Crave tranquility? Brown and black colors turn a room into a refuge.
It's going to be easier than you imagined to redesign rooms in your home pairing black and brown. You might not even need a third color to do the job, as European designers regularly mix browns and blacks to produce soothing, earthy room settings -- even in kitchens. If you've been left a legacy of furniture that forces you to work with pre-determined black and brown pieces, the challenge will be little harder, but take some risks and pull together a room that leaves visitors remarking, "I had no idea black and brown could work so nicely together."
Instructions
1. Think autumn. If Mother Nature manages to pair black and brown and make the mix magical, you can too. The secret is choosing browns in varying shades, particularly light browns and tans that pair beautifully with black furnishings. Imagine, for example, a neutral, tan couch, light tan walls, black end tables and one wall covered with ethnic art rendered in all manner of blacks and browns. Add sage green to the mix if you require a sign of spring amid your organic color mix.
2. Think IKEA. Stroll the floor of a nearby IKEA if you're lucky enough to have one within driving distance. The Swedish company produces textiles in distinct Scandinavian patterns that frequently feature black with brown and an occasional third color such as white. Start your space redesign by stretching a few yards of any of these remarkable textiles over wood frames to create your room focal point and then arrange your black and brown furniture beneath the art.
3. Think chocolate. On the PI Design House website, a photograph of a living room lavished with enough chocolate to tickle your taste buds creates a room setting that's gorgeous. The walls are warm beige, the floor is covered with rich brown wood and furnishings are brown leather. Side and cocktail tables are black, though the room suggests so much harmony, it's hard to make the distinction. A single piece of wall art adds a few colors, but brown and black own the room.
4. Think contemporary. Your mom insisted on a kitchen with white cabinets and a blue countertop, but you're adventurous enough to pair black with brown in your kitchen. Pick one dominant color -- black or brown -- using the other hue to accessorize your room. Euro designers might approach this space as follows: Start with light brown walls, add dark brown wood or tile floors and coordinated brown cabinets. Black appliances and granite countertops provide the drama and black and brown art add earthy undertones.
5. Think neutral: Turn space in your home into the Switzerland of color. Dark colors make rooms look smaller and light ones visually expand space, so stick to the one that favors the room you've chosen. A monochrome room that's lavished with terra cotta lights up with black-framed art and decorative accessories. Neutrals are so soothing and tranquil, you can literally morph your space from chaotic to Zen calm -- all because you took the color decorating road less traveled.
