Black and white drama

Formica. Butcher block. Polished granite. Stainless steel. For generations, Californians have been obsessed with finding an alternative to ceramic tiles for kitchen surfaces. “When it comes to cooking and cleaning, people are grout weenies,” explains Sheri Hirschfeld, showroom manager at Ann Sacks, the Los Angeles tile atelier that charts the course of kitchen counter culture. “These days, everyone wants dark, continuous surfaces.”

As a result, every manufacturer from Alessi to Target has started serving up kitchen products in basic black and white -- from Op Art potholders and dishes to striped tea sets and tea towels. According to Ann Sacks, the latest counter intelligence calls for poured concrete and honed stones for a matte charcoal look and -- break out the grout -- a return to square ceramic tiles in fashionable black finishes.

Happily, you don’t have to redo your kitchen counters to reinvigorate them. Once a forbidden kitchen color, black now adds an understated refinement, even to workaday spatulas and scrubbers. Two-tone graphics turn tabletop items into design-savvy works of culinary art. These dark pieces, which come in materials as glossy as wet India ink and as satiny as ebony suede, blend in perfectly with the 21st century pantry’s sleek cupboards, Sub-Zero fridges and Wolf ranges. They also add a dramatic touch to any decor, from country kitchens to Italian cucinas.

Somber? Hardly. Though the black-and-white kitchen exudes simplicity, accentuating both form and function, it also reveals a colorful playfulness. Who could resist a carnival striped tea party or a noodle bowl imprinted with instructions? And how could your friends and neighbors be anything but pea green with envy over a fruit dish made out of an old Jefferson Airplane record?