Perusing through some of my favorite inspiration images recently, I've noticed that one of my favorite elements is black & white art work. You have to be careful with black & white so that it doesn't feel stark, but when done well, it's one of my absolute favorite combinations: timeless yet a little edgy.
What makes this room below (by Gerrie Bremermann via Cote de Texas) for me is the combination of antique gold finishes and the contemporary black & white canvas. There's not even one stitich of green in the room, yet I still LOVE it!!
I've posted the next image more than once & it still remains one of my favorites. Again, it's that black & white artwork juxtaposed with the gold. (And they've used greenery & frogs & BALLS so can it get any better? ;)
{House Beautiful}
This Nate Berkus room (below) also showcases black & white contemporary artwork and I think it stays warm-feeling because of the textured bed and basket. I love it with the zebra hide.
Again, another one of my favorite spaces ("favorite" warning: will say it a lot in this post).. Monelle Totah's apartment feature in Elle Decor. To the right of the fireplace you can see her black & white print peeking out.
I just saw this image (Martha Stewart) on La Dolce Vida and loved its massive black & white contemporary paintings.. (Honestly, if someone had told me 5 years ago that I would ike something like this, I would have laughed and then groaned.):
Anyway, since I started getting this black & white art craving a few months back, I was at a clients house and we were looking around her home for art options for her living room. (Love shopping in clients' houses!) And I saw this original beautiful black & white tree painting she had.
{Are you ready for my blonde moment??} I thought she had done it because the name scrawled on the painting looked like her last name to me at first glance. I was like, "You did this?! It's amazing!"
...
And then I looked closer as she laughed... "Matisse"
It was an original Matisse.
Oh. my. goodness.
hahhahaah SO... at least she's got a sense of humor and we're now using it in the living room.
(And I would say it's time for me to bruch up on my art ;)
