Styles · Dark and dramatic
Go dark, and light it well
Deep colour wraps a room around you. Done with care, it gives a kitchen the feel of a restaurant after hours and a bedroom the calm of a good hotel. The secret is the light.
Dark doesn't have to mean small.
A deep colour blurs the corners of a room, so the walls seem to recede. Add soft light on shelves, under units and along the plinth, and the space feels enclosed in the nicest way.
What defines it
The rules of a dark room
Pick one deep colour and commit to it. Half-measures tend to look like an accident.
Colour and materials
Anthracite for a soft, modern charcoal. Ink black for something close to black. Oxblood when you want warmth and a little theatre. Dark elm brings timber into the scheme without lightening it.
Doors and handles
Flat slab or fluted doors in super-matt, which shows fewer marks than gloss. A handleless channel rail disappears completely, and matt black bar handles very nearly do. Brushed brass is the exception that works, glinting against the dark.
Glass and display
A framed glass door or two, lit from inside. Glasses, books or a collection become the decoration. See glass and lighting.
What to keep off show
Anything pale and plastic. White appliances, bright packaging and tangled cables jump out against dark doors, so plan a home for them behind closed fronts.
Three rooms, three shades
The same idea in three different dark finishes. Your own design is drawn for your room.
Renders show the finish colour. See kitchens and fitted wardrobes for how each room is planned.
Living rooms
The dark media wall
Living rooms are where this style shines, partly because they're used most in the evening. A wall of anthracite or dark elm around the TV makes the screen all but vanish when it's off, and lit shelves either side give the room a soft glow.
An electric fire is built in to the manufacturer's clearances, and it's connected by a qualified electrician, as are the LEDs. With a chimney breast, the same finish can run into alcove units either side.
Lighting: the part that makes it work
Plan it at the design stage, not afterwards. Every position is marked on your drawings for your electrician.
- Shelves
- LED strips set into the shelf, so light falls on what's displayed rather than in your eyes.
- Cabinets
- Glazed and open units lit from within, switched as the door opens.
- Plinths
- Aluminium plinths with LED strips, so the units seem to float above the floor at night.
- Switching
- A hand-wave sensor, so there's no switch to hunt for.
- Wardrobes
- Light that comes on with the door, so navy and black clothes are easy to tell apart.
All lighting is fitted and connected by a qualified electrician.
Four deep finishes
Two cool, one warm and one wood. They mix well, with dark elm as the common thread.
- Anthracite A soft charcoal. Modern, and the super-matt surface shows fewer marks than gloss. Good for: Kitchen, Bedroom or dressing room, Living room or media wall, Home office About anthraciteTry it in the planner
- Ink black Close to black, softened by the matt finish. Good for: Kitchen, Bedroom or dressing room, Living room or media wall About ink blackTry it in the planner
- Oxblood A deep red-brown. Bold on an island or a dry bar. Good for: Kitchen, Living room or media wall, Home office About oxbloodTry it in the planner
- Dark elm Dark timber with a smoky, almost charcoal tone. Good for: Kitchen, Bedroom or dressing room, Living room or media wall About dark elmTry it in the planner
Screen colours are a guide. Order free samples to see them in your own light.
Make it yours
Dark works almost anywhere. A few adjustments help.
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In a family homeAnthracite is the most forgiving of the four. Use it on the lower units with a paler worktop to bounce light back up.
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In a small roomGo dark on one wall, not all four. A single run of ink black wardrobes in a box room, lit inside and set against pale walls, feels snug rather than cramped.
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In a period house in the North EastTall Victorian ceilings and deep cornicing take dark colour beautifully. Run units right up to the ceiling, scribed to uneven plaster, so the colour reads as part of the house.
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In a room with little daylightLean into it rather than fight it. A north-facing room often looks better dark and well lit than pale and grey.
Ready to try a darker room?
Send a photo and tell us which finish you're drawn to. We'll send a design with the lighting planned in, and a price range, free.
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Questions people ask
Anything else, send us a message and we'll talk it through.
Will a dark kitchen feel gloomy?
Not if it's lit well. Under-unit, shelf and plinth lighting make a dark kitchen warm in the evening, and a pale worktop brightens it during the day.
Do dark doors show fingerprints?
Dark doors show more than pale ones. The super-matt surface on anthracite, ink black and oxblood shows fewer marks than gloss, and a soft cloth deals with the rest.
Which is darker, anthracite or ink black?
Ink black. Anthracite is a soft charcoal, while ink is close to black, softened by the matt finish. Seeing the two samples side by side is the easiest way to choose.
What worktop goes with dark units?
A soft white or marble-look quartz gives contrast. A dark sintered stone makes the whole run read as one solid block. Worktops are templated and fitted locally after the units are in.
Is a dark bedroom a good idea?
It's one of the cosiest places for it. Dark elm or ink black wardrobes with lighting inside look calm at night, and every tall unit is fixed securely to the wall.