How to decorate on the dark side

Black is much misunderstood when it comes to the home; wrongly assumed to be cold and depressing. Time to think again!

You might assume that black would be a terrible colour to use in the home, conjuring visions of dreary Gothic dens or depressing dank dungeons. But black can actually be one of the most uplifting and smart colours to have in your decorative repertoire. Let me explain…

Despite being the darkest hue in the spectrum, black can often add a dramatic form of lightness to an interior design. It's because it so precisely defines any area that it's applied to, and so by default, draws attention to any areas of contrast around it. For example, when worked on walls and paired with a pale floor, it immediately makes the floor plane feel much larger, and thus a room more spacious. Even in reverse — a dark floor with lighter walls — black so clearly delineates the size of the floor it makes walls appear further away and so the same effect is achieved, a room that feels larger. Which is generally the result most of us wish to achieve.

Black allows you to read whole surfaces at a glance. It frames and focuses; it leads the eye. It does not blur boundaries or diffuse edges, it is definite, clear and precise. And when used with glossy finishes, it also reflects light back at you with all the enthusiasm of a mirror. So contrary to expectations, black can add light to a space, rather than take it away. (Usually the second major quest of interior design.) The only caveat being that for light to reflect, it must be there in the first place.