In the art of decorating a room, paintings play a special role. Originals and copies by famous artists become key accents of the decor, emphasizing the wealth and artistic taste of the homeowner.
Paintings executed in black and white by decorators belong to a separate, bright and original category of artistic canvases. With their help, an extraordinary and purely unique image is imparted, no matter in what style the room is decorated.
The combination of white and black is the perfect harmony of two opposites, like a white and black piano keyboard, like yin and yang, day and night, absorption and reflection of all the colors of the rainbow.
Black and white paintings for the interior represent majestic severity and charm, built on contrast. An attractive classic with a perfect combination of antipodes - light and darkness, capable of dynamically emphasizing almost any created style.
Psychology of contrast
The attractiveness of black and white paintings lies in the ability of each color individually to create a diametrically opposite mood. However, together the white and black colors bring harmony to the captured images and a chic design worthy of display on the pages of glamorous glossy magazines.
The dynamic combination of two opposites is a magnificent, unforgettable spectacle to behold. Hang black and white paintings on the wall, and the invisible presence of yin as the beginning, and yang as the end, will give a feeling of strength, stability and a clear prospect for further existence in the analogy of the change between day and night, or a tunnel with an exit.
The darkness of black is relative, just like the coldness of the operating room in association with white. Multiple shades, tones and halftones provide a rich range for creativity. To suppress possible shades of sadness caused by contrasting images, it is enough to add a few - two or three colored accessories to add bright notes to the atmosphere of the room.
Pictures, room, style
The canvases, made in black and white colors, are combined with any interior, directly emphasizing its style direction.
For white and black canvases there are no limiting frames in interaction with style. The classic combination of white and black can highlight any style created in the room.
A compositional black and white panel placed in the living room will become a resounding accent of the modern style. The elegant sound of unpretentious tones of white and black graphics, clear straight lines and unpretentious colors will create a charming but restrained atmosphere in a hall or dining room decorated in a classic style.
The combination of black and white does not oblige you to a minimalist design direction. Also, this combination is not considered the main feature in a high-tech interior. Unless an eclectic style interior simply needs contrasting paintings painted in absolutely any technique. The main thing is that the canvases do not contain bright and flashy tones of the color palette.
The simple lines of cheerful plots in white and black combination are perfect for rooms where children are growing up.
In a secret and inaccessible bedroom, the best wall decoration will be a black and white painting in nude style.
Modular paintings are trending. The clear lines of the segments, made exclusively in black and white, wonderfully fit into the interior of any room, be it a bedroom, living room or kitchen.
Oil paintings are not ignored. The subject canvases depicting mountain landscapes or human silhouettes are very original in their contrast and the use of only two tones from a multifaceted palette.
Non-standard broken images of irregular shapes, for example, landscapes depicted on canvas, fit perfectly into a setting where the furniture has smooth, streamlined lines.
Images of a face in profile or a silhouette of a human figure from the back in a contrasting design harmonize perfectly with furniture that has clear geometric shapes.
Shades of modern charm
Today, designers and their clients very often prefer warm, earthy, muted shades to create interiors. Colored images on the walls can disrupt this easy fluidity of form, while black and white images will only add depth, character and style without disrupting the color scheme of the room.
In addition, they perfectly emphasize other color accents without drawing attention to themselves and at the same time remaining full participants in this spatial game.
Yellow accents surround a composition of black and white photographs (by Esther Hershcovich)
Bright orange accents in the dining room
Don’t rush to immediately fill all the empty space on the walls; leave room to be able to find the best photograph as a decorative element for your interior.
Black and white portrait in the living room
The rule of three works great for photos too (from CHROMA Design Lab + Interiors)
Square photo frames add geometric rigor to the room (by Charlie & Co. Design)
Colorful accents look even more impressive when surrounded by black and white. (By K West Images)
Black wall decorated with black and white photographs of different places (from Z Gallerie)
Black and white photographs in a neutral interior (from LK DeFrances & Associates)
Children's black and white photographs greatly decorate the parents' cream bedroom (by Michelle Hinckley)
Rules for placing contrasting fabrics
In decorating residential premises, there are certain rules for placing contrasting paintings, according to which compositions of black and white canvases are compiled. In fact, the Rules significantly overlap with the principles of constructing wall compositions from paintings.
Symmetry
The creation of art galleries on private property is the destiny of a few. Most homeowners have a small number of paintings. Therefore, as a rule, one large canvas is placed in the center, and additions are made with paintings of smaller sizes, distributing them strictly symmetrically relative to the center.
It should be noted that the center of symmetry is not always the central part of the wall.
Thus, a complex symmetrical artistic composition is created with a designated center outside the central part of the wall. Paintings can alternate either in a row on narrow strips of walls or above each other, for example, in a niche between tall pieces of furniture.
Symmetrically located black and white paintings placement examples:
Rhythm
Maintaining a clear rhythm in the placement of paintings is a very important compositional rule. It can be achieved by placing paintings of the same size one after another in close proximity.
A clear step between the canvases helps to increase the level of visual perception of the composition of works of art. However, you should take a balanced approach to the number of canvases placed. Ideal placement of black and white paintings on the wall:
Equilibrium
In the case of asymmetrically arranged furniture, you should select an artistic canvas with a similar character or shape associated with some elements of the furniture.
In such cases, black and white canvases are chosen as the dominant feature for decoration. In such cases, color paintings are used as small additions to the composition. An example of an equilibrium arrangement of graphic images:
Dominant
According to the Rule of Dominance, the central painting should be larger in size in relation to the additional paintings. If a painting with a black and white image is chosen as the dominant canvas, then the addition, as a rule, is carried out with secondary color paintings of much smaller size:
Blocks from paintings
Small canvases are usually placed in groups or blocks. The principle of constructing compositional blocks is used for a significant number of small-sized paintings, even if among them there are oval-shaped works.
To create each block, the principle of symmetry is used with the designation of the center. Pictures collected in blocks according to semantic meaning:
DIY black and white posters
Of course, purchasing a finished product is the simplest and fastest solution. But by making a poster yourself, you will make the interior more comfortable, original and “your own” - and in addition to this, you will learn something new.
- Printing of the finished image in a frame.
How to make it?
- Decide what kind of image you want to see on the wall. The scope for imagination is extensive - it could be a still from your favorite black and white movie, a portrait of a celebrity or loved one, a drawing, a reproduction of a painting, a black and white poster for the interior with inscriptions.
- To ensure the highest quality printing, go to a printing shop with a good reputation and numerous customer reviews.
- Select poster format and texture .
A professional printing house sells not only standard sizes (from A0 to A4), but also any parameters you need. The poster can be ordinary paper, laminated (moisture resistant), self-adhesive, or on a rigid base. If you want your poster to look more like a painting, choose a print on canvas or art paper.
- Choose a suitable frame - its style should depend on the style of the image itself and your interior. However, you should immediately abandon “rich” frames in the Baroque or Rococo style - they are contraindicated for posters.
- A collage of black and white comics
is a stylish solution for fans of this genre or a teenage bedroom.
- Buy several comics, they can be both modern and vintage. The main thing is that the paper should not be colored.
- Cut out individual episodes or entire pages and place them on a piece of whatman paper, cardboard or canvas.
- You can either leave the collage “naked” or insert it into a frame. It should be made in modern or high-tech style and be as concise as possible.
- An alternative to canvas is a wooden clipboard. You can place drawings on it using either glue or pins.
Black and white photographs for interior
To decorate your apartment with black and white photographs, you don’t have to buy works by famous photographers for a lot of money. It is much more interesting to take photographs yourself.
To make the photo more atmospheric, and for you to be able to fully immerse yourself in the process, we recommend paying attention to vintage film cameras:
- Canon A1
- Makina W67
- Nikon F
- Olympus PEN-F
- Rolleiflex TLR 6x6
- Hasselblad 500C
- Leica IIIc
Of course, you can choose a digital camera, but pay attention to its resolution, no matter what size of the final image we are talking about.
If you already have a camera, you should decide on the subject of the photos. How to find a subject for photographs?
- First, decide whether you want to take a staged or casual shot
. For high-quality portraits, a studio with artificial light, which is easier to control than daylight, is best suited. For proper processing, it is better to hire a professional retoucher.
- You can take inspiration from street photography masters like Richard Sandler, Diane Arbus, Gene Altman, Johnny Stiletto and take some random but thoughtful shots of strangers on the street
. Of course, a film camera is not the best for this purpose - out of dozens of pictures you will get only one “same one”, which will take pride of place on your wall.
Play of light and shadows
Well-directed backlighting can bring the contrast of black and white images to life. The shade range and texture of the background on which the paintings are located are very important. If the room is decorated with posters in the style of old Hollywood, the background should be unobtrusive, light and calm. All shades of cream or buttery color are perfect for these purposes. But a white wall will be an ideal option for decorating a room in a Scandinavian style.
When decorating a room in a strict classical style, the color of the walls should be white or very light, but not darker than ivory.
To decorate rooms in high-tech, techno or strict oriental style, all shades of gray or soft pistachio color are acceptable.
