COMFY HAVEN

"Black has amazing power to solidify a color scheme, pull together disparate pieces of furniture, and give your home a touch of Hollywood glam." BHG

"Put black and white against any color for a look that's fresh and sophisticated. "BHG

Black and white continues to have a strong presence in 2010. This season you'll see lots of graphic, bold black and white patterns available and combined with a single bright accent color like hot pink or bright yellow. While these rooms look fabulous and daring in magazines, I've never met a client bold enough to use this combo in even one room. But I am of the opinion that every room is better with a touch of black - a single piece of furniture, some accessories or picture frames. Every color sings it's best song against black. your decorating hotline

There's a rule in decorating that says that "every room can use a touch of black." You might think this is strange if you have a room of pastels or jewel tones. But think a minute. Using the color black adds a focal point of color that grounds, anchors, and adds a sophisticated look to a room. Black in accessories, light fixtures, trims, paint, or in one bold piece of furniture will help to catch the eye and sharpen any decorating scheme. It will serve as an outline that sets off specific areas or objects. Black by itself is striking! But to get real drama and spark, pair black with white.about.com

How do we decorate with black and white?

From BHG

Be sure to balance large, medium, and small scale patterns with a few touches of plain black and white fabrics.

If fear of overwhelming your decor has kept you from painting your room a bright color, add strong black silhouettes and accessories for a mod-yet-sophisticated look.

Pink and black is the ultimate glamorous color combo.

Red, white, and black: considered the most romantic color palette, this one is an almost fail-safe scheme.

From about.com

Crisp white bed linens are perfect for the bedroom. Add a black and white striped bed skirt, pillows, and a comfortable black chair. For seasonal changes, have a variety of pillows in different colors on hand. Pink, yellow, or soft green works great for summer, while red, hunter green, or even shimmering gold or silver looks great for winter.

When shopping for fabrics, keep an eye out for colorful prints or plaids with touches of black. Then add more black to the room with lamps, table trims, frames and mats, pillows, and door and hardware.

From styleathome.com

1 A black and white themed room always has more impact when you add in a third accent colour. My top picks: aqua, coral, kelly green or canary yellow.

2 If you want to jazz up your bedroom with black and white, add it to the pillow shams or the wall behind the headboard -- a high-contrast scheme like black and white is busy and not conducive to sleep, so it's best to use it on surfaces that you don't see while you're trying to fall asleep.

3 When it comes to accessories, buy pieces that are all white and/or all black, rather than covered with a black-and-white pattern. (The exception: allow yourself two black-and-white patterned cushions.) That way you can choose to mix them, or switch out your displays for all white items sometimes and all black items other times -- which gives you three different looks. Also, when you tire of the black and white theme -- and trust me, you will -- the white items will still be fabulous and blend with any new scheme.

Check out how we do black and white with cushion covers, table runners, throws, placemats at Comfy Heaven Home Furnishings.