Neff modern anthracite kitchen. Built-in oven and appliances. Sleek design, contemporary style.

Dark Symphony: Robert's Anthracite kitchen with deep black NEFF appliances

Anthracite kitchen: The modern style icon

Anthracite grey kitchens radiate elegance and a timeless aesthetic. This colour is a favourite for modern kitchen units and is versatile enough to be seamlessly incorporated in numerous design and stylistic directions, from modern minimalist to traditional farmhouse style.

As part of the current trend toward dark colours in the kitchen, anthracite is one of the most popular options. It gives the kitchen unit a refined, high-quality appearance and can be beautifully combined with a wide range of colours and materials.

We’ll show you the most important aspects of planning and design and how you can create an elegant and atmospheric ambiance that’s exactly in line with your taste – and different from all others.

Which countertop?

What visual tone do you want to set? How do you want to express your individuality in your built-in kitchen? The colour and material of your countertop are ideal for this.

Marble countertop

For his countertop, Robert has chosen white- and grey-veined black marble. This allows him to remain tone on tone with the kitchen fronts, while the unusual and personalised material adds a breath-taking design element that’s a genuine eye catcher. When the colours of the countertop and furniture fronts are similar, the kitchen has a more harmonious look overall.

Neff integrated oven in a modern anthracite kitchen. Person cooking, sleek design.

A countertop in a light, contrasting colour such as white or beige keeps the kitchen from seeming too dark and monotone. A light-coloured wooden countertop made of oak, walnut or maple or a light-coloured marble counter top made of artificial stone serves as a lovely contrast to the dark cabinets. When choosing your colour, make sure it goes with your chosen wall or floor colour.

And don’t forget to consider how much time and effort you want to devote to maintaining your countertop. A natural stone countertop, for example, requires regular care, whereas a ceramic, stainless-steel or artificial stone countertop demands less of your time.

TONE ON TONE – THE RIGHT HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES

The deep black hob extractor

Choose deep black household appliances because they coordinate well with your kitchen’s dark anthracite colour scheme. The result is a uniform picture and an even more modern kitchen that looks. The result a uniform picture and a kitchen that is even more modern looking.

The new NEFF hob extractor with matt black, stainless-steel strips is a perfect fit with dark marble

Black modern stovetop with a frying pan cooking green beans, garlic, and shallots, surrounded by fresh chili peppers, garlic bulbs, and spices.

The deep black oven

Robert chose his oven from the new NEFF Deep Black series. It’s installed in a high cabinet at the ideal working height.

Appliances furnished with matt black, stainless-steel strips have an elegant, high-quality appearance that gives the kitchen unit a very exclusive character.

Man in green shirt sprinkling seasoning on broccoli florets on a baking tray in a modern kitchen.

Four modern built-in ovens in black finish with different trim colors, shown in a staggered arrangement against a white background.

Stay flexible!If you want to change the look of your kitchen later on, you can replace the stainless-steel strips and handles with deep black, brushed bronze, metallic silver or anthracite grey strips at any time! NEFF Flex Design now lets you customise the look of your oven, cooker hood, hob and fully automatic coffee maker.

Matt or high-gloss?

Both matt surfaces and high-gloss fronts go great in an anthracite grey kitchen. It all depends on the style and aesthetic that you want to achieve in your kitchen.

Matt: Matt fronts and surfaces have a soft, elegant appearance and create a cosy, homely atmosphere in your kitchen. And they’re practical: Fingerprints and scratches are less visible.

High-gloss: A high-gloss surface establishes a modern and luxurious aesthetic that is also somewhat cooler. In daylight, high-gloss fronts often make a kitchen seem slightly bigger and roomier. Keep in mind that high-gloss surfaces show fingerprints and scratches more easily than matt surfaces. You might want to add an anti-fingerprint coating.

Man in teal shirt placing a tray of fresh vegetables into a modern black oven in a minimalist kitchen.

Modern dark kitchen interior with built-in oven, black faucet, herb plants, and a knife block on the counter.

Handles or handle-free?

The current trend toward a minimalist kitchen design accounts for the popularity of kitchen units with smooth fronts and flush-mounted elements.

Handle-free:

Handle-free corpuses are the perfect choice for an anthracite grey kitchen. In this colour range in particular, the absence of handles has an especially understated and minimalist effect. Push-to-open systems or integrated recessed handles make opening easier. The advantage is that handle-free drawers, base cabinets and wall cabinets are easy to clean because there are no handles in the way.

With handles:

Drawers and cabinets with handles are a little more practical in day-to-day life. Plain, straight handles made of black or matt stainless steel go well with the anthracite corpus and harmonise perfectly with the built-in kitchen’s dark colouring.

Make a statement with niches, plants and accessories

Modern kitchen nook with black cabinets, built-in sink, under-cabinet lighting, glassware on shelves, and potted green plants.

NichesA niche with an integrated black sink artfully expands the large-area kitchen front and its indirect lighting establishes a visual reference point. With cabinets fitted to the slanted ceiling as well as base cabinets and drawers, fronts provide lots of storage space for your kitchen utensils.

Preparing fresh, vibrant ingredients in a stylish Neff kitchen setting.

PlantsThe combination of dark grey and bright, vibrant green connects Robert’s kitchen to nature while at the same time providing a refreshing contrast to the dark ambiance. Plants and herbs are ideal accessories for accentuating this green colour palette in the kitchen.

A cello leans against a wall next to a cabinet with a record player on top.

Wooden furnishingsAccessories and additional furnishings made of wood provide natural warmth and harmonious contrast to an anthracite grey kitchen. The organic textures and colours of the wood accentuate the modern and sophisticated appearance of the anthracite surfaces in an elegant manner.

More dramatic or more natural?

The right wall colour

Robert chose white as his wall colour because it balances out the dark elements in the kitchen and creates a bright and pleasant contrast. The white walls also make the kitchen seem larger and roomier.

But there are other wall colours that would also be suitable:

A grey wall colour creates a chic and elegant look. Light grey balances out the dark kitchen whereas dark grey can generate a dramatic effect.

Beige gives the kitchen a warm and natural feel. Like a light grey or white, it intensifies the room’s natural brightness.

Green tones ensure a natural and calming atmosphere, for an agreeable and relaxing kitchen.

Modern Neff kitchen with dark cabinetry, fresh herbs, and integrated oven. Culinary style.

And then there was light: The lighting concept

The 5-step plan for eliminating dark corners. A good lighting concept is an excellent opportunity to customise your kitchen’s character even further. A dark anthracite grey kitchen has to be optimally illuminated to keep it from seeming gloomy. Here’s what you can do to eliminate dark corners:

1. Choose a variety of different lighting sources. A combination of ceiling lights, under-cabinet lights and cabinet lights ensures that your kitchen will be evenly illuminated and prevents dark corners.

2. Position lights strategically. Be sure to place lights at all important points in your work area to avoid dark corners. For example, install lights under the cabinets so that the work surface will be well lit.

3. Avoid harsh, glaring lights that blind you or cause shadows. Instead, choose warm diffuse lighting for a pleasant atmosphere.

4. Take advantage of natural light. Before planning, observe the light over the course of the day and use it wisely to illuminate your kitchen by planning or installing tubular skylights or roof lights to create a natural light source.

5. Set the tone with indirect lighting. Dark niches, shelves and even the countertop on the kitchen island can be aesthetically accentuated with invisible LED strips.

Ideas for the flooring: industrial style or open kitchen?

Two flooring options are especially interesting for anthracite kitchens. Either one is capable of creating a totally different atmosphere in your kitchen.

Concrete floor: This is the ideal choice if you’re a fan of the ever more popular industrial style kitchen. It’s easy to maintain and creates a modern and industrial aesthetic that goes perfectly with a modern or minimalist kitchen.

Wood floor: This is the counterpoint to the concrete floor. A wood floor, and especially an oak floor, is a warm and inviting enhancement to an anthracite grey kitchen. It forms a natural contrast to the cool, metallic, anthracite tones of the base and wall cabinet fronts and creates a marvellously cosy and inviting atmosphere.

Robert integrated elements of both concrete and wood in his kitchen. The concrete flooring harmonises with the grey of the kitchen surfaces. The walnut barstools with woven elements generate a warm and friendly look.

Neff built-in oven in a modern dark kitchen.

Pros and cons of an anthracite kitchen

There are many advantages to having an anthracite grey kitchen, such as timelessness, elegance, versatility and easy maintenance. But without a well-designed lighting concept and a perfectly coordinated choice of wall colours and flooring, they can appear dark and the room can look smaller.

To help you make your decision, we’ve compiled a list of all the pros and cons:

Man pouring oil into a pan on a Neff induction hob in a dark kitchen.

Timeless: Anthracite is a timeless colour that never goes out of style. A kitchen in this shade of grey will continue to look modern for many years to come.

Anthracite can feel dark and uncomfortable, especially if a kitchen isn’t well-lit.

Elegant: Anthracite is a grey shade that gives the kitchen a refined, sophisticated look.

The dark colour can make a kitchen seem smaller.

Versatile: The dark grey tone combines well with many other colours and materials, which means that you have lots of freedom when designing your kitchen.

Easy to clean: Generally speaking, an anthracite grey kitchen is less likely to show smudges or stains than a light-coloured kitchen.

ROBERT AMES. Likes to try new things and enjoys the magic of experimentation.

He’s a successful director, curator and networker. He’s a key figure in the fusion of classical and contemporary music. His enjoyment of art is stimulated by discovering new things and crossing boundaries. His curiosity drives his music and his cuisine.