5 Things I Learnt After Choosing Dark Kitchen Cabinetry — They're What I Tell Anyone Who Is Also Considering It
I picked near-black cabinets with my heart, not my head — here’s how that went
I’ve had a lot of kitchens in my time. Occupational hazard. There was the high-gloss white laminate moment (forgive me, it was the late 90s and we were all making questionable choices), a very chic French Gray phase, and a couple of timber kitchens that basically gave golden retriever energy: warm, reliable, impossible to hate. So, when we renovated again in 2022, I decided to swerve my usual ‘safe but smug’ palette and go for something with a bit more bite. Enter: Obsidian Green by Little Greene.
It’s one of those almost-black shades that looks inky and moody one minute, then green and velvety the next. Very fashion. Very grown-up. Very “I’ve got my life together,” or at least that’s the impression I’d like to give. To stop it tipping into full goth kitchen territory, I followed my lovely designer friend Irene Gunter’s advice and kept the darker color below eye level, with the tall cabinetry in Portland Stone Pale. “Depending on the light levels, I would generally recommend opting for darker shades on the base cabinets and lighter above, particularly if the ceilings are low,” she says, explaining this helps draw the eye upward and keeps the space feeling brighter and more open.
For the first year, I was obsessed. It felt expensive, enveloping, and just the right side of showing off. But four years on, with actual life (kids, dogs, work, zero free time) fully stress-testing the space, I’ve got notes. So, if you’re wondering should you actually paint a small kitchen in a dark color, or a big one for that matter, here’s what you need to know.
Article continues below1. There’s Nowhere for Dirt to Hide
I love our Obsidian Green cabinets, I just don't love cleaning them 24/7.
Let’s start with the most immediate issue: dark kitchen cabinets are absolute snitches. Every fingerprint, every smear, every mysterious sticky patch (what even is that?) shows up like it’s been circled with a Sharpie.
Our kitchen is south-facing, which means we get that glorious morning light — and with it, a forensic-level reveal of every speck of dust. Frankly, it’s embarrassing. The pale cabinets, on the other hand, are blissfully forgiving.
I would estimate I clean the dark cabinets at least five times more frequently than I ever do the lighter units. And not because I’m a cleaning freak, but because I literally can’t not see the mess, and that messes with my mojo. If your kitchen is north-facing or generally lacking in natural light, you might get away with it more. But in blindingly bright spaces, just know: the truth will out.
Sure, a bit of extra cleaning won’t kill me. “Going over cabinets with a microfiber cloth using just warm water is all it takes to remove sticky marks on a day-to-day basis,” says Lynsey Crombie, author and presenter of Queen of Clean. But it’s just one of those design mistakes that make your kitchen harder to clean and, given my career choice as a kitchen specialist, I really should have known better. On the upside, I now have a very impressive collection of microfiber cloths.
This pack of Amazon Basics Microfiber Cleaning Cloths does the trick if you're in the same boat as me.
2. Marks and Scuffs Are Super Obvious
The plinths need regular touch-ups thanks to our over-enthusiastic robot vacuum!
If you have children, dogs, or, frankly, a pulse, your kitchen cabinets will get knocked. That’s life. What I hadn’t fully clocked is how aggressively visible those knocks become on darker paint. Every ding, every scrape, every slightly over-enthusiastic chair shove leaves a mark that catches the light differently.
I’m sure there are marks on my pale cabinets, but I just don’t see them unless I’m actively looking. On the dark units, they practically wave at me as I walk past. I’ve done more touch-ups in four years than I have in the previous two decades combined. Which brings me to a tip I wish I’d taken more seriously at the time:
“It’s always worth asking for an extra tin of paint from the same batch when your cabinetry is finished,” says Kaitlin McQuaide, founder of McQuaide & Co. “Even subtle variations between batches can show up once applied, particularly on larger runs of joinery or in changing light. Having that exact match on hand makes future touch-ups seamless, so any inevitable knocks or wear can be corrected without visible patching.” Learn from me. Get the extra tin. Guard it with your life.
Kaitlin McQuaide established McQuaide Co. in 2018. A full-service interior design and consulting studio based in New York City and Nantucket, she and her team create unique spaces that are intentionally designed to inspire life's adventures.
3. It's a Bit of a Debbie Downer
Glossy white tiles and glazed uppers throw light around this modern kitchen, ensuring it's totally uplifting and impossible to feel gloomy in.
This one surprised me. I thought I was far too level-headed (and too stone-cold British) to be emotionally manipulated by a kitchen cabinet color. I was wrong. There is something about a very dark kitchen that can feel… heavy. We’re lucky to have lots of glazing and that fab southerly aspect, but in winter, when the light is already doing the bare minimum, it can tip into slightly oppressive if you’re not careful.
Turns out I’m quite a sunny person. I like light, I like brightness, I like being able to see what I’m doing without turning on every single light source like I’m staging a theater production. And while I still love the color aesthetically, I do notice that the room doesn’t always lift my mood in the way lighter kitchens have.
If you’re someone who’s sensitive to your surroundings (even if you don’t think you are), it’s worth considering how color plays into that. Maybe look into mood-stabilizing colors, and how different tones can subtly shape how a space makes you feel day to day.
4. Lighting Becomes a Full-Time Job
If your lighting is as considered as it is here, a dark kitchen can feel undeniably glamorous.
Here’s something I massively underestimated: dark cabinetry doesn’t just sit there looking pretty; it actively eats light. Which means your kitchen lighting ideas have to work much harder.
Ambient lighting alone won’t cut it. You need proper task lighting, plenty of ceiling lights (where they’re needed, not in neat strips), and ideally some softer, decorative lighting to stop everything feeling flat. Otherwise, you end up with shadowy work surfaces and that slightly gloomy “why does this feel like a cave?” vibe.
We’ve had to tweak our lighting more than once — adding, repositioning, upgrading — to get the balance right. And even now, it’s more layered and intentional than it ever needed to be with lighter cabinetry. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it is something to factor in early. Dark kitchens look incredible in photos because the lighting is perfect. Real life requires a bit more effort and a very understanding (albeit rich) electrician.
5. It Can Feel a Bit… Trend-Led
Safer color choice, yes, but it's definitely gonna be easier to keep clean.
I hate admitting this, because I do genuinely love the color. But there’s no getting away from the fact that very dark kitchens — particularly black and near-black tones — are quite of-a-moment. Green is often billed as timeless (and I do think it has more longevity than, say, dark blue had in its peak years), but when it’s pushed this dark, it inevitably starts to place your kitchen within a certain design era.
And because kitchens are a long-term investment, that’s slightly unnerving. I don’t want to look back in ten years and regret my lame attempt to be down with the cool kids. “Picking colors for kitchen cabinets is always a challenge, as you know this is a long-term decision,” advises interior designer Katharine Pooley. “If you’re uncertain, it’s hard to beat calm, paler tones that allow the natural daylight to bounce around and open up the room.” Sensible, yes, but she’s not wrong.
If you’re weighing it up, it’s worth keeping an eye on the latest kitchen cabinet color trends and where things are heading before you commit.
Katharine Pooley is a London-based luxury interior designer with more than 20 years’ experience delivering exceptional projects worldwide. Known for her highly detailed, layered approach, she leads a team of designers and architects to create distinctive interiors across private homes, hotels and yachts.
Would I Do It Again?
If there is a next time, I think I'll be dialling the cabinets lighter.
I still love my kitchen. The color is rich, sophisticated, and still undeniably cool. It makes everything else in the space — the stone, the metalwork, even my slightly chaotic fiddle leaf fig — look more sophisticated. But I’m not sure I’d go this dark again.
I’d either soften it (a deep mid-tone rather than near-black) or use it more sparingly, perhaps just on the kitchen island or a single run (away from direct sunlight) rather than drenching all the base units. Enough to get some contrast, without signing up for a lifetime of wiping fingerprints like it’s my second job.
With darker cabinetry, lighting is even more important — portable lamps, like this option from The White Company, are a game-changer.
Bring a pop of color to your kitchen with this elegant Tarifa Ceramic Fruit Bowl from La Redoute.
Pull handles also going some way to reducing the number of visible fingerprints on cabinets — and this design by Rowen & Wren is minimalist perfection.
If you’re tempted, don’t let me put you off. Just go in with your eyes open, and prepare for a slightly stricter cleaning regime.
If, however, you're looking for colors to make your kitchen look bigger, then these are the shades to take note of. And for more ideas for your kitchen and wider home and garden, sign up for the Livingetc newsletter.
