black

Clean-lined A. Rudin occasional chairs flank the intricately detailed fireplace.
In an unexpected twist, black wallpaper helps lighten up this dark, shadowy living room. The sofa was reupholstered by Partners in Design in a Rose Tarlow Melrose House fabric.
The sleekest and tiniest of sinks cantilevers from a wall in the long, narrow powder room.
Sharff says the second-floor “cozy room,” with its moody European vibe, is his favorite spot in the house.
The kitchen in the guest pavilion features cabinetry from Christopher Peacock.
Furniture-like cabinetry painted Farrow & Ball Railings contains the freezer, wine refrigerator, and refrigerator, while the door on the right leads to the butler’s pantry.
The couple’s portrait collection watches over many rooms in the house, including the Christopher Peacock-designed kitchen. The wife, says interior designer Antonio Pippo, was adamant the kitchen island not include seating. “She didn’t want people gathering around the island,” says Pippo. “She wanted them to be elsewhere, having fun.”
The homeowners elected to forgo grass and trees in favor of a meandering stone pathway that leads to the entrance of the three-story home, which went from pale gray to black.
In the kitchen, brass accents are repeated on the custom ebony-stained cabinets, which open to reveal burgundy interiors. Rizzo collaborated on the kitchen with Mary-Beth Oliver from Karen Berkemeyer Home.
The play of dark and light continues in the husband’s office with its midnight-blue Phillip Jeffries grasscloth wall and custom black cubby storage by TJ’s Fine Woodworking. The antiqued-glass iron-frame mirror reflects the seascape outside.
French-style chairs and an arts and crafts-style chest impart historical touches that give the room greater visual depth, Arnold believes, than if you’d simply “popped in all modern forms.” Floral fabric connects the fauteuils to the landscape. A cowhide rug keeps things contemporary, as does the mirror, which evokes a porthole while complementing the curves of the table and Hinkley pendant.
The Rutt Cabinetry bar in the great room echoes the bluish-gray kitchen island, while its metal mesh fronts suggest fishing nets and lobster pots.
Arnold engaged Maine craftsman Tim Hill to build the primary bath’s custom his-and-her vanities that evoke waves and water in the subtle inward curve on the fronts. The dark wall highlights the cabinetry finish, which is meant to continue the driftwood theme.
Most meals are enjoyed on the heated porch, which interior designer Kristina Crestin painted a moody blue-black (Benjamin Moore Polo Blue).
There’s no shortage of seating at the kitchen’s twenty-two-foot island, which was made by B&G Cabinet.
A mammoth factory light from Rejuvenation illuminates the breakfast table in this Gloucester, Massachusetts, kitchen, which sports concrete counters and a corner pantry fashioned from steel-and-glass panels from Costa Fabrications.
Dave Vilord of Custom Metal Fabricators of Vermont created the hot-rolled-steel fireplace that anchors one end of the home’s great room.
Epure black burlap wallcovering by Élitis in the foyer and on the three-story stair hall makes for a dramatic entrance.
“I never thought I’d live in a brick house,” jokes interior designer Michael Booth as he leans in the front doorway of his recently renovated home on Providence’s East Side.
The dining room gets a dose of drama from black painted walls and cabinetry, a print by Boston artist Liz Roache, and accessories like a nineteenth-century ginger jar and a block-printed table skirt from India.
A delightful vignette in the dining room comprises an antique paddle wood chair, a drop-leaf table, and artwork by noted illustrator Richard Giglio.
The dining room gets a dose of drama from black painted walls and cabinetry, a print by Boston artist Liz Roache, and accessories like a nineteenth-century ginger jar and a block-printed table skirt from India.
The handsome piano room sports a linen-textured wallpaper in a subtle stripe that complements the glossy black window and door casings.
Elms played up the architectural details of Kim’s study with Benjamin Moore’s Evening Dove, a soft charcoal blue.
Located on the ground floor, the master bedroom is “all about the views,” says designer Kalur. With its simple furnishings and horizontally paneled pine walls, “it’s their little Zen space,” she adds.
Vintage MR chairs by Mies van der Rohe surround the polished marble dining table. “The chairs already have wear and tear, so I don’t worry about the kids ruining them,” Frazier says.
Frazier and her husband spend evenings around the gas fireplace in the den. The painting is by SoWa-based artist Brittney Ciccone, who is also a close friend.
A petite powder room lives large, thanks to the bold blossoms of the Phillip Jeffries wallpaper.
Cabinetry and the long kitchen island are painted in Sherwin Williams’s Bohemian Black, while cluster lighting and the white island surface keep the room bright. Windows facing the property line are purposefully high.
The powder room, where a graphic Pierre Frey wallpaper makes a catchy backdrop for a Celerie Kemble mirror and a sink on polished nickel legs, is a happy surprise for guests.
The antique Jacobean chairs in the living room are from designer and homeowner Paul Corrie’s own collection.
The spiral staircase leads to the master bedroom. A mirror of python skin and fossil stone is a focal point of the dining nook.
Unlacquered brass fixtures and an Urban Archaeology light fixture are subtle nautical references in the bathroom.
The compact library takes on a more formal air with its dark walls and a golden chandelier illuminating the Christian Liaigre Ile de Ré table.
This painting, which hangs in the vestibule leading to the master bedroom, is by local artist David James Valyou.
The nickel-gap kitchen cabinets match the proportions of the barn’s existing vertical barnboard.
Maureen Griffin Balsbaugh designed the bookshelves and matching chaises in the reading room.
The reading room on the main floor offers a peaceful alternative to the beach, and like other rooms throughout the house, draws on a balance of white walls, a neutral floor, and black accents.
The powder room is painted with Farrow & Ball’s Off-Black, a stark exception to the “white walls only” rule throughout the home.
A dazzling Ricardo Rumi painting and a Lubomir Tomaszewski sculpture add contemporary flair to the library.
On the first floor, the elegant guest bath features a custom granite sink and a generous frosted-glass shower enclosure.
Chairs in the snug library wear a subdued Fortuny fabric, while pillows are clad in a contemporary Madeline Weinrib pattern.
The modern, streamlined kitchen was designed by architect Stacey Jacovini Storm during the initial renovation in 2007.
The guest bath takes a dramatic turn with horizontal wallpaper and a black-and-white striped rug.
The black-and-white guest bedroom, inspired by a magazine photo, has a plush cowhide rug atop practical sisal.
Holly Hunt velvet gives the master bed headboard a sumptuous look and feel.
"Bubble baths revive me," says the designer, praising her master bath with its smart black-and-white theme.
Diverse elements unite happily in the living room, where striking charcoal-on-paper drawings set off a steer’s head cunningly crafted of metal washers. The herringbone-patterned hide sofa pillows hail from Dovecote in Westport.
A black lacquered wall adds drama.
Colorful accessories pop in the living room, where walls of Benjamin Moore’s Jet Black set off the crisp white trim and shelves.
Living room seating by B&B Italia is suitable for large crowds or intimate groups. The chairs, featuring a sculptural shape and sexy zipper up the back, were chosen for good looks when seen from any angle.