Jennifer Aniston's dark kitchen color scheme is dominating trends – it's not what I expected, but I can't stop staring

Actress Jennifer Aniston is no stranger to style. Her kitchen beautifully preserves the modern ethos of the original scheme of this 1965 home. While the mid-century aesthetic takes center stage, the black color scheme is the real star of the show.

Something magical happens when you introduce black to an interior space. 'The delicious contrast between lighter objects against a dark background emphasizes unique qualities in materials and finer details you might have missed in a light-filled colorful space,' explains Marianne Shillingford, creative director at Dulux. 

Daring and decadent, black kitchen ideas can be difficult to get right, but once mastered, they can add elegant confidence to your space like no other color. Without a doubt, decorating with black is the trend of the moment.

And even if you're not ready for floor-to-ceiling black, small dabs can add definition and drama. 'Picking out a door frame, shelves or window frames in black makes a space come to life,' adds Alison Teverini of Milward Teverini.

A word of warning; there are many shades of black and some may not work with the rest of your scheme. The trick is to identify the undertones that define one black from another. Source samples of fabric and wallpaper and compare these to your paint swatches, so you can see which shades feel harmonious and which feel wrong. 'It's sometimes hard to see subtle variations on small swatches, so make sure you order a larger sample,' advises Helen Harlow of London-based design studio, Paintbox. 

Fortunately, it doesn't matter which space you paint black, it only matters how you apply the color. Black is a dramatic, strong, and forgiving color in a kitchen – so in this environment, use rich shades of charcoal or blue-black. Then balance it with white ceilings and woodwork, similar to Aniston's.

The depth of pigment of darker grays and blacks means that they offer an emotional content that can be as nurturing or soothing as any green, particularly when you decorate a room floor-to-ceiling in a dark, velvety hue. For some homeowners, the idea of dark colors might feel foreboding, but for others, it is the dark ‘night’ of a shade that offers serenity in a room scheme. 

Whatever you do, don't scrimp on the quality of your paint. Blacks and dark colors are notorious for showing up roller marks, scuffs, and imperfections.

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Paint is not the only way to decorate with black. Whatever you do, don't scrimp on the quality of your paint. For an easy color update, introduce black through decor accents, adding soft furnishings or accessories, such as a rug or floor runner, curtains or upholstery with a dark blue pattern as the focus of a neutral scheme.