This is the infamous Black House in San Francisco. It was owned by the very creepy Anton LaVey and used as the headquarters of his ‘Church of Satan’ from 1966 until his death in 1997. One thing LaVey understood very well was the powerful contrast between black and white, an effect modern designers have latched on to.
Black houses are now far more common than they have been for years. This one uses black and grey to create a layered effect and stark white door and window frames to create contrast. And it doesn’t look creepy at all!
Black, of course, provides the perfect contrast against almost any other colour or shade – even grey. In this home, the black really brings out the natural look and texture of the timber.
They’re hardly known for being trendsetters, but the band AC/DC has been expousing the virtues of black for years.
This is the cover of their album ‘Back in Black’ from 1980. 28 years later, another of their albums, Black Ice, sold over 8 million copies worldwide. And the songs still sounded the same!
Black isn’t a colour many people would once have considered for a kitchen, but now it’s de rigueur, dwarling. This kitchen even has a black floor and black blinds, all designed to help the stainless steel benchtops and appliances, and those shiny white cabinets, stand out like, well, dog’s b*lls.
Black hasn’t been traditionally used a lot in living rooms but doesn’t it look amazing against the black-and-white photographs, grey furniture, drapes and carpet, and those shocking pink pillows?
Technically, black isn’t a colour at all. It’s an absence of light. A black object absorbs all the colours of the visible spectrum and reflects none of them to the eyes. But if that’s the case, how can you make black paint? And how can you have different shades of black?
In any case, if you’re not sure about black for your bathroom, how about compromising and using shades of grey? You still get some nice contrast against white and even subtle splashes of colour such as flowers and plants.
Back to the kitchen. If yours, God forbid, looks something like this, there’s nothing like a bit of black to really bring your kitchen into 2017. Yes, the photo below really is the same kitchen as the one above.
If you don’t count the floor, this is really another ‘shades of grey’ room. But the black furniture, picture frames and art works are highlighted to great effect, don’t you think?
Three things we really like about this kitchen – apart from the black-and-white look, of course. The first is the way the floating kitchen island and cupboards at the back add to the sense of space and openness. The second is the armchairs in the kitchen! We’ve never seen that before, but we can imagine relaxing there while doing brunch or sipping a glass of wine while waiting for something to cook. Another thing we’ve never seen before is what look like tree trunks stuck inside the window frames. Not very eco-friendly but they add a kind of natural look to an otherwise very stark contemporary interior.
We have come across some interesting articles in other publications which we are thinking you might enjoy. These are:
8 Little Renovation Touches That Make a Big Difference
20 dreamy garden lighting ideas
20 Cozy Outdoor Fireplaces
Current Obsessions: Concrete, Copper, and Industrial Spaces
The 10 best places to renovate for profit in New Zealand
