The Florence Residence kitchen was designed around contrast. Matte black cabinetry creates a strong architectural foundation, while walnut millwork, natural marble, and reclaimed timber introduce warmth and texture.
The challenge wasn't simply choosing a bold palette. It was ensuring that the darker finishes felt inviting rather than severe. We considered how each material would interact with the surrounding light, how the cabinetry would influence the room's proportions, and where softer elements could create balance.
Why Matte Black
Matte black cabinetry is often done badly. Done badly, it reads cold — clinical and unforgiving. The mistake is usually pairing it with the wrong materials: chrome hardware, white stone, cool lighting. The darkness has nowhere warm to go.
At Florence, we surrounded the black with warmth at every turn. Walnut millwork on the island and open shelving. Reclaimed wood beams overhead. Warm brass hardware — not polished, but aged and matte. Lighting in the 2700K range. The herringbone backsplash in a marble with movement and warmth in the veining. The result is a kitchen that reads dramatic rather than cold. The black becomes a backdrop for everything warmer around it — it gives the wood and the stone somewhere to stand out against.
The Ceiling Beams
The reclaimed wood beams were a late addition. They came in during the build phase when we realized the kitchen ceiling felt too uniform — too finished. The beams add the rough, honest quality that the rest of the kitchen needed to balance its precision.
The Herringbone Backsplash
The backsplash tile choice is the most undervalued decision in a kitchen. It's often the last thing specified and the first thing people see.
For Florence, we used a honed marble tile in a classic herringbone. The pattern adds movement without adding colour. The honed finish means it lives comfortably next to the matte black — there's no competing shine. And the natural variation in the marble means no two sections look identical, which gives the backsplash the same collected quality as the rest of the kitchen.
If you're renovating a kitchen right now and you're still deciding on the backsplash: don't rush this decision. It's the detail that will date the room if you get it wrong.
No matter how bold the palette, the materiality always brings it home. Explore the entire project here
Considering a bold kitchen renovation in Ontario? Let's talk about what it might look like for your home. → saivahomes.com/contact
