Never underestimate the power of black in a room. In this short article we outline ways in which the colour affects the atmosphere of a room and reveal nine shade of black fabrics used for curtains to achieve very specific results.
Choose black as a neutral
Black can be used as a neutral backdrop to give a feeling of depth to your room. At Aspire, we can offer a variety of black curtains, from the simplicity of block colour to interesting textured and print designs. Black can be seen as a non-colour which absorbs light and reflects nothing back. It is best when used in moderation. You can use them to create a blank starting point upon which to build the style of your room.
Use black for contrast
Choosing black curtains will make other colours stand out and create a great contrast. Black can make other colours appear brighter, and combining black with red or orange will create a passionate and powerful colour scheme. And black curtains work well to temper the sugary sweetness of pinks, pastels and florals.
Practical ways to use black to make things cosy
Black curtains are also practical as they help to reduce daylight even without a full blackout lining, and help to keep a room dark during the summer months. Like other dark colours, black can make large rooms appear smaller; making them feel more cosy and homely, and even a well-lit room looks darker with a lot of black.
Choosing the length of curtains to reflect your style
If you want to create a formal feel in your room, use black curtains and let the fabric gather slightly at the floor, or for a more informal feel, use black curtains that are the same length and width as your window opening. Whatever style you go for, your black curtains will refresh your room to create a powerful and elegant statement with minimal effort!
Things to avoid when choosing black curtains:
Don’t use it as a base colour, if not handled correctly – it can be depressing - think of all those angst-ridden teenage bedrooms! Never allow the curtains to come into contact with bleach – and take care the black doesn’t fade with washing, we’d recommend a professional clean.
Great for:
Black curtains are great for tempering the sweetness of other sugary colours such as pink – especially with slightly textured fabric. They also add great drama to vibrant colours – by creating the biggest of contrasts.
Getting the shade of black curtains ‘just right’
The devil is in the detail! If you can narrow down your choice of black to an exact shade, you’ll get a far more cohesive look to your room. Compare all these black fabrics from our website which also show a name for their ‘shade’. To make really sure you have the colour you need make sure you request as many of our free samples as you’d like.
Blacks available on the Aspire Curtains and Blinds website:
Charcoal
The shade ‘Charcoal’ gives a hint of grey to black, softening it. Here we see a sample of Bethan, a traditional design with a
checked pattern, with black accents. Great use of black as a neutral.
Ebony
The shade ‘Ebony’ gives a much deeper, darker shade of black; useful when a sense of drama is required. Here the sample shows the abstract pattern ‘Astrid’.
Graphite
Graphite is a shade of black softened a little with a hint of grey. Here is it mixed with grey circles on the
abstract fabric ‘Sphere’. This fabric would be great subduing intense light or balance vivid colours.
Jet
When you simply want the blackest of blacks, and nothing else will do, you can do no worse than choose a fabric in the shade ‘jet’. It will tame the light in a room when used beside vibrant colours and florals – and add a real sense of drama when used as an accent.
Liquorice
Bringing forward the playful side of black, the colour ‘liquorice’ has a warm undertone making it ideal for abstract designs in contemporary and modern spaces. Use to make cosy spaces from oversized rooms.
Midnight
The shade ‘midnight’ has a deep, dark, cold blue hue behind it. This gives it a cool masculine feel. It is up to you to exploit this for a bachelor pad or contrast it with hot pinks for balance. A really versatile shade of black, show here in dramatic horizontal stripes.
Mineral
The shade ‘mineral’ has a subtle brown, making it a great match for stone, cream and neutral rooms. Here it is shown in the fabric ‘Java’ in an abstract design which would liven up a potentially dull corner in an otherwise neutral room.
Noir
‘Noir’ - being the French term for black, depicts a strong black with a cool undertone. This fabric called ‘Patrice’ has a subtle pattern allowing it to be used as a softer background than a plain fabric.
Slate
The shade of black called slate has a definite grey hue to it – indeed it could be argued that slate is a very dark grey. However, with such dark tones it can be used in exactly the same way as a black, where a softer contrast is required.
To see the
full range of black fabrics available via the Aspire Curtains and Blinds website please follow this link or view our
Pinterest Board.
