Joanna Gaines' back kitchen just proved to me that black can be a soft shade that's unexpectedly perfect for rustic spaces

Admittedly, I play it safe when it comes to color schemes. I have so far kept things pretty neutral paint-wise and prefer to use my decoration to add color and character and create my favored rustic style. For years I have followed the tried and tested formula that a soft scheme of whites, creams, and beiges will work best for my aesthetic, and darker shades are for making a statement, suited to bolder more maximalist spaces.

But Joanna Gaines's recent peek into her butler's pantry has convinced me I have been playing it too safe in fact. Swathed in a soft blue-black shade, Joanna's back kitchen is a lesson in how a darker paint can in fact be the perfect soft setting for a rustic look.

Joanna's recently been sharing a lot of her seasonal baking, all of which looks beautiful and all of which takes place in her equally beautiful back kitchen. There's so much inspiration to take from this small, but hard-working room, but my main takeaway is how liveable the deep soft black walls and cabinets are.

On paper, totally color drenching a room in a dark color sounds dramatic, but in reality, in Joanna's home, it looks soft and welcoming and is unexpectedly the perfect backdrop to the rustic country style.

What's the trick then? How can you decorate with dark colors while still keeping that welcoming, country kitchen feel? Of course, the paint shade you choose is key. You want to go for something soft and smudgy, no 'true' colors that are going to look harsh, but instead ones that have a warmer undertone.

Look for black paints that have a slight blue or brown undertone. Joanna doesn't reveal the exact shade she uses in this space, but ones the come to mind are Farrow & Ball's iconic Railings, or Magnolia's Blackboard.

There's a lot of texture in the space too with the marble countertops and stone tiles. Plus you have plenty of wooden accents to balance the drama of the drenched walls and cabinets – the island, the shelving, even the smaller details like the wooden-lidded storage jars and chopping boards.

There's added warmth from the brass accents too, which you can see in the wall sconces, the hardware, and picture frames. And there's all the vintage decor going on which again just really helps tone down the drama, giving a cozy, cocooning feel with zero of the overwhelm you might expect.

Shop the look

This is a winning formula if you love Joanna's iconic rustic style and want to embrace the darker color trends that are everywhere right now. It's about getting that right paint as your base (so order plenty of swatches) and then balancing out the drama with softer textures and warm colors and materials.