This Homeowner was Inspired by an All-Black Kitchen on Instagram
Matte black cabinetry served as the starting point for a high-contrast family kitchen with soul.
Photo by Dan Cutrona
“What was my big inspiration?” the owner of this Hingham home asks. “I’ve followed designer Athena Calderone on Instagram forever [her handle is @eyeswoon]; I love her black kitchen.”
Julie Lyons, who reimagined the kitchen in the longtime family home, was all for going dark. After all, white marble countertops and backsplash would keep the room feeling bright. She also understood that the kitchen had to embrace its occupants.
“The homeowner wanted welcoming, not glam,” says Lyons, principal of The Design Studio. Brass finishes and white oak accents did the trick. A wall of floor-to-ceiling oak cabinetry divides the kitchen from the entry, and a bespoke ceiling panel fashioned from oak planks echoes the shape of the island underneath it. “Wherever you look, there’s a piece of warmth,” Lyons says.
Design & Construction
The Design Studio
“[The homeowners] fell in love with the functionality of the Galley Workstation sinks, so we built around those,” Lyons says of the main sink and the bar sink in the newly expanded island. / Photo by Dan Cutrona
The chevron design repeats in black at the range hood and at the ends of the floor-to-ceiling oak cabinets that divide the kitchen from the entry. “We wanted those areas to blend but still be special,” Lyons explains. The cabinetry is painted Benjamin Moore’s “Baby Seal Black” with a low sheen finish to reduce glare. / Photo by Dan Cutrona
