The (surprising) color every room needs!

Hello my friends! I hope you had a great weekend -- we had a lovely one with friends and family. It was a good distraction from the sadness I've felt lately. My sister is moving away tomorrow and I've been dreading this day for months. I don't know how in the world I'm going make it a week without seeing her or my baby niece. I was reminded this weekend that it could be so much worse, and I know this. I'm trying to keep in mind that we'll be able to talk whenever we want -- I will just miss them so much. 

If any of you live in the Wheeling area of West Virginia and could hug my sister's neck for me once and awhile, please let me know. :) I'm glad to be writing to you all today because it always makes me feel better! 

I've been busy working on our basement fireplace and hope to have an update to share with you this week. I'm so excited about it! I'm thinking about my next steps for down there and I was reminded of my absolute favorite addition when it comes to decorating. I've said it for years but it's worth sharing again -- nearly every room can take some black accents! 

Whether they are small (frames or small furniture) or big like walls, I am absolutely obsessed with the understated drama that black adds to a room. I've always said it grounds a space and it never fails. 

I went mostly white in our office/loft makeover this summer but I knew all along I wanted the contrast of black in here as well -- I added that with the lights and the large DIY chalkboard: 

The beauty of black is that it works even when your walls aren't white. I know some worry that it will  make a room feel heavy and it can...but if you have a fairly neutral space it will only add to your space! 

I recently transformed this old table into a bar cart and knew it needed to be black. It was the perfect contrast in this spot: 

I discovered that green and black is one of my favorite combos when I moved one my favorite dressers up to the guest room earlier this year: 

I also love our black metal bed in that room too. There are a few colors that it doesn't pair with as well -- I used to have a yellow and black laundry room and it went a little bumblebee. ;) 

And if you already have dark walls it may be a little much to have solid black pieces. But especially in rooms with gray, white or neutral walls like ours, it looks fantastic: 

I would totally paint a room black and was going to paint my husband's office dark, it just hasn't happened yet. :) If a whole room is too scary for you, you can do a smaller accent wall like I did on the stairs. I still love it! It demands your attention but doesn't make it feel heavy at all. 

I love chalkboard walls and it's not because they are fun to write on (they are). It's that pop of black: 

This small wall in our kitchen was perfect for it and now it's a great spot for doodling and lists, but also gives some nice contrast. 

This painted dresser in our family room is one of my favorites -- the white trim around the room makes it pop: 

And that hardware that I didn't like before is now perfection against the dark color. Funny how it completely changed how I felt about that brass! 

And you know what? I don't even mind TV's that are hung on the wall, because they give you the same feel: 

There's a hint at one of my favorites in that picture -- if you don't want to go dark on furniture or walls, you can always do the doors: 

All of our interior doors on the main floor and basement are black and I would do it again a million times over. They are classic and I love them against the white trim. 

One of my first dark doors was our glass pantry door: 

I'm itching to get started on the upstairs but there are seven to do! It's going to take me another year at least. :) 

I have black accents in nearly every room of our house, and I'm always looking for ways to add it to the rooms that don't! 

Do you use black paint in your home? Have you taken the plunge with black doors? It doesn't have to be anything large!The black lines of a coffee table, frames on the wall or even the legs of a chair all help to give you that look. 

To see the paint colors I used in these spaces go here!