How long do you plan to live there? I’d say do what you love! You will be in this space everyday, make it yours. I had very dark (Espresso, I think) stained cabinets and didn’t find them any harder to clean then my new white ones. I wanted white and I love it but next time I’ll go back to a stain option.

It’s your space, so make it you. I personally don’t like black cabinets and it would deter me from buying. It would also be uncomfortable (I don’t like black and white theme) for me to be in the space, but, again - I’m not paying the mortgage! So if you’ll be keeping the TH a while, do what your heart wants. The dark floors do seem to show more debris than medium tones.

Yes, Black. I say go for it. I would do a shimmery backsplash.

Would not want black cabinets with ebony floors.

I like the black but I’d remove some upper cabinets so as not too feel too closed in.

I think it looks great!

Beside the two pendants are there any recessed light in the kitchen area? If not I would have some LED recess lights added. I assume there are LED under cabinet lights and the pendants also have LED.

You could do a pop of color on the backsplash. Or a geometric pattern.

Nice looking space. Good luck!

A lot would depend on how much natural light there is in that kitchen. I think you run the risk of a dark and oppressive space. But then, I'm not a fan of very dark cabinetry in general. Personally, I'd probably be going for an actual colour, rather than black, white or grey.

For sure all that black will suck light right out of the air. You will need SUPERIOR task lighting for safety when cooking!! It will absolutely be a huge challenge on resale but you are just moving in so that's tough to care about. As said bottom line you are paying for it--get what makes you happy.

if glass doors could be used on the side wall upper cabs I think it would be fine. without that feature I think i'd stick w white and instead do black bar stools..black pendant lights...black faucet black hardware..black grout black patterned runner on floor...some combination of all these sorts of things. but as others say.....do what you like and want but that doesn't mean throw caution to the wind when dealing w kitchens

visual for you. original pic is pretty blurry when enlarged so the handles were hard to get right

We had a neighbor who installed a black kitchen. His house sat on the market - unusual for our neighborhood. The first thing the eventual buyers did was rip out the kitchen. It would certainly put me off.

When you say "brown", what species of wood? White oak is popular, cherry is classic, or maple - there are lots of woods that can be left natural or stained.

The uniquitousness of white kitchens has created a backlash seen in the recent uptick of many more black, navy, dark green and natural wood cabinets in design. Non white cabinets are on trend. Black well done cabinets will likely sell as well if not better in the near future than white, especially to younger buyers. Resale concerns are a bit silly, for everyne who will not buy a black kitchen there is another who hates white cabinets. Do what will bring you the most joy.

If you love black, then do black. I would not choose black, as I find it overwhelming, but it's your home so do what you want. Choosing something/not choosing something in a new home because of the resale issue is counter productive. As roarah mentioned, all buyers have different likes and dislikes, and to try to cater to a future mythical buyer is futile.

Would you be happy in a kitchen with dark lower cabinets and lighter upper cabinets? There is a sizeable population of home buyers who are totally put off by black and not afraid to say so. Or take the white and paint them once your furniture is all in—- charcoal (or a dark green or blue) and cream, for instance.

If an option (it wasn't clear to me how the black would be achieved) but if the cabinets have to be painted to get that color -- how about a very dark navy, hunter green, or plum?

Personally I think that is bit too much, but it is your house and you should do what you want.

I dont know how old you are but I do know that for me, at my time of life, I care little about resale value beyond the value retained in basic maintenance and up keep.

I like black and feel that it "anchors" other elements.

But, too much can also suck the light out.

Would this be as welcoming at night without the day light coming in? Or, on a dark and cloudy day?

My mother had a black and white kitchen but her floors were black tiles with black grout, black countertop, white cabinets with black handles.

I would go with a two-tone if that's possible or appealing to you. I'd lean toward green or blue, personally.

And good point about how it would look at night.

Some of Ikea’s internationally best selling kitchens are black. Black has been the new grey since 2018 and in the younger demographic it is prefered to white. In a black kitchen some wood mixed in looks great. Walnut butcher block on an island or even cutting boards placed up on the backsplash add so much warmth.For ispiration look at the tons of ikea black kitchens on pintrest.

My main concern is - Is black too intimidating for buyers when its time to sell?

AFAIC, the house would have to come at a steep discount--enough to pay to replace the cabinets/ remodel the kitchen plus the time & trouble of having to do it--before I would even buying a house with black cabinets.

Ci lanto I feel the same about builder grade white kitchens so we would cancel each other out, lol

I had a black kitchen in my last house and loved it. Good lighting is key to making it work. As far as resale, if you think you’ll be there long enough to enjoy it, then go for it. If you’re moving in a couple years, I might pass and try something a little more neutral (light wood?? Or a lighter paint color?) that may have more buyers appeal.

i think before someone would take the time to calculate a kitchen redo because of black // .....they would move on to another property. People know how much a kitchen renovation is and not just money but the time and work etc. People move on to the next property on their list. There would be a natural number of disinterested people and some neutral opinions and some may like it . If time to sell issues are a large part of the calculation here [not clear exactly ] then these are fair thoughts. I really dont think the same kitchen in the white would create disinterest. But "hating" white kitchens means you ought to consider the colors and the brown along w black. You might benefit by showing the other palettes that are provided? I dont understand why all colored options and brown would be offensive. color can be a wonderful option . Other opinions can assist w visions that arent obvious to one person.

A few comments (and responses to comments above):

- typical condo buyers only stay for 3-5 years. You absolutely need to consider resale.

- For every one person who likes black and hates white, there are 10 who like white and hate black. It’s silly to assume that for any choice you make, you close the door to some buyers but open it to an equal amount.

- i like black, but it needs to be done well and suit the space. Are we talking about painted black? (good) or espresso wood stained cabinets (bad).

For 3 or so years of being there, I dont think id gamble with black unless you have a really really good eye for design.

The forementioned unit price indicates younger professionals who likely like things different than many posters on this forum . For true resale concerns a Realtor in your market would be best to advise you. I think many under forties are tired of what is popular on this site.

I have a south facing kitchen with a huge window over the sink, plus a large sliding glass door and 2 other windows in that space. Tons of natural light. My cabinets are a dark brown and they suck sooo much light out of the space.

If I could do it over again I would not go so dark. YMMV.

My first inclination is no to the black cabinets. I know in real life there will be texture to the surface but in the rendering they appear lifeless. Am afraid it won't be terribly different in real life. Also, the black doesn't coordinate well with your flooring and there is just too stark a contrast with the white.

I think it could be well done if they indeed were painted black rather than espresso cabinets. Perhaps make the island wood tone cabinets that work with your floor rather than white.

We're planning ebony (wenge, to be exact) cabinets in our new build, but we'll have a wall of windows on one side of the kitchen. Ours is a mountain home, so that look works for us. I think it depends on where you are -- if you're in Miami, I would rethink the black!

The key to black cabinets will be the execution of same, as well as the lighting.

A poorly designed and thought out black kitchen will be an overt trainwreck. If you are going to go for this amount of drama - get really good professional design help and don't design this kitchen in a vacuum.

Also - you will need a LOT of light to give it a welcoming appearance vs just a black hole in the corner.

It's a risk - but can be super rewarding if well done.

Anything but the gray/white plague. My girlfriend's caught it; fortunately she's throwing me out.

If done right it would be very nice. Not all cabinet styles translate well to black.

I might check with a real estate agent about resale but I'd probably then ignore their recommendations.

Don't ask me to dust them please!

No matter how some people spin it with talks about trends and younger buyers, black kitchens absolutely hurts your resale potential. There's no ifs and buts about it. Most buyers don't want dark kitchens, most buyers especially do not want black kitchens. It very much limits your pool of potential buyers and you are already asking about resale potential and that tells you what you need to know.

The secret is that you can pull off a very nice, high quality kitchen that happens to be black and I'm of the theory that if the execution is extremely high quality, the quality speaks for itself and overrides almost everything else and you can get away with it. The problem is that when you look at stunning photos of high quality "black" kitchens, those kitchens came at a stiff cost and not realistic whatsoever for a 360k house.

I would look more closely at other darker but not black colors. There are many ways to have a kitchen that isn't all white without having to be as drastic as black. But here is also another dirty secret. One reason for the prevailing popularity of "white" kitchens is that it gives you the best bang for the buck. With a 360k property you're looking at standard grade kitchen cabinets and materials. Deviations from white kitchens are harder to pull off at a lower price point if the goal is to have something that still looks great. The more colors and contrast you add to a kitchen, the more the flaws and discrepancies will stand out as well as the more difficult it is to harmonize it with the surrounding decor (another particular problem with the popularity of open floor plans).

I think black cabinets would look gorgeous. go for satin or matte, which will soften the look a little. (matte will look best but might be fingerprinty....see if you can test out a sample piece first.)

I agree with homechef59 to not do dark floors with this though. it will be too much and besides, dark floors are a nightmare for keeping clean looking. unless you like to sweep every day.

I like the black better than the white but like others have said don't do the ebony floors, I would prefer a lighter, richer, more traditional wood floor

@roarah the kitchens you posted are very pretty, but they all have a lot more natural light than the kitchen in the townhome the OP's buying.

Speaking for myself and my husband, we would never buy a home with a black kitchen.

Ok. Do the black if that makes you smile every time you walk in there. I will not assume that these people will be there only 3 years. Maybe they end up being there 10-15 years. By that time, the space will need sprucing up for sale anyway. THAT"S when you do the kitchen in the current trend for those buyers who don't have good imaginations and just don't want to repaint themselves.

No, even with the light you describe, all that black will suck up the light, and the space will be dark. Also, black shows every bit of dust and is hard to keep clean.

I think you can go with a darkish color that isn't so extreme /stark as black.

Wow, thank you all for such insightful comments. All of them are very very helpful.

To answer some of the questions -

1. Yes I will have four recessed lights and the two pendants. And I intend to install under cabinet lights. My house is going to be west facing. The kitchen is on south wall. Full glass door and window on the east wall. And big wide window directly in the north wall. I have been to the model house at least 7-8 times now, I have sat there for hours :-), and even during rainy, gloomy days it looks pretty lit up (with natural light). I would assume it will be more gloomy and dark with the black cabinets.

2. I plan to be in this TH for the next 5 to 8 years, if life does not throw me curveballs and something changes drastically. It can happen; no denying that, but I am NOT buying the house as a starter house and with the purpose of moving to a bigger house once I have some equity in 2-3 hrs. And yes, I am rapidly approaching 40 but for all purposes I am a young professional :-):-).

3. My builder is not a luxury builder (you can already tell from the price of the house), and they only offer black, autumn (dark orange hued brown) and saddle (lighter orange hued brown) as the only standard color options. For white cabinets, I have to upgrade which means more cost. Two tone cabinets are not customizable with the builder. Same thing with opening up some of the cabinets.

Here's what I take from all of your suggestions:

1. I am very gut-instinct kind of a person and my gut is telling me to stick to black. I am also very messy, and I can promise myself that I will mess up the white cabinet in a matter of days. Also, because white is a hefty upgrade price, it seems it will cause me mental agony to pay more for something I do not even like.

2. But the dark floor is probably a bit much. In my next meeting I will try to find a better, lighter color for the hardwood. May also want to revisit the Island color as well, white might be too contrast-y.

3. I am not doing the backsplash with the builder so I think I would have some nice options from floor & decors (and the likes) to bring the design together.

4. Last but not the last, I will take a mental note to myself (or may be start an contingency fund) for converting black to whatever trendy kitchen color/setting happens to be when I am ready to sell). May be a small reno project down the line to create some open space in the kitchen before selling.

Thank you again, everyone.

Special thanks to roarah for being a black kitchen enthusiast like me. Everything you said resonated with me 100%. And thank you for putting faith in black cabinets, I think I am still gravitating towards them.

I came across some pictures of some lovely kitchens with black cabinets. I hope they provide some inspiration. I grew up in an old New England incorporated in 1652. As a kid I remember lots of kitchens in very old colonial homes with black cabinets.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC The salt and pepper hair isn't doing it for her anymore? :-)

missenigma wow these are fantastic. Thank you so much, saving them to my gallery right now :-)

I say go for the black. Colored cabinets are in! People are painting cabinets navy, emerald green, tan, grey, two toned...I think pretty much anything goes now.

Please post pics once you are in.

"@Joseph Corlett, LLC The salt and pepper hair isn't doing it for her anymore? :-)"

When I get my transplants, Ima have 'em only take the dark ones and put them on top. Get my eyelids done and single women, look out. lol. "She's prolly makin' out on the couch right now with someone new..."

I also say go for the black if you really want it and are okay knowing you will have to do some adjustments like the floor colour. Do NOT do black appliances thinking they will blend better (sorry if this has been covered, I just skimmed comments above).

I have black lowers and white uppers. I don't think I'd like all black, but I'm not you. One thing I will point out is that black shows dirt more not less than white. I'm okay with it, but thought you should be aware. Buy a few Norwex purple polishing cloths. They are my best friend in the kitchen and bathrooms. Every month or two, I get one just damp and wipe the fronts down - easy, peasy.

Another downside is that it is not everyone's cup of tea, so get used to comments (usually from those over 70) like, "why on earth would you do black cabinets?". My usual response is, "I know! Aren't they great?!".

My kitchen from my last home, the dark stain I mentioned. This was 10 years ago!

If interested, would the builder agree on providing two tone cabinets if he charged extra (and the money you saved by using white only on top may offset the extra charge.) I really like the look.