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Think about it: the bedroom is where every day begins and ends. How you feel in that space can shape how you charge into the morning and how you wind down at night, which makes it one of the most worthwhile rooms in the house to get right.
There’s no shortage of color schemes to consider for paint, furniture, and accessories. You could take your cues from designers, from the principles of feng shui, or you could simply fill the room with colors you love. For plenty of people, that lands on one striking, classic combination: black and white.
Black and white is a timeless pairing. It shows up again and again in both fashion and interior design, which is proof enough that it outlasts the trends. It’s also calm and serene, which is exactly what you want in a room built for rest.
Thinking of trying the contrast at home? Here’s how to pull off the black and white bedroom look.
01 Mix Tones and Textures
A black and white bedroom can tip from chic to chaotic fast, so the trick is to mix tones and textures inside all that contrast. This space softens an all-black bed with gray and black bedding, then layers in white pieces—a standing reading lamp, a small side table, a modern chandelier. A photograph in a black and white frame above the bed pulls it all together.
02 Experiment With Styles
Plenty of styles work within a black and white palette, and this room proves it. Modern white furnishings and wood tones warm up the intensity of the black wall paint, while a white ceiling and two big windows flood the space with light to balance the darker pieces. It speaks to how flexible the combination is: you could picture this scheme in a breezy California-casual room just as easily as an Art Deco one.
03 Utilize Accessories
This near all-black bedroom leans on a few white accents to break things up. It’s mostly monochromatic, but a mix of textures and materials in the bedding and rug adds interest. Tonal linen bedding and a sheepskin rug against a black vintage dresser bring softness and warmth, while still keeping that punch of contrast.
04 Strike the Right Balance
Here, black walls, a black painting, and a black headboard get lifted by pops of rich green and crisp white bedding. The key is thinking about visual weight. Put black on a large piece and it needs an interesting shape, a strong profile, or contrasting hardware to keep it from reading heavy and bulky. In this room, cane detailing on the big bed frame adds texture and lightens the whole thing up.
05 Incorporate Metallic Accents
For a black and white room, this one feels genuinely glamorous. Black walls play off a crisp white ceiling and white bedding, and glints of gold tie everything together—a traditional gold chandelier overhead, a sturdy gold canopy frame, a golden-brown rug underfoot, and a painting with orange and gold detailing. A bright red patterned pillow and fresh flowers on the nightstand add the finishing spark. A few colorful touches like these keep black and white interesting without ever tipping into too much.
06 Add Pops of Color
Color is another easy way to keep a black and white bedroom from feeling cold. Work an accent shade in through art or through decorative touches like pillows and throws. In this white room, black pieces like the bed frame, dresser, and lamp are softened by blues, golds, and greens running through the space.
07 Use White Paint
You can build the look with either color leading, but white walls tend to win out for a bedroom. This Scandinavian-inspired space pairs crisp white walls, bedding, and accessories with subtle black details—an exposed-bulb sconce, a black and white photo on a floating shelf. A gray fur throw and gray trim along the bedding hand the room a little extra warmth.
RELATED: 21 Black and White Bedroom Ideas for a Timeless, Classic, and Chic Look