How to Decorate in Black and White

I move around a lot. In the past two months, I have been in London, Ethiopia, and South Africa. I was on my way to the Algarve in Portugal and a week weeks later, to Houston, Texas. So I'm not big on difficult decorating, but I like things to look stunning, and it's hard to beat a black and white look.

The great thing about it is if you invest in items that are either black or white, they somehow magically come together when you unpack your life (I have 3 large trunks and they contain all that I have).

Then, there's the ability to add a third color as an accent which means that soft furnishings and ornaments can be added and subtracted to give an entirely new feel. Understanding how to use a third color for emphasis, plus how pattern, shape, size,texture, and proportion play a part is your key to creating a stunning interior design.

Shape and Texture Contribute to Style

Have you ever noticed that when you doodle with a black pen, that it lacks the harshness of a thick, long black stripe?

That's the general idea in ensuring that the black and white color duo creates warmth in the room and doesn't appear stark and barren. The way to soften two such strong colors is to use black and white floral designs, paisley, doodle rat, and non-straight lines in general. Thin lines create warmth while thick lines add drama.

It's acceptable to have a black couch with thick black stripes. To soften it, you would only have one element like that in the room. The rest would be softer.

Proportion Matters

When decorating any room, proportions need to be considered. Obviously a very large room can have a massive lounge suite, but a smaller room might only manage a love seat or just a wingback chair.

There is a direct correlation between the size of the room and the size of the furniture. It's not just a matter of having less furniture in a small room; it's a matter of having smaller furniture in a small room. This is important.

Interior designers call this element 'proportion.'

Empty Space is Important

The day my professor (I have a degree in interior design) informed the class that empty space was a characteristic of good design, I was a bit gobsmacked!

Like many other people, I didn't think of empty space as part of a design, yet, in retrospect, it is the single most important factor that adds elegance to a room. It is also a strong component of modernism. That said, less space between items is needed for cottage style prettiness or a more contemporary style.

Whereas soft colors need less space to give an impression of space, starker colors like black and white, and the jewel colors, do need more space between items. It's helpful to draw up a room plan before arranging furniture. This will give you some idea of the size that items need to be before investing in any purchases.

Painting it Black

There's nothing quite like a high gloss black paint to add elegance and class to a piece of furniture that has seen better days. I'm all for quick and easy, so I have always used high gloss Rustoleum, but there are other brands on the market.

If your furniture has a gloss, you will need to sandpaper it so that the paint adheres properly. If you don't do that, the paint will peel. If you're painting a chair with a fabric seat, be sure to remove the cushion before painting.

I used the Rustoleum on the dresser in the photo below. For some items I used the spray and for others I used a paint brush and a tin of paint! If you don't like gloss, then you also have a choice of matte and semi-gloss. I used the semi-gloss because it has a quiet shine and is easy to wipe.

Note the silver edging. I used this to break the starkness of this dresser. Silver goes well with the black as does white. If you've a bit of artistic talent, you can also use a white glossy paint to paint some flowers on.

Use Fabric Liberally

Again, depending on how much work you wish to do, how much money you wish to spend, how big the room is, and how many items will be in the room, you may want to convert existing furniture to suit your new color scheme.

The couch in the picture above was too stark for the room. So I purchased a black and white single fitted sheet and used it as a covering.

Brocades are wonderful for the seating on chairs. It adds pattern and texture. The more texture you add, the more warmth; the less texture you add, the more cool. So, for instance, a satin fabric would lean towards coolness (great in very hot climates) while a heavy wool brocade would add warmth. You need a half yard of brocade to cover the seat of one chair. If you have a loveseat, throws do a wonderful job!

When you select a throw, look for patterns and textures. This will break any starkness. If, on the other hand, you want a modernist look, go for something with a largish rectangular pattern. Lacy patterns also work well. A table cloth with a black under-cloth and white lace one on top is the height of elegance.

Drapes for the Windows

I have cut up large lace tablecloths and used them as curtains - if the window was small. You don't have to spend much money if you use what you have.

If you need black out curtains, most fabric stores stock it, and it's inexpensive. I have used white, didn't do any hems (it's made of a material that doesn't fray) and the used Ikea pegs to hang it on a rail.

Floral, paisley, checks, and thin stripes all work well. If your room is large, you can use strong black and white patterns. If it's small, something of a dainty nature would be better.

Carpets and Rugs for Your Floor

I'm a great believer in wooden floors. They are not as cold as tiles. I don't, however, like wall-t0-wall carpets as they are difficult to keep clean. Yet there is no denying that a rug can add that certain something to a room. Some pretty decent sized rugs and carpets can be found for about $20 at Ikea.

Accent Colors

Yes, there can be too much black and white. So once the basics are done, you look around for something to break it. The universal law in both dressing and décor is stick to two colors (equal quantities) and add a dash of a third for emphasis.

It's also important to understand shade and hue. While you can vary shade in your room, you need to be cautious with hue. Shade means that the color is lighter or darker, while hue means it has a different combination of primary colors in its composition. For instance hue would comprise olive green, emerald green, and grass green while shade would mean a lighter or darker olive green.

Classic ways of using third colors would be one large item in the room (a throw covering a couch, for instance, or your drapes) or many small items (flowers, candlesticks, photo frames, etc.)

Pillows are ideal items to use for 'the third color.

Other Color Combinations

The reason I have used black and white is that it's always possible to buy items in those colors, regardless of fashion, and regardless of country. They are staples.

However you can use these same principles for any color scheme. You can use blue and white, green and pink, or peach and purple. It depends on your own personal taste.

Fashion colors tend to come and go. One hue of green this year is not the same hue of green next year, and then it becomes difficult to update without massive expense. Because black and white never date, the basics can remain the same while bits and pieces can be changed over the years.