Skip to content 
Accents of Black & White make a strong statement to any room design. This combination can lend itself to any design style such as traditional, contemporary or transitional. Whichever style you chose it will be important to find the right balance of materials for that perfect look. Let’s explore different ways to use accents of Black & White to achieve certain design outcomes.
Accents of Black & White
B&W Stripes in a Rug
Black & White stripes in a rug really pop in a room design. If you are wanting to make a statement, a rug will do just that. You can play off the shapes that are on the rug with other fabrics and furniture pieces in the room giving a very custom look to your space. Your furniture should be a solid finish like the white couches. The contrasting black welting on the couch fabric bonds the rug and the couch nicely. The vertical black borders on the curtains also help to tie in the Black & White theme. If you have too many patterns going on with a geometric rug it could become “fun house” looking and you wouldn’t want that!
Floor Tilings
A Black & White mosaic floor tile in any room is the main focal point. Then, keep the other materials are more subtle to add the perfect balance.
Wall Tiles
Researching Black & White tiles for this post, I came across an adorable wall tile which I found on mydomaine.com blog. Toronto-based decorator Vanessa Francis remodeled her 13-year-old daughter’s bathroom and as you can see the decorative black and white tile took her design over the top! The gold accent of the decorative wall sconces was right on trend as I have seen throughout my trendspotting travels this year as one of the National Kitchen and Bath Association, K+B Insiders.
Moldings
White is typically the neutral counterpart in this combination while black holds a lot of power. The crown molding painted black is strong and it works well in this living room design because the ceilings are high. Visually, the black molding tricks the eye into stopping its ascending flow upwards, giving the balance that this room needs. If the molding was white the walls would appear higher and the room colder. Black & White seem to play friendly with all colors and the emerald green and animal print pillows really pop because of the perfect balance with this color palette.
Black Built-ins
A black wall or in this case, black built-ins in a white room are the perfect backdrop to the accessories on the shelves. Black, in this case, has a tendency to simplify and disappear letting the focal points stand out.
In my selection room of my showroom, my sample wall is black because it allows the finish materials to stand out without clashing with them. Black really is a great choice as a background color for featuring artwork or a family gallery too.
Wallpaper is King
Wallpaper is back and it’s big this year. You do not need a lot of it when you are using a bold pattern as shown on this wall behind a small desk. The horizontal lines paired with the horizontal shape of the desk really works in this small office. The step out in the wall allowed the perfect ending to the wallpaper. I think carrying the wallpaper throughout the room would have put the design completely out of balance and that is why you need to find the right balance to make this combination shine.
Images Courtesy of Canva.
Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!
About the Author: Patricia Davis Brown
