Aubrey Nelson
Daring and decadent, black living room ideas can be difficult to get right, but once mastered, they can add an elegant confidence to your space like no other color. A black decorating scheme is a brave choice, as it requires careful editing and a strong design eye. Darker living room paint ideas can also appear ‘flat’ if you don’t introduce texture and subtle tonal variety. Whether you're keen to make a stylish statement or you simply want to add a touch of drama to enhance your space, we've gathered the best black living room ideas for you.
Whether you have a snug, or a tiny home with a smaller, darker living room, you can add serious impact with the right wallpaper ideas. Recreate the refined elegance of grand Parisian apartments by combining muted gray living room ideas with white accents and black flooring.
Walls painted a soft grey provide a sophisticated backdrop for this scheme, which artfully balances the black floorboards and white fireplace surround. Treat black as an accent color in a white living room, for example, to add definition, structure and a sophisticated edge to your space. Including the woodwork will elongate your wall height and draw less attention than the sharp contrast of a traditional white trim. 'Whilst dark colors tend to advance (close in), black has the magical quality of infinity, which means you are less aware of room proportions,' explains O’Donnell.
Painting your living room (including the ceiling) black is a brilliant way to create a cocooning space that is sharp yet cozy. By incorporating contrasting colors – such as vivid pink and acid green – a dark living room will look all the more striking.
Tone and texture are vital components in getting this look right – remember that the most successful monochrome interiors combine movement and depth with tactile pieces to create an interesting narrative. Monochrome interiors can work especially well in period homes, where a one-tone canvas serves to highlight and complement original features.
Get symmetry right in a black living room and you can create a sense of harmony – and make your space feel bigger and tidier. Yellow living room ideas inspire optimism, creating a summery feel; team it with charcoal and black for modern look. 'Black can be an incredibly glamorous and sophisticated choice for a living room,' says Patrick O’Donnell, Farrow & Ball's brand ambassador. Decorating with black gives you the blank canvas you need to add in either splashes of bright color, warmth with natural materials, such as wood, or texture in rugs, throws and other textiles.
