While I love a colorful space (see my living room), I really, really love black and white spaces. Black and white is one of the most classic color schemes and is extremely versatile.
Black and white is sophisticated and sleek, and is the perfect backdrop for an accent color to really make a room pop. The high contrast of black and white can also provide drama and elegance. A black and white color scheme can also be used in a fun, quirky room.
To me, the best-looking black and white rooms are those with contrast and/or a pop of color, and is layered well with different textures. Personally, I feel black and white rooms missing these elements appear to be flat and boring.
Here are some ways to pull-off a black and white room. Use one of two of these tips to elevate your black and white room, or use 2 or more for a more eclectic look.
Use brown wood pieces.
Brown wood pieces, like furniture and accessories look great in black and white rooms. The contrast elevate the pieces in the room, making them look unique and expensive.
Bring in translucent and/or glass furniture.
Glass and/or translucent furniture makes a room feel glamorous and depending on the shape of the piece, can also look make a room look modern. I love ghost chairs and acrylic furniture for black and white spaces. They are especially great for small spaces, because they don’t take up space visually.
Use contrasting art.
I love seeing black and white rooms with artwork that’s either framed in black frames with white matting or white frames with black matting. Having a bit of color in the artwork is great, too. Bold color is better (my personal opinion). But, whatever your do, make sure you go with art that makes a statement.
Add an accent color.
Don’t be afraid to add an accent color. Red, lime green, fuchsia, and turquoise all make great pops of color in black and white rooms. You can choose to have one instance of the color, as in a big piece of furniture or choose to sprinkle the color around the room.
Add dramatic wall treatments.
You can’t go wrong with black and white stripes. I love wide, horizontal, black and white stripes on window treatments, but solid color drapes in a bold color, like fuchsia, gold, or even a blush color, looks amazing in black and white spaces. Silk (and silk-look) and heavy-weight linen drapes are the awesome materials for dramatic drapes.
Mix patterns.
Mix the scale of the patterns in your fabrics. Have small, medium, and large scale patterns to keep the color scheme from becoming a bore.
Bring in lots of texture.
Use a variety of textures in all your furnishings: soft, hard, fluffy, shiny, smooth, rough, etc. Mixing textures will make your black and white room feel more luxe and comfy.
Add plants and flowers.
So there you are. These tips are in no way “rules of engagement” when decorating with a black and white color scheme. One thing to remember is that your space must reflect YOU and your design style. Make sure to go with what you truly love and you will ALWAYS love it.
Do you love black and white rooms? Leave me a comment below.
Till next time,
Luv this post 🙂 I have a white leather couch, and have been looking for cute ways to decorate in black and white, and this post was so inspiring!
This is made my day, Majesty! So glad you’re inspired by my post. If you share photos of your LR on social media, please tag me @whitneyjdecor
I just started transforming my bedroom into a black and white style and THIS was the guidance I needed!
So glad I can help, Jessica!
These are great tips!
Thanks, Michsi!
Keep up the good work! I love reading your post.
I absolutely adore blACK AND WHITE ROOMS and I was looking for information on how to bring it up a notch in a classy but not over down way. This article showed and told me exactly what to incorporate and with the many choices I can pick and choice one or all to finalize the look I am seeking for sophistication, classy, comfy AND fun versus boring. Thank YOU for making it much easier to navigate my future purchases.
We are redoing the house that I grew up in. I have painted the walls white and the window trim, crown molding, base boards, and doors, including trim in black. I was thinking of hanging cream colored curtains, and selecting textured, cream/beige throw pillows. In my mind it seems ” modern farmhouse” but am I going in the wrong direction?