Every Room Needs a Touch of Black

I feel like there is no better accent color than black. There are many interior designers who disagree with me, like Tom Sheerer, who says "every room needs a touch of Red." (I agree with that a lot of the time too, but we will get to that later.) I like black for it's focus, depth and elegance. It could be a piece of furniture, fabric or accessory, ( and did I mention black walls?) It is my opinion that few people outside of professional decorators and designers really like to use black. Most people associate black with 70's and 80's cheesy bachelor's pads. I hope I can show you a few examples that will change your mind.

Here are 2 rooms with chandeliers and shelves. In the first room designed by David Kaihoi, he uses black shades on the chandelier and a glossy black built in bookcase. clearly the white crystal chandelier would have been lost against the white ceiling, but the black shades draw your eye up, and add that dressy contrast that black does so well. The black bookcases also ground the entire room. There is a lot going on in this room with objects and color and the black really feels serious and gives the space some "weight".

photo: housebeautiful.com

photo: apartmenttherapy.com

 This room is primarily all white. White walls, white bedding, white curtains, white crystal chandelier. this room could have ended up looking totally bland, but the touch of black in the accents actually makes the white stand out, doesn't it?  The curtain rods, shelves and details on the chandelier are just enough detail to bring this space to life, and it didn't take much.

 This Red library by Alessandra Branca is incredibly warm with a lot of rich browns in the shelving, intricate wooden chair and sofa with LONG fringe. The Zebra carpet adds that tiny touch of black giving the floor weight, interest and global appeal. Many people would argue black  and brown don't work together, but this room definitely proves that theory wrong, and I am not a huge zebra print fan (although I LOVE this room).

 

photo: windsorsmith

 Windsor Smith uses a touch of black in an extremely glamorous bathroom to really add definition. Like the outlines on a cartoon character, the black stone outlines the room to striking effect. Oh, and there's that zebra carpet again!

Finally, this bathroom uses more than a touch of black. With black walls, black floor to ceiling curtains and windows, black is really the constant that makes the yellow chair, white tub and green floor really pop! Creating that cohesive background really creates some drama, but this look definitely isn't for everybody. Anyone out there ready for an all black bathroom?

Next time you are looking to add a little focus, drama or elegance to your home consider adding something black. It could be as simple as changing your beige lampshades out for black ones. Or repainting your floor and window molding, or fireplace surround a glossy black. Regardless of what style your home is, modern, traditional or shabby chic- black could be your new BFF!