Black Walls

Happy Halloween!! It’s Halloween week so we’re in an orange and black mood. Ok, a little cliche, but a fun way to remind ourselves that bold colors can really work as you saw in Amy’s post yesterday about orange.

When it comes to black, I actually love going beyond using it as an accent color and putting it all over the walls! When my husband was growing up, he had a living room with black walls–I remember when my MIL told me, I was a little shocked….like, how could you have put up with that for so many years? Wasn’t it dark and a little morbid? Not so as you can see from the pics below! I’m a believer–nothing adds drama to a space like black, but it is also very soothing.

Ok, couldn’t pass up starting with a pic of a black room done exceptionally poorly.  This is what NOT to do on so many levels

BUT, the good news is, black doesn’t have to look like that! It also doesn’t have to be super contemporary–yes, it works great in a modern space and paired with colors like white and red, but it isn’t limited to that. Check these rooms out…

I like how the blue chair and warm wood table keep this black/white palette from being too cold

Black is actually a really cozy color so putting it as an accent wall in a bedroom is a great idea. I love how the ceiling-mounted lights across the wall break up the black and the pink blanket adds an unexpected pop of color and femininity.

The Crosby Street Hotel in NYC uses black paint on the walls in a number of their rooms. This is a perfect example of a black and white room that uses pattern instead of color to keep things interesting.

Much like the bedroom, using black paint on the walls of a den or library is a good way to create ambiance. In this shot of a reading area created by designer Connie Braemer, you can see how painting all the bookshelves and walls works because the books break things up and avoid it feeling too heavy.

This is a great example of a very traditional room using black walls–again, the brown warms things up and the black walls are really very neutral. Notice how the window panes are also black.

The bathroom is also a great place to try black walls since you’re likely to have natural light and the tub, sink, etc. break up the black. I love how Emma Reddington of the blog The Marion House Book took inspiration from this shot of Jenna Lyon’s (of J. Crew fame) bathroom for her own remodel

Remember, if you’re not ready for black, try out a really dark grey or charcoal which can have the same impact, but is a little less intimidating. Farrow & Ball makes some beautiful, designer-favorite, black paints. In my search for black rooms to share with you, I came across this great list of suggestions for black paints from Charlotte designer Ruth Burts.

Convinced black walls are doable? Ok, gotta go OD on mini candy bars!