How to Rock Black Walls

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by SmithHonig, however all opinions are 100% mine. Affiliate links may be contained in this post.

If there is one thing in the 70’s Landing Pad that everyone thought I was crazy for doing, it was painting the walls black.

That move was also one that I’ve never thought twice about – I love how those black walls in our living room and dining room turned out.

I get that black walls aren’t for everyone and that’s totally ok. On the other hand though, besides the golden band, (haha – see what I did there? Please tell me someone around here knows Randy Travis?), people have said “I LOVE your black walls, but I just don’t think I could ever pull it off.”

Well you can. And I’m here to tell you how.

You see, I had no damn clue what I was doing when I painted those living room and dining room walls black. I just knew I wanted black walls. After they were black was when I had to learn how to actually decorate the space with the black walls.

How to Decorate with Black Walls

The key to having a beautiful room with black walls is to make those walls the backdrop, not the focal point. The black walls should accent the rest of the room. Think of them as supporting actors, but not the star of the show. I’m all about metaphors around here. 😉

 1. Balance out the black with another neutral.

Black is a neutral. To soften the black, I also brought in white and ivory tones to our living room. The sofa is white, the bar is ivory and the cabinetry is also neutral. I’ve found that making these bigger pieces like the furniture neutral with black walls helps to balance the walls out.

Navy Velvet Pillows with Colorful Trim / Floor Lamp / Coffee Table (similar) / Red Velvet Drapes / Sofa (similar)

2. Pull in something big with pattern.

In my case, it was my snakeskin patterned rug. Now you might not want to go with something so boldly patterned, but definitely try to get something big in there that’s patterned.

3. Pick 2-4 other colors (actual colors, not neutrals) to liven up the space.

For our living room, I went with dark reds, emerald green, mustard and a little navy. I’ve found using these actual colors on textiles works best with black walls. I went with solid dark red velvet drapes on the windows. This added a big dose of color on the walls that broke up the black.

I pulled in emerald green on my two accent chairs and then added more colors in with the accent pillows on those chairs.

Green Chairs / Vintage Gypsum Pillow / Mustard Velvet Pillow with Tassels / Lion Print / Red Velvet Drapes

I loved these chairs when I got them, but I fell in love with them even more when I got those pillows.

Green Chairs / Vintage Gypsum Pillow / Mustard Velvet Pillow with Tassels

My friend Kellie and her friend, Melanie recently started a new company called Boho Luxe Home and these beauties came from there. They have gorgeous, colorful home décor items including pillows, wall art, and more.

For these chairs, I went with solid golden velvet pillows that have a patterned band around them and then smaller patterned pillows, called Vintage Gypsum, in front that are the same pattern from the band on the velvet pillows. These added the perfect amount of extra color to these chairs and the whole space overall. The velvet pillows come in lots of different contrasting piping options.

On the white sofa, I pulled in that same color pattern again, but this time around velvet navy pillows and a touch of leopard print.

This pulled all the accent colors together throughout the whole room. Boho Luxe Home pillows come in many different shapes, sizes and patterns. You can view the whole collection here. Another one of my favorites from their line is this All Love pillow that is in the Circus’ room.

I love the design and colors on this pillow, but I also love the message. 🙂 This one is also available as wall art. Besides pillows, Boho Luxe Home also offers canvas, metal, wood and leather art. Shop their whole collection here.

4. Have big focal points.

Like I said earlier, you want your black walls to be a supporting actor and not the star of the show. One way to do this is by having large focal points against your black walls – like big art. I like big art and I cannot lie.

Lion Print / Red Velvet Drapes

In my living room, one of the focal points is the oversized lion art. The black walls set it off and it’s also nicely framed by my red drapes.

The same is true in my entryway.

Chandelier / Eyes Art

The art is the focal point, but damn those black walls set it off. 😉

5. Sprinkle in a few metallics.

Whether it’s brass, chrome, copper or nickel, just about any metallic looks great with black. I actually spray painted my coffee table gold and love how it looks against the black.

Navy Velvet Pillows with Colorful Trim / Coffee Table (similar) / Sofa (similar) / Eyes Art

You may have also noticed that the side table between my two green chairs is metallic as well. I also added in metallic accessories on top of the bar too.

Green Chairs / Vintage Gypsum Pillow / Mustard Velvet Pillow with Tassels / Gold Table (similar) / DIY Crystal Vase

So, yes, you CAN rock black walls. Just remember to add in a few neutrals, some color, big art and a little metallic.

What do you think of black walls?

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by SmithHonig, however all opinions are 100% mine. 

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