Dark moody interiors continue to make its mark with charcoal living rooms, graphite kitchens and ink-coloured dining sets. As a colour, black certainly grounds a space and adds sophistication. Don't feel daunted by the dark side. Here, we show you how to be bold with black without making your home feel flat or overbearing.

Paint walls black

For a bold statement while retaining a sense of softness, paint your walls black and pair it with white or light-coloured flooring. Black and white in itself is a timeless colour scheme, and gives spaces a fresh and sophisticated look. Find more ideas on black and white colour schemes here. Black walls with white floors are especially great to liven up small spaces such as entryways and offices.

Paint window frames black

Have a beautiful view from your home that you wish to highlight? Black window frames are a great choice over white or lighter colours, as they tend to be camouflaged more, creating a sense of the outside being more inside. 

Use black furniture to ground a room

Ground a tall room by anchoring it with black furniture, combined with occasional pieces that have black legs - perhaps pair a large black sofa with a marble coffee table with a black base. If you have a lot of black furniture in a room, you can still make it feel airy and bright by ensuring the flooring is light enough to allow for sufficient contrast with the black pieces. Make sure there is also enough natural light in the room, so the space doesn't feel too much like a den, unless, of course, that's your desired feeling. 

Play with texture

When decorating with black, play with different textures and finishes to create a visually interesting look that still feels cohesive. Consider contrasting matte and gloss finishes, smooth and rough surfaces, and different shades of black.

Use lighting to create depth

Highlight black furniture from different angles using pendant lights, floor lamps and table lamps, and play with shadows to make black interiors even more intriguing, enhance texture, and to break up the blackness. 

Use black as an accent colour

Every room needs to have a little black to give your eye somewhere to rest. If you don't want to decorate with too much black, consider using it as an accent colour. Perhaps black picture frames to create a gallery wall, black curtain rods or the black legs of a sofa. 

Use black to evoke a style

Black can be used to capture the style of a particular era or aesthetic. If you love Art Deco, consider black marble or glossy black furniture and decor. Want to bring the French Riviera to your balcony? Deck it out with an oversized black and white striped rug and black outdoor furniture.