provide a nice framing element to the beautiful stainless steel range at the end of the kitchen.

Black Kitchen Cabinet Doors

Black and white beauty all around in this kitchen. There’s a combination of white cabinets with black doors, which really stands out. The black kitchen table, stove hood, and decorations make for an intricate kitchen display.

Black Cabinets With Gold Hardware

Is there a more luxe or sophisticated combination than black with gold? In an otherwise simple kitchen, black provides the perfect background to these glimmers of gold.

Black And White Kitchen Cabinets

Black kitchen door handles on the white upper cabinets above the counters illustrate how black is used as an accent color. And there’s all-black cabinets below the counters.

Black And Marble

JewettFarms

A geometric black-and-white backsplash provides a great cohesive element for and visual transition from the darkness of black kitchen cabinets to the lightness of Carrera marble countertops.

Glossy Black All Around

Integrated into the glossy black cabinets of this dream kitchen are glossy black appliances, and the streamlined look could not look more sleek and chic. Keeping the crown molding black as well is a stroke of design genius.

White Kitchen Cabinets with Black Appliances

If you’re looking for a touch of black in your kitchen, you can always go with black appliances. They really stand out against the white cabinets and don’t add an overwhelming amount of black into the space.

Rustic Kitchen Island

Often designed in reverse, with pale kitchen cabinetry and a dark kitchen island, this setup flips that design idea on its head not only for its color scheme but also the fabulous traditional details.

Classic Black And White

A 50/50 split of black and white in this kitchen space results in a gorgeous, timeless look. Black kitchen cabinets showcase beautiful chandeliers and balance the dark floors in the space.

Black Lower Cabinets

If a corner kitchen is small enough that all-black kitchen cabinetry seems like it would overwhelm, consider incorporating black cabinets on the lowers and leaving the uppers white. Combine this with a checkerboard floor, and you’ve got a winning traditional-meets-modern combination.

Black Cabinets With Colored Lighting

Just as white kitchen cabinets are versatile as far as color accents go, so, too, are black kitchen cabinets. They provide a bold neutral base against which colors (like these orange blown glass pendants) can shine.

Black Kitchen Island

It’s not a new trick – contrasting the color of your kitchen island with the rest of your kitchen cabinetry. But when that contrast is as dramatic as black-and-white, you’ve got yourself a real stunner of a focal point.

All-Black Kitchen Cabinets

This is a timeless kitchen with its all-black cabinets. If you’re going for a primarily black kitchen, this is an excellent example of black and using it in this space.

Rustic + Black

The rustic appeal and warmth of grainy wood surfaces, whether they be floors, countertops, shelves, or ceiling beams (or, in this case, all of the above) is absolutely stunning when juxtaposed with black kitchen cabinets.

Black With Glass

As the ultimate color-absorbing color, it’s interesting to note that black both is enhanced by and enhances light-reflecting surfaces. Loads of glass in this kitchen make the black kitchen cabinetry an obvious, and gorgeous, choice.

Matte Black Kitchen Cabinets

Matte black cabinets are seamless with no visible hardware or handles. The black cabinets paired with the wood and white give this kitchen and elegant and sleek modern look.

Black Cabinets With Colorful Rug

Kitchen styles change with the wind. Not every component is permanent. A colorful rug, like this Oriental rug in deep reds you see here, provides a nice pattern and visual break from the chunk-o’-color that is the black cabinets.

Black Cabinets With Soffits

Extend the drama of your black kitchen cabinets by painting the soffits the same color. Floor-to-ceiling impact is stunning.

Wood Cabinets With Black Countertops

It’s enticing to use black as an accent color simply because it goes well with everything. It’s also very simple and strong and it nicely contrasts with wood.

Contemporary Kitchen In Black

As you’ve clearly seen, black is a color that suits modern and contemporary kitchens really well. Of course, that doesn’t mean it can’t also be used in combination with other styles. This rustic kitchen has black cabinets at the top and the bottom with a nice distressed finish, glass panel doors and elegant metal hardware. In contrast, the countertop and backsplash are made of wood.

Minimalist All-Black Kitchen

This is an all-black kitchen which contrary to what one might expect doesn’t look or feel very dark. The fact that the ceiling is white definitely helps to balance out the décor.

Wood Backsplash and Storage

A beautiful way to prevent black kitchen cabinets from overpowering the space is by adding wood to the design.

This warm and natural material contrasts with the black in a very pleasant way. Here it was used to create a stylish accent wall with floating shelves.

The backsplash is seamlessly made a part of the wall itself. This is a kitchen by Leicht Westchester-Greenwich.

Go With an Industrial Kitchen

This industrial-style kitchen designed by Nina Williams Interiors also makes use of black as its primary color.

All the cabinetry including the island are black which adds a strong vibe to the décor and allows the brick accent wall and the wooden countertop to stand out more.

The metal pipe and wood shelves bridge the gap between these elements really well.

Black Kitchen Cabinets with Gold Handles

Contemporary kitchens and black cabinets go hand in hand as you can expect from such a simple and versatile color.

Studio Hurst complemented the large black units with a beautiful white marble backsplash and also used this material for the island top.

Another noticeable detail is the use of golden metal accents to highlight the elegance of all the materials and colors involved.

Small Black Kitchen Cabinets

If you have a small kitchen and compact space, black cabinets can add space and dimension to the look of your kitchen. The use of white and wood brings this space to life and maximizes the area’s size.

All Natural Lighting

Too much black can make a space feel dark. To make up for that, studio Renovation Design Group gave this kitchen lots of natural and artificial lighting.

The cabinetry is all concentrated on one wall, creating a bit unit with very simple and clean lines. The style is obviously industrial, hence the ceiling design.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)FAQ

How Much do New Kitchen Cabinets Cost?

Custom cabinets will run you $300 to $750 per linear foot if you do it yourself. And 500 to 1,200 if you get the cabinets installed. And prices will also range depending on if you use plywood cabinets or solid wood cabinets.

What Is The Best Black Paint For Kitchen Cabinets?

Benjamin Moore Onyx (2133-10) is the best black paint for kitchen cabinets.

Do You Need To Paint Black Oak Kitchen Cabinets?

Black oak is only the name of the wood. Once the wood is manufactured into kitchen cabinets, the wood is brown.

Do Black Kitchen Cabinets Impact The Temperature Of A Kitchen?

The color black will offset a kitchen’s natural lighting heat source. Because it’s a dark color, black kitchen cabinets help balance the interior temperature.

Black Kitchen Cabinets: Wrap Up

Black is an essential color for interior design. It’s highly versatile and is a powerful color that can make a bold statement or have a subtle appearance in the background. Add black kitchen cabinets if you want to enhance your kitchen with elegance and sophistication.