Contrasting combinations - how to combine dark and light furniture?
Living room designs with color contrast—including monochromatic designs in black and white—are intriguing, eye-catching, and visually appealing. They're an ideal alternative to monotonous interiors. How can you create color contrast in a living room , bedroom, or other room? You'll find the answer in this article!
Contrast adds depth to the interior - why is it worth combining light and dark furniture?
This color play creates an interesting visual effect and, more importantly, allows you to enhance the proportions of the living area, highlight the unique furniture design, and add character to the interior. Dark shades beautifully break up a space bathed in white, and vice versa: light furnishings look good paired with black, anthracite, navy blue, or brown. For example, two types of dining room chairs, one white and one in a dark wood shade. This is a perfect option for a dining nook inspired by rustic or Scandinavian styles.
The 70/30 Rule - How Not to Overdo It with Dark Accents
Dark accents in an interior can be used for various purposes: to enhance the depth of the décor, to diversify a uniform space, or to add a touch of sophistication. Black brings elegance and complements almost any color. However, if you don't want to overdo it with this color scheme, follow the 70/30 rule. How does it work? Use light and dark shades in a 70:30 ratio. To avoid visually cluttering the interior, it's worth choosing darker furniture and accessories, which look great against lighter walls. Of course, this is a matter of convention, as maximalist designs, such as Dark Academia, often employ a dark color palette. Therefore, we should first ask ourselves what effect we want to achieve.
How to choose the background: walls, floors and lighting when combining contrasts?
Contrasting furniture, such as black or dark oak, will look great against a white wall. Wooden chests of drawers, wardrobes, and display cabinets are classics that always work. Other timeless combinations include light walls, herringbone parquet, and a black-and-white checkerboard floor. Color can also be used to symbolically divide an open living room into functional zones. Painting the shorter wall in a narrow but long room will visually shorten it. Lighter colors, on the other hand, will make the room appear larger than it actually is.
Dark shades of green, navy blue, and gray are currently incredibly fashionable, drawing attention and creating a cozy atmosphere. They're often paired with shimmering accents of gold and silver, as well as matte brass or rusty copper. To maintain the elegance of the interior while still maintaining a light and airy feel, add accessories in light colors (white, beige, cashmere, dove gray, mint, and delicate pastels). Brighten the space with appropriate lighting (a large chandelier, an additional pendant lamp over the dining table, wall sconces, decorative LED strips, or furniture backlighting). A point light source will beautifully highlight a selected element of the arrangement (for example, a bookcase, a painting, stairs, or kitchen countertops). Don't forget to ensure maximum sunlight. Open the windows and avoid cluttering the windowsills with knick-knacks. Do you prefer dark curtains made of heavy velvet fabrics? Combine them with airy, plain curtains without a pattern or skip the curtains altogether.
Combinations in various styles - from Scandinavian to loft
How to combine light and dark furniture depends on the design style, the specific character of the room, and your own preferences. Take the Hamptons aesthetic, for example, which evokes a vacation at a luxurious seaside resort. Here, white and beige in various shades play the leading role, along with elements of wood, wicker, and rattan. A must-have contrasting color is blue or navy blue. These elements draw attention, counterbalancing the light background. Sky blue curtains, a navy rug, sofa cushions, and a pouffe complement the cream tones perfectly. The overall look is complemented by glass decorations, a crystal chandelier, a Moroccan clover motif, nautical striped textiles, and natural fabrics like linen. The space is bright, airy, and airy.
The urban jungle trend has been gaining popularity for several years now. Its elements can be found in many contemporary interior designs. Here, greenery plays a key role, highlighted against white, light gray, or beige walls. Wooden furniture, plant stands, and shelves complement the décor. Eco-friendly trinkets are a popular choice. Botanical patterns on home textiles, framed herbariums as wall decorations, and plant patterns on wallpaper and tiles are all welcome. The interior should evoke an exotic garden, soothe the senses, and promote relaxation away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Lush greenery combined with white and light wood visually opens up the space, making being in such an environment a pure pleasure.
Another interior design style that thrives on color contrasts is sophisticated Art Deco, combining not only contrasting hues but also diverse textures and modernity with classic elements. Here, we encounter vibrant shades of green, navy blue, burgundy, and ruby red, offset by shimmering gold, silver, and hues typical of precious stones. The Art Deco aesthetic favors ornamentation, rich decoration, and bold, often extravagant patterns. Lounge furniture with rounded shapes, as well as chests of drawers, cabinets, and tables with geometric shapes, are perfect examples. There's a lot going on in arrangements inspired by this style, so it's worth carefully planning the arrangement of individual pieces and carefully selecting colors and accessories.
Scandinavian: white + black + wood
Scandi and Japandi are among the most popular trends. They are cozy, full of natural beauty, and pleasing to the eye thanks to their neutral colors and minimalist design. In these designs, white or light gray are the perfect backdrop for furniture. Wood tones work well on the floor, and bold accents like accessories, textiles, and potted plants enhance the overall look. A perfect option for a living room decorated in the Scandinavian style is the modern GOVI wall unit with high-gloss fronts. It includes two display cabinets and a TV cabinet . All units are suspended, further lightening the room's décor. It's worth equipping the glass shelves in the display cabinet with energy-efficient LED lighting. Simple design goes hand in hand with functionality. So, if you're looking for minimalist furniture for a living room inspired by the Scandi aesthetic, check out this option. It will especially appeal to lovers of minimalism decorating a small living room. The furniture is compact, yet elegant.
spacious. They won't take up much space in the room.
Loft: graphite + concrete + bright accessories
Industrial interiors delight the eye with their unconventional combinations of colors and accessories. Raw finishing materials and soft textiles harmonize perfectly here. White meets graphite, exposed brick on the wall, and black. The décor is broken up by green potted plants and designer elements such as a lamp, clock, stylish clothes rack, and vertical wall slats behind the TV. To lighten the mood in an interior bathed in grays and shades of concrete, it's worth introducing bright accents, such as a soft beige rug, cream-colored window blinds, or even light-colored lounge furniture covered in tactile fabric.
One of our store's offerings is the modern, compact LUCI sofa, perfect for a studio apartment, a small living room, or a teenager's room. It features a sleeping function and a comfortable backrest cushion decorated with longitudinal stitching. This mini sofa will look stunning alongside DOMI furniture in a concrete color. The set includes a hanging glass display cabinet, a wall shelf, a standing chest of drawers, and an RTV unit. The glass shelves can be equipped with subtle LED lighting, creating a cozy atmosphere.
Glamour: creams + black shimmers + gold
The luxurious glamour style comes in many guises. It draws heavily on classic elements (showcasing timeless accessories and black-and-white furniture), while also adding something extra: refined accents in a shimmering gold shade. A glam living room is a play of light, Dark and light colors, as well as shiny elements that add a touch of glamour to the interior. Is only glossy white furniture the right choice here? Of course not. In such a setting, the black, high-gloss GOVI 10D wall unit , including hanging display cabinets and a TV stand, will work fantastically. Dark living room furnishings will add depth to the arrangement, while gilded accents will emphasize the exclusive character of the decor. A coffee table with gold legs, jewelry furniture handles, a shiny lamp, a candlestick, or a clock are just some of the options.
A living room inspired by the glamour aesthetic will look great with contrasting furniture color combinations: a light sofa with a dark chest of drawers, black upholstered chairs with a white table, a dark leather sofa with a light coffee table with a marble top, etc. Lounge furniture with striking quilting is welcome here (for example, a red corner sofa), as are transparent chairs, console tables, and tables made of glass or transparent plastic (e.g., a "ghost" chair). Elegant moldings, paintings in decorative frames, framed photos, or prints will look great on the walls.
Practical tips: what to combine with what and what to avoid?
Currently, due to the immense popularity of boho and eco-styles, furniture with wooden accents is very fashionable. They can be used in almost any interior. An example is the unique ERMITE furniture collection, which combines a noble cashmere color with a shade of cremona oak. The chests of drawers are adorned with subtle milling. The set also includes a display cabinet, a TV stand, and a coffee table with a shelf beneath the top. The whole set will look stunning against white walls and wooden floors.
Wood goes with virtually everything, as does glass (glass furniture fronts, glass lamps, glass countertops). Natural materials like linen, wicker, rattan, bamboo, seagrass, etc., work beautifully in light, eco-friendly arrangements. In darker interiors, however, it's worth opting for shiny surfaces that reflect daylight.
What should you keep in mind when choosing furniture in contrasting colors? They should create a cohesive whole, matching the design. You should also exercise moderation when choosing dark furnishings and avoid excess accessories, which can overwhelm the décor.
Textiles and accessories - how to soften contrasts and add cohesion?
Dark and light living room furniture (such as the PRESTI collection) will be complemented by harmonious color accents in the form of accessories. A white living room with black furniture will be complemented by textiles in green, navy blue, or mustard. Dark green and gold look interesting in elegant designs. A cozy interior in cream shades will be enhanced by pastel accents (mint, powder pink, sage, lime, blue, etc.), and the whole will be further "softened" by thick fabrics, bouclé fabric, a jute rug, or a wicker storage basket.
If the main theme in an industrial living room is gray and concrete or its imitation, introduce green potted plants that will liven up the space and create a pleasant microclimate.
Find more interior design inspiration at Furnitop.co.uk!
