The Magic of Color: Green and Black
Color. Our world is saturated with it, from the bright yellow of fresh daffodils to the dark rusty red of an exposed brick wall; color can change the whole look of a room.
In Designer Monthly's The Magic of Color, we look at a different color each month. As you learn in the first Unit of the Sheffield Complete Course in Interior Design, a designer has available an infinite range of hues, both natural and man-made. When painting, you can combine colors to form other colors, in an endless array of shades. Manufacturers of everything from throw pillows to lampshades can also produce this vast palette. And then you must also consider the artwork that will hang in the rooms you design.
Welcome to the world of color. Everywhere we turn, there it is the deep indigo blue of a favorite old sweater, the glossy green of rhododendron leaves in a rainstorm, the rich brown of the soil as you begin to plant your spring flowers. We hope you'll join us each month on this exciting journey, as we take a close look at a color we love.
This month, we're looking at not one color, but two: the combination of leaf green and glossy black, which makes an elegant, striking statement.
This tiny breakfast nook has gone from being a disused corner to being the most
elegant spot in the house. The owners removed an old metal cabinet, painted the
walls in this leaf green, and then installed the simple glass shelving and the
glass countertop. They chose sheers for the window to allow light in while blocking
the view, which is not an altogether attractive one.
Using glass for the shelving, rather than wood, adds to the elegance, letting the light saturate the color and keeping things bright. The use of leaf green is a perfect choice here, as it is light and bright enough to bring light into the corner, and yet it's sophisticated, especially when paired with the black chair and accents.
Looking at black as a color demands that we recognize that technically speaking, black is not a color — rather, a black object absorbs all the colors in the visible spectrum but reflects none of them back.
In this photo, we can see how that's true; note how the items in black almost create black spaces in the background of the pale green. This, in turn, raises the question of the use of negative space in decorating.
As you probably know, negative space is a concept taught in art classes, and it's equally important for decorators to consider. Essentially, it's the emphasis on looking not only at the shape of the object one is drawing, but also at the ther shapes created by that "positive" image. For example, if you draw bare tree branches, you are drawing not only the branches, but also the space between the branches.
You can put negative space to use in your decorating by looking closely not just at the outline of a piece of furniture or a decorative item, but also at looking at the negative space created by that piece in the room.
Here, using the black accents on the green background allows for a great deal of
interesting negative space. For example, the curved space created between the
handle of the teapot and the lid of it is a beautiful shape that echoes the
elegance of the color choice.
When using black, it's important to consider that there are different shades of black just as there are different shades of white or colors. The choice of this most glossy, deep back is a good one, because the density of the black here provides plenty of weight for the accent pieces and the chair to really work against the leaf green. Think of how a paler black or a grey would look — the look would be completely different.
It's important to consider, when using two colors together, whether you want them to complement and blend with each other or to contrast sharply. Here, the contrast is emphasized by the choice of such a thick, glossy shade of black and a matte finish on the leaf green walls.
With a little courage and innovation, you too can try out the combination of two colors for an interesting, sophisticated look in what was previously a neglected corner.
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