­How to keep things classy & timeless with a black colour scheme

Are you in the process of building or renovating your home? Unless you have a vision in mind, you might be feeling overwhelmed by possible colour schemes, tile trends or choosing an overall theme for your home. If you’re at a loss, we suggest keeping things simple and sticking to the basics: black and white. With creative design choices, you can make a statement without the excessive use of bold, vibrant colours.

Ok, we’ll admit it, until researching for this blog, we weren’t aware of how many different shades of black actually exist. If we’re being completely honest, we didn’t know there was more than just the one. But luckily for you, we now consider ourselves experts on this rich and mysterious colour. Some shades of black include charcoal, onyx (yes, it’s greenish-black colour is as cool as its name), liquorice and jet black. Consider choosing different shades of black to complement the different areas in your home. If the room you’re painting doesn’t get a lot of natural light, you should choose a lighter shade of black for that space. Alternatively, you might keep the walls bare and add black furnishings, so you don’t make the room too dark. Apartment Therapy provides some helpful tips about how to choose the appropriate shade of black for the space you’re working with.

Striking the perfect balance between black and other colours can be difficult. Use too much black and achieve gloomy, haunted mansion vibes instead of the sophisticated elegance you’re going for. Alternatively, use too little black, and have it look out of place or have little to no effect in the room. To simplify things, we recommend using an equal amount of black and white throughout your house. You might also choose to combine black with different shades of white, such as pearl, cream or ivory. Disclaimer – by the time this blog is posted, we may have quit our jobs to become Bunnings Paint Specialists.

The benefit of keeping your base colours neutral is that you can add flair and depth through coloured accessories, such as artwork, pillows and rugs. For example, adding green or orange to a room with dark walls can create striking contrast. If you want to add a statement piece, you can choose a coloured couch or other bright furniture. The versatility of the colour black allows you to combine it with any other colour for impressive results, including pairing one shade of black with another to create depth (but we’re not going to go down this rabbit hole too much because our brains will explode).

Brainstorm clever, inexpensive ways that black and white can be combined for effective results. For example, place white preserved flowers in a black vase on your dining room table, or pair black and white hand towels in your kitchen or bathroom. Recent trends have seen many new homeowners combining a white glossy benchtop with a matte black sink, for a beautiful, elegant look. Architectural Digest has some great suggestions for the best ways to use the colours black and white together.  

There is plenty of online inspiration if you’re searching for ways to use the colour black throughout your home, whether you want to introduce it during the building phase or merely include black accessories that will help to create a classy, contemporary atmosphere. If you’re a devoted black & white lover, remember to introduce some more vibrant colours in your home, particularly in darker rooms. Even small bursts of colour will help to illuminate your home without stripping it of its elegance.