It’s now getting dark in our kitchens and dining rooms. Pots and pans, crockery, cutlery and even table decorations are all trending to black. We’re loving the unfussy monochrome approach and relaxed minimalism. We also enjoy the elegantly designed kitchen accessories and mood-enhancing atmosphere, with colourful, tasty dishes that light up our plates. Simply perfect.
Lights out! We put the spot on the new, dark interior design.
Designers are taking a dim view these days. The colour white has been everywhere for decades, but now there’s a new, dark contender. Interiors are no longer content to luxuriate in light, friendly tones – they now don an air of mystery without being in the least gloomy or dusty. Maybe we’ve all had enough of the pale, neutral ‘nothing colour’? And anyway, our associations of white with transparency, openness and space can apply just as well to our trend colour black. Job Smeets, a Belgian artist and designer, recently said: “Not everyone is desperate to live in a white, modernist box.”
He says it’s getting dark, and you can see it happening in hip bars, cafés and restaurants. Mesa in Antwerp is clad in black wood, and the hip hangout Bravo Bar in Berlin’s Mitte district also has black walls. The night-time mood really makes them stand out. When applied at home, dark can be cosy and relaxed in a different way. Emerging from this deep, mystical darkness are wonderful ideas and innovations with a distinctive design character.
