I hear from my small boys about the dangers of ‘the dark side’ on a daily basis. But to me, black is a beautiful thing. Which decorator said that they use a bit of black in every single room? I can’t remember but remind me if you know! Sure, we know it works well in masculine spaces, but black has other uses. It has a grounding effect - especially when used in flooring, or for base cabinets like in the kicthen below (which is stunning!) - and can give gravity and impact to small and otherwise insubstantial spaces.
Black also has a sophistication that no other colour can match:
But it needn’t be heavy-looking. Used sparingly, black can just impart that certain je ne sais quoi a room needs:
It’s also a great counterpart to feminine or ‘shabby’ furniture and antiques:

Or, black can be used boldly for wonderful drama, like in Catherine Martin and Baz Luhrmann’s home:
And, black can be used to manipulate spaces and re-define rooms:
The black walls and blinds of this wonderful bedroom seem to disappear, drawing your eye to the centred bath.
Have a great day! x
Images: house and home, nuevo estilo, vogue US, vogue living AUS, flickr-fashioninmyeyes, living etc mag via greige





Neutrals and bookshelves
In my Dream Kitchen...
Some beautiful country homes
Hello again and some new additions
I love purple-grey
Red and black chinoiserie bathroom
Saturday House of Inspiration - David Lawrence
Fun day
Saturday House of Inspiration - Luce Gayrard
Shades of Blue
Magazine shoot at a recent project
Random thoughts on colour and office
Back from the Sydney trade fairs
Ultimate 'Hamptons' house
Picture walls
A living room work-in-progress
Some Pretty Things
A little shopping and florals
Saturday House of Inspiration
Saturday House of Inspiration - Ashley Haley






I don’t like to use just stark black and white. We have grey, black and white which is perfect because I am very changeable when it comes to colour and everything just ‘goes’ with these colours. Love that 2nd pic…. gorgeous.