Simplicity at its Simplest: Black and White Design

This week, we're venturing into the sleek, stylish world of black and white interior design. The idea of designing a space primarily around two contrasting colors can intimidate some people. However, this surprisingly versatile color scheme can be used in a number of ways, from adding a touch of elegance to your existing decor, to making a bold design statement that adds spark and drama to a room.

Before you commit to any major changes, start small. If you're just looking to enhance a particular living space, consider adding touches of black. Black adds a focal point of color that grounds, anchors, and adds sophistication to a room. Black in accessories, light fixtures, trims, paintings, or in one bold piece of furniture will catch the eye and sharpen any decorating scheme. It will serve as an outline that sets off specific areas or objects.

If you're feeling a little more daring, pair black with white. The use of black and white in decorating gives a clean and unquestionably elegant look to any room. If you're afraid of using just black and white, add variety by incorporating areas of yellow, pink, camel, red, or purple for a striking look. Keeping black and white prominent, however, preserves the effect of elegance.

Here are some ways to use black and white in your home:

• Walls painted stark white or a soft, ivory white serve as the perfect background for framed photographs, prints, and other artwork. Choose dark wood or painted black frames. Select stark black and white matting for your artwork or add a punch of color with red, gold, or black mats.

• A small room is a great place to use black and white as the main color scheme. A powder room or small bathroom looks elegant with a black marble countertop, white sink, and shiny gold accessories and fixtures. You can also trim lush terry towels with some black ribbon or braids for a custom look without much work.

• Crisp white bed linens are perfect for the bedroom. Add a black and white striped bed skirt, pillows, and a comfortable black chair. For seasonal changes, have a variety of pillows in different colors on hand. Pink, yellow, or soft green works great for summer, while red, hunter green, or even shimmering gold or silver looks great during winter.

• Use dark, charcoal rugs or carpeting. Don't feel obligated to paint all the walls the same. Choose vibrant accent colors for a focal point. Add colorful artwork, shiny or matte finish metal accents, and modern designed fabrics.

• Black iron accent pieces are very popular. For the dining room, try using a black metal table base with a glass top, and black iron candlesticks and light fixtures. For the family room or home office, try black iron bookends.

• To create a striking table setting, look for black and white china. All white or all black works well. Choose plain white china for greatest versatility. Add table linens and accessory pieces in black or any accent color

Whether you're just sprucing up a room or starting from scratch, black and white is easy to implement. If you're ready to incorporate black and white design into your home decor, check out El Dorado's huge selection of black and white furniture and accessories at our website or any of our stores.

Narratives are for entertainment purposes only and frequently employ literary point of view; the narratives do not necessarily reflect the opinions of El Dorado Furniture, its officers, or employees.