So after a couple days of fabulous colours, we didn’t want to forget about our other favourite scheme…black and white! Sometimes colour can make such a great impact that tones of black and white get pushed aside. We love the bold, graphic statements that can be made with these two opposites. And then by throwing in a bit of colour here and there it makes it even better! A great example is this first image (from the May ’07 issue of Domino).

L } “The Living Room” – Sarah’s House
R } “Amalie’s Bedroom” – Design Inc.

Sarah Richardson is a Canadian interior designer with a series on HGTV Canada (and just got picked up on Fine Living in the US). She has a great sense of style and sophistication. It’s one of our favourite shows! The rooms above are two different spaces that were done with a black and white palette. If the high impact of graphic black and white isn’t your thing, this is a great way to go about it.

With black and white it’s so much fun to play with pattern and textures. The afghan in the photo above (from the February ”08 issue of LivingEtc) is a great example of this. It adds so much interest to the bed which could’ve otherwise been a bit boring. It also creates a softer edge than a black comforter, which may have been overwhelming.

L + R } LivingEtc

We also love these examples using fun accessories and wallpaper to add interest. Why not go bold with your wallpaper? It adds a great graphic element and acts as a large scale art piece. All it takes are a few rolls on a key wall or two. And if you ever change your mind, it’s a quick fix. Some of our favourites are bellow.

L } Ribbed no.118 from ferm LIVING
R } Flower Power from Graham & Brown

And these kitschy accessories from Urban Outfitters are really fun and won’t cost you a fortune, so you can switch things up and not feel guilty!

L to R } Hoot Lamp Base, Bottle Opener Figure (dog), Rose Tabletop Clock.

Hopefully we’ve given you some inspiration to go bold! And if you’re not quite ready to wallpaper an entire room, a feature wall would have great impact, or even just framing some great prints or samples. Black and White doesn’t have to be boring or too big of a statement. It can be elegant and unexpected all at the same time!

Tweet