Why Every Room Needs A Punch Of Black – 'It's the Little Black Dress of Design'

Interior designer Jess Cooney is one of Homes & Gardens' new Editors-At-Large for By Design, sharing her thoughts on decor through her lens of soft light, vintage pieces, and a sepia-tinged palette. See the rest of her articles here.

We all know the power of the Little Black Dress. It’s timeless, flattering, and effortlessly chic. Just as every wardrobe benefits from an LBD, every well-designed room can gain from a touch of black. Yet time and again, clients hesitate. ‘Won’t it make the room too dark?’ they ask. Black is often associated with being austere, harsh, or overwhelming – but like an LBD that elevates a look, strategic touches of black can refine, anchor, and energize a space.

Decorating with black, when done thoughtfully, adds depth and sophistication without overpowering a room. While color trends come and go, black remains steadfastly classic. Your LBD can be linen, wool, long, short, casual, or formal – and in interior design, black offers the same versatility, adapting beautifully to any style, mood, or season.

There are blacks that read blue, green, purple, and red, making it one of the most reliable ‘neutrals’ in design. It pairs effortlessly with any aesthetic, from rustic to modern. In a bright living room, we embraced a blue-black palette, drawing inspiration from a stunning oil painting. The dark-stained frame of the console below only highlights the vibrant punch of its grasscloth doors. With its inherent depth and dimension, black makes everything else pop.

Beyond its versatility as a wall color, black serves as the ultimate punctuation mark in a space, providing smaller accents that add structure and sophistication. Whether it’s a matte black cabinet, an oxidized bronze light fixture, or the outline of a window frame, black draws the eye, creates contrast, and allows lighter colors and materials to shine even brighter.

As designers, we understand the power of black room ideas, but convincing clients to embrace a deep black can be a bigger challenge. The thought of it can feel foreboding or make a space seem closed in. Yet black works in the opposite way: it punctuates, defines, and brings life to a room. A carefully chosen black chair, for instance, can anchor a space, drawing the eye through to the windows and framing a mountain view. This block of color provides focus in an otherwise expansive setting.

For example, in a cozy mountaintop family compound we renovated, the house was flooded with natural light. We used a greyish black paint to envelop the den, creating a quiet, cozy living room retreat. Wrapped in wood and previously formal in feel, the black muted the trim lines and added a modern punch in an unexpected way. To elevate the space further, we accentuated the dark hue with warm leather and bright touches of brass, giving the room an elegant, layered glow.

For those hesitant to try black, start small. Paint your front door, add a statement chair, or use black hardware on white cabinets. A black-framed doorway, a moody accent wall, or a collection of dark pottery on open shelving can give a room focus and confidence.

Just as no wardrobe feels complete without a Little Black Dress, no home feels fully dressed without a touch of black.