Inspiration: Black & White

One of the simplest design elements to play with is contrast and color. A mix of black and white elements can look sleek and elegant*. Some modern designs will go for an all-white look, which does look very modern; but is usually too sterile, or too distracting in the absolute perfection of all that white surface area. Mixing in black provides contrast to help define elements, to give the eye variety, but also to make it look more natural or normal. Black and white are are also basic tones to work with — they can mix with a variety of other colors and materials, they can easily serve as a background setting for other elements, and they don't need to draw attention if used correctly.

In the pictures below, there are several things to notice. Black & white can be used just for individual pieces of furniture, or for whole rooms.

The combination of black and white may be used strictly, or it can provide a foundation on which other elements can build.

Very few natural materials are purely black or white. However, many natural materials can provide shades of black and white. This provides variety of material and color, while linking everything together through this simple choice of colors.

* Note: Erika is totally not inspired by black and white. She thinks it's okay if Jeff finds them inspiring, but she will be writing her own color inspiration post once she gets around to it.

Images from:
Elysium 169 House
Vivienda 19 House
Villa Amstelveen
Book Shelves by Acerbis