It’s always exciting to work with clients who aren’t afraid to go bold with their interior design choices, so I was thrilled to put together a styling scheme for a living room where the client had already pulled the trigger and chosen stunning black walls.
Black Living Room Before
The living room room was a blank canvas with great bones and lots of potential. The clients had a neutral sofa and a leather Eames chair that they already owned, but not much else.
The Brief
This black living room needed lighting, art, textiles and accessories to bring it to life, and really create a space that their family could enjoy together.
We wanted to keep the overall design scheme neutral, with only hints of colour. The main focus was adding in layers of texture with a mix of boho, contempory and midcentury elements to compliment the architectural details already in the home.
Black Living Room Mood Board
The clients had spotted a piece of art that they loved the feel of, but the price point and dimensions didn’t suit their project. So we took inspiration from it, and commissioned an original abstract painting from Kevin Emmerson Art. With the painting serving as our statement piece, we pulled colours from it and echoed them in the textiles throughout the room. In the end, we nixed the wall planters in the mood board, and instead commissioned a second, complimentary painting for the other wall.
Black Living Room Interior Design Reveal
I haven’t been able to take proper pics of the entire space since it’s been finished, but I did snap a couple last time I popped round. It was looking good!
We filled the alcoves either side of the fireplace with inexpensive picture ledges to display family photos, and added accessories in gold and black to maintain the neutral, boho-inspired colour scheme.
We talked about adding a second built in cabinet to echo the existing one that the TV sits on, but that’s a down-the-road project. For the time being, the new picture ledges help visually balance the space. They will be under-lit with warm white LED strip lighting, hidden underneath the ledges themselves.
I wish I’d sorted the sofa cushions out in the pic below, but I wanted to include it anyway because it’s the only shot I have of the gorgeous painting by Kevin Emmerson Art. It’s even prettier in person, with more texture, and it pops against the stunning black walls in this living room.
The mudcloth on the cushions and the woven textures in the new lighting creates a much cosier vibe. And doesn’t that tan leather on the Eames chair look amazing against the black walls too?
Black Living Room | Sources
Sofa – Crate & Barrel (existing)
Mirror (existing)
Rug – West Elm
Mudcloth Cushion Covers – Etsy
Faux fur blanket – John Lewis
Wall planters – Rowen & Wren
Original painting – Kevin Emmerson Art
Floor lamp – Made.com
Pendant shade – Made.com
Table lamp – Graham & Green
Faux succulents – M&S
Candlesticks & vases – H&M
Picture ledges & frames – Ikea
Bean bag – Made.com
Side table – La Redoute
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