Black and white living rooms: features, styles, ideas
Living room decoration can be very varied. However, there are solutions that are underestimated. One of these options is the use of black and white paints as the main ones in the living room.
Advantages and disadvantages
The living space is usually the largest in the home. It is used to judge the tastes and personal preferences of the residents. A black and white living room is quite rare. Since, from a physical point of view, black and white are actually the absence of any color, texture and geometry are of particular importance. If you make mistakes in both, you can face serious consequences.
The unusualness of the combined interior design immediately catches the eye. But this aesthetic concept can be fully "read" only in a relatively large room. Therefore, the design in the tones of the achromatic row is appropriate mainly in public buildings. The final decision, whether to make such a guest room or not, must be made by the people themselves. The advantages of using black and white are:
ease of visual change of contours;
emphasizing individual details of the situation;
increasing the comfort and coziness in the house.
But you need to understand that such a design solution will look good only in a room that is impeccable in terms of geometry. The slightest architectural, construction and design mistakes will immediately cause many problems.
Curved corners and irregularities in individual lines are easily visible. Dirt is very visible on black and white surfaces, so you will have to spend more time in general on cleaning.In homes with small children and pets, such a decision is hardly justified.
Style solutions
When decorating a hall in black and white, a lot depends on the ability to correctly use this color. The correct distribution of shades is very important. The fundamental principle of the unity of place, color and action is also true in this case. It means:
harmonious distribution of colors;
rational choice of sites for each of the tones;
obtaining the required result.
When decorating a living room in black and white, you must immediately decide which color will be the main one, and which one will play a supporting role. An attempt to solve this problem "head-on", using a ratio of 1 to 1, will inevitably turn into a failure. To maximize the expansion of space, you need to focus on light colors. They, in contrast to the dark ones, allow you to create the feeling of a well-lit and airy space. It is quite possible to dilute the severity of a black and white room with bright blotches.
Great combinations can be created with, for example, the ultra-modern red decor. This combination will improve the mood and energize the living room. For people who are active and inclined to action, this is almost an ideal choice. Green accents make the room more harmonious. They will definitely appeal to connoisseurs of ornamental and garden plants.
If you mix black and white with yellow caramel tones, you can achieve more warmth and slightly dilute the brevity of the lines. From a psychological point of view, this step is useful for families who have developed warm relationships. When gray is added to black and white, the room becomes more restrained, the visual confrontation of colors is reduced. But here we still need to return to the psychological content of the black-and-white room itself. It is largely determined by cultural traditions and worldview.
Those who seek to live a quiet and peaceful life will be satisfied with dark colors. In the living room of people inclined to communicate with others, there is more often a preponderance to the "bright" side. To smooth out contrasts, shades of black are used. But it should not be used to decorate ceilings.
Wall, floor and ceiling decoration
Considering examples of images of black and white living rooms, one must first of all remember the fundamental rules of design. What may look beautiful in a picture may not necessarily be as graceful in nature. Gradient combinations are popular. We are talking about a light ceiling, slightly darkened walls, a completely dark floor, or a composition where the order of colors is inverted. Such solutions will perfectly fit into a monochrome space, where an active "play of shades" is taking place. With skillful use, you get a stylish space with complete harmony.
The gradient transition is subjectively pleasing to the eye and helps to stabilize the state of the nervous system. For modern people exposed to constant stress, it is definitely better suited than options with bright accents.
But it's worth noting that many people prefer sharp, contrasting transitions. Their advantage is the ability to fit into a variety of styles. At the same time, the drawbacks of a particular room are closed. They stop paying special attention to them, being distracted by contrasts.
If the living room has low ceilings, you need to make the ceiling lighter, and the floor as dark as possible.
The embodiment of contrasts is also allowed on the walls. When they are pasted over with wallpaper, you need to select options with a pattern stretched from top to bottom. If you follow these recommendations, you can achieve an increase in the visual height of the ceilings. But the cornice on the ceiling should not be too wide. Ideally they do without it. Contrasting walls will look deep, and the light top will seem to "soar" above them.
You also need to know how to play with a narrow black and white living room. In this case, low walls are painted in contrast, and oblong ones are made as neutral in appearance as possible. As a result, there seems to be a "compression" of space in the desired direction and an improvement in proportions. It is recommended to use light colored furniture.
So that the space does not look too faded, juicy colored accessories are added to it.
To make the small living room lighter and more airy, the walls and upper planes are trimmed in light colors, and they try to paint the floor darker. Ideal for the ceiling and walls would be white. Any cornice, plinth, platband should be painted in the same way. Only occasionally is the use of minor blotches of the main color allowed.
To play with high ceilings, it is recommended to make the floors and ceilings darker, and the walls lighter.
Selection of furniture and curtains
These two points are just as important as painting floors, walls and ceilings. On the basis of black and white, you can use the colors of curtains and other textiles. It is necessary to clearly understand how and with what to complement the required atmosphere. In some cases, motives of a hot summer are added, in others - the freshness of early spring, in others - the blue of a winter morning. Black and white tones can be used directly for interior decoration, then the curtains will look more voluminous.
But here it is necessary to make a small digression, choosing between gloss and matte sheen. There is a popular myth that gloss is used en masse, while matte surfaces remain the lot of a minority. In fact, because of the gloss, an overly "laboratory", too strict look appears. Few designers can work around this problem intelligently. In turn, furniture with matte facades will look softer and will be more appropriate in a classic interior.
Returning to the curtains, it should be noted that in small black and white rooms, light monochromatic textiles will be most appropriate. It immediately adds elegance and visual space. If the curtains are glossy, shiny, their appearance will be more laconic and set for privacy. You can add airiness and volume with matte curtains. By using rich inserts, you can enhance the look of plain white curtains.
This solution will allow you to focus on the geometry of the window and adjust the shape of the room. Additional manipulations with the same curtains and decorative elements open the way for a change in style. So, for a safari-inspired setting, use animal print curtains. In the Art Deco style, abstract plots are most appropriate. Striped or checkerboard curtains fit perfectly into minimalistic living rooms.
Monotonous curtains with contrasting edges are perfectly used in classic and modern interiors alike. If the classic style is chosen, curtains with floral and other floral ornaments will come in handy. This will immediately add grace to the room. Against the background of black and white wallpaper, it is required to give preference to transparent curtains.
But one must understand that either black or white tone should dominate in the color of the curtains. The same number of them will make the whole room very boring.
When the white color dominates the room furnishings, white curtains with black ornaments are needed. Against a predominantly black background, a black curtain with light patterns will be the best choice. A in the case of dilution of monochrome rooms with other colors, the most saturated color of the curtains is required.
Attempts to use halftones only lead to the formation of a faded interior. Dilution of black and white interiors should be done with a maximum of two colors. Violation of this rule leads to the formation of chaos. When the walls are painted in a cold white tone, it is advised to use curtains of cold color. When the setting is formed with black-brown inclusions, it is advisable to use:
purple;
blue;
pink;
purple or blue curtains.
The next important element is the selection of furniture. Black and white furniture is suitable for any interior. When a person is constantly working and trying to retire, he needs to choose furniture with a predominance of dark tones. But to cheer up and hold holidays, receive guests, you need to use lighter interior items.
The smaller the room, the stronger the shift towards white should be.
Selection of accessories
It is necessary to pay attention to the selection of accessories for the apartment. In a black and white living room, you can use curtains of any length. In classic compositions, curtains made of velvet, brocade or silk are useful. Tulle with beautiful embroidery will help add a festive mood.
A good help in this sense will be the use of lambrequins. But when the living room is decorated in the spirit of country, decor options made of linen or chintz will be preferable. Light tulle, as well as organza, perfectly express the oriental orientation of the interior. As for compact living rooms, monotonous curtains are the best choice for them. If the room is larger, then the curtains can have a larger pattern.
But to reduce the entire set of accessories to curtains is wrong. In a classic setting, mirrors and paintings are most appropriate. To smooth out the possible shortcomings of a black and white room, you need to choose canvases with rich, light subjects. You can also look at the options using sconces, tapestries, panels with fabric upholstery, candlesticks.
Beautiful examples
This photo shows how you can combine sharp (with pronounced transitions) multi-colored inclusions in the living room. Already a white table on a dark base looks very attractive. The black panel stands out against the relatively light-colored wall. The execution of the chandelier shows that we are talking about the classic direction of the interior. One of the corners is completely saturated with exquisite black objects (curbstone, lamp).
A less sustained combination can also be practiced. In this case, black and white colors are distributed more evenly. Here they are used in the form of wall ornaments and decorative items. The ceiling is decorated with a single black spot against a white background. At one glance at such a room, a very favorable impression is created.
For details in a black and white interior, see the following video.
