This high-contrast combo grounds a small space with black-tie panache. It visually expands a space, brings order to the most eclectic of spaces and it plays nicely with both period furniture and pop art modern. I love it in bold stripes, punchy graphics and saturated noir - this combo is timeless, chic, modern and playful. This combo is also the starting point for our petite 1930s Regency-style home.
Black & white striped outdoor curtains frame our inky-black front door in homage to a Parisian Bistro scene. Door painted in high gloss Sherwin Williams' Contessas Cape. The curtains, found on sale at Pottery Barn, are tacked up on nails (no special outdoor hardware needed) and casually pulled back with rope picked up from the hardware store. This curated black & white style is easy to achieve on a budget!
Antique white knocker contrasts against the inky black front door
Black and white striped curtains envelope guests at the entrance
The monochromatic theme continues into the foyer. The "foyer" is a lavish word for our broom-size closet entry. With odd angles (note, there are 3 doors in the foyer), our decor options were limited. By painting bold black & white stripes on the foyer ceiling and saturating the front door in a black hue, we instantly changed the small room with a DIY elegance. The bold stripes are an unexpected greeting and cause the ceiling to visually recede, while the door adds a visual pop to the limited wall space. Walls painted Benjamin Moore's November Skies set-off by a Sherwin Williams' Dark Knight front door.
Design Tip: When painting stripes, use painter's tape in a width of the desired stripe. Ensure straight lines by placing strips of the tape edge to edge, starting with the corner of the ceiling - creating rows of tape. Remove every other row of tape, and then paint the contrasting color.
Ceiling before
Ceiling after
Front door before
Front door after
Black & white graphic art echoes the ceiling's stripes
The ornateness of the gilded Hollywood Regency mirror and console compliment the chic simplicity of black & white. Stacks of DIY muslin covered books with hand-painted gold numbers on the spine, bound in black & white polka dot ribbon, add a modern sculptural twist. While an antique red and black Moroccan rug is the counterpoint to the vintage Moroccan light fixture (scored at a flea market for $10) hanging above it.
The foyer is still a work in progress - I'm hunting for that perfect crystal light fixture and black-ish & white graphic wallpaper (and struggling to get over my wallpaper fear...if you've ever removed wallpaper, you understand) ....perhaps, the Etched Arcadia Mural by Anthropologie.
Design Tip: Create a curated library display by recovering mismatched books in a uniform cloth.
Gilded details add chicness to the monochromatic space
Black & white extends from the foyer into the adjacent kitchen and living room. The continuity of the theme from room to room gives a sense of order and visual expansiveness to our small home. An antique black & white bus sign in the kitchen is a natural transition from the foyer's black & white striped ceiling.
Design Tip: Enliven a monochromatic space with unexpected pops of color (such as the vintage pink Hotel Ritz ephemeral on the foyer's console).
Antique black & white bus sign
Black & white elements in the living room continue the foyer's theme