Black & White Curtains: Top Styling Ideas & Tips
As in fashion, so in home decor - the obsession with the iconic black and white palette has never faded. While the catalogues of paint and textile stores have grown fatter unveiling the ‘fifty shades’ of every colour, the black-and-white mania has never receded. Such is the magnetism of this high-contrast combination that the world of window drapery would not be happy to be left behind. And if you want to join the bandwagon - and are looking to drape your windows in this timeless palette - this blog is for you. So come along as our drapery experts share their top tips to pick and style your new black and white curtains. On to the tips:
Decide on the Mood
As with all monochromatic schemes, assigning roles to your colours is a good place to begin. It simply means that you decide which colour will dominate. Do you want the drapery to read as black or white at first glance? The answer to that question entirely depends on your preferences informed by the purpose of the room and the overall mood you’re aiming to create there.
If you’re rigging up a man cave, trying to slay the industrial-style dark and rugged look or wishing to create a moody ambience for a bedroom, you may want black to dominate the scene. Black’s colourful legacy in home decor started in old cavernous Victorian-style homes whose gilded details and resplendent silks radiated their opulence on dark backdrops. It carries on in today’s Dark Academia library-cum-studies where inky walls set the tone for intellectual pursuit. So, if your decor style hinges on a dark palette, or if you want a mood-setter drapery, let black be the primary colour of your curtains and white show up as the accent.
Au contraire, if you’re looking to relay a bright and airy aesthetic central to a farmhouse-style home or an inviting casual space, you may want white to lead the way. Scandinavian design counts on white’s refreshing beauty to maximise light in the room while coastal homes capture the seascape’s openness by leaning on white’s allusion to celestial infinity. Colour-centric and pattern-heavy decor styles tap into white’s calming presence to offset their hullabaloo. White’s uncluttered aesthetic and tendency to recede also serve to create a sense of space in congested spaces and small rooms. So, let white dominate if you’re looking to maximise light, forge a spacious feel or counterbalance heavy decor details. And let black strike through with its vivid contrast on that untouched slate.
There’s also a middle path that you can explore if you don’t want your black and white curtains to come across as predominantly ‘black’ or ‘white’. If you look at a drapery set and cannot quite box it into a ‘black’ or ‘white’ category, you know you’re treading on this equilibrium point. Curtains that feature more or less the same amount of black as white offer this auto-balance of light and dark. They are most appropriate for rooms where you want to make a pronounced statement about your overarching palette of black and white or if you’re aiming for balance and symmetry throughout your design.
Endorse Your Decor Style
Neutral hues are blessed with a visual quietness that enables them to blend with various palettes and decor styles. Both whites and blacks are quiet when on their own, but their combination is a whole other story. It is a riveting, eye-catching visual ecstasy that can be underplayed or accentuated depending on your taste. It is not surprising, therefore, that black and white curtains can blend with most decor styles, contributing something unique to highlight the salient traits of each setting.
In a maximalist home loaded with colour and embellishments, black and white curtains offer refreshing breathing space. In complete contrast, a minimalist space or monochrome setting looks to this colourless recipe for a bold focal point.
However, note that while the palette is a key medium of your design story, it works in tandem with other details of the fabric such as pattern, weave and finish.
A black and white striped cotton curtain with fabric tab headers hanging on distressed wooden poles instantly tells you that this is a casual farmhouse-style home. A large-scale abstract print drapery mounted on ceiling tracks, on the other hand, relays a modern home’s chic. And a velvet damask curtain hung on burnished bronze poles with ornamental finials fits a traditional home’s indulgence in extravagant themes and heavy details.
So, no matter what your decor style is, black and white drapery promises to become its flag bearer. Just be sure to pay attention to the overall details of the drapery too, respecting how they work together as a team, rather than as individuals on their own.
Scour the Monochrome Rainbow for the Right Shade
From classic newspapers and Taijitu’s yin-yang to chess boards and dominoes, the black-and-white pairing has impressed us with its deeply saturated and heavily polarised version. However, there is more to explore and experiment with - a whole universe of shades in between the darkest black and the lightest white that is replete with fresh possibilities.
For example, black need not always be the pitch-black of a moonless midnight sky, it can be a dramatic noir that hides hints of brown or an aubergine black that represses traces of purple. Similarly, white can go beyond the conventional snow white, and don a sunshine glow to become ivory or borrow the crimson shades of conches to evolve into a seashell white.
So, before you set out to pick your curtains, examine your current setting closely and unravel the secrets hidden in the blacks and whites in your setting. Then, let your curtains move with the undercurrents, playing with subtle contrasts and tonal variations. This covert indulgence in colour will help you curate a space rich in character and visual depth while staying well within the larger bracket of ‘black and white’.
Tap into the Power of Lustre & Texture
Colour is a combination of pigment and finish. The same colour can appear less or more intense on fabrics of varied finish. For example, black appears deeper and multi-toned on velvet because of its deep naps. The very same black appears less intense but uni-toned on flat-woven cotton. And on a lustrous viscose or silk, black will oscillate between deep tones and shiny accents. Under the influence of texture and lustre, white will also appear slightly warmer or cooler, and softer or deeper, depending on the finish of the fabric.
In short, texture and lustre can bring nuances to the colours and add more life and vibrancy to what may otherwise seem like a rather uneventful palette. So, when choosing your black and white curtains, factor in how this effect will play out in your room and choose the finish that rhymes with your decor style and preferences.
Think Beyond Pattern
If you’re fixated on the palette but cannot engage in pattern play, don’t worry, you’re not at the dead end. Perhaps, your hardcore minimalist leanings don’t permit the visual noise of pattern. Or, quite the contrary, the overload of patterns in the room calls for solid-coloured curtains for a counterbalancing effect. Whatever the reason, you can ring in your chosen palette of black and white without always relying on printed fabrics. No mystery or magic, it is just about finding the backdoor or working on the minutest details of the fabric and the drapery.
Consider a rendition like ombre, for example, that offers the whole spectrum between black and white without relying on conventional printed motifs or repetitive layout. Flint Coat from our collection offers this excellent formula of colour fusion in its black-and-white rainbow.
The second way is that of zhuzhing up a plain curtain with trimmings. Choose a black curtain that rhymes with your style and festoon its edges with suitable white curtain trims, or vice versa, decorate a white curtain with black border trims. Browse our extensive collection of trims and passementerie where black and white have donned whimsical shapes, nubby textures and handmade charm. Offering a moment of surprise and light-heartedness to an unadorned palette, fluffy pom pom trims, lush fringe trims, sumptuous tassel trims, and textured ribbon trims can make your black and white curtains showstoppers without pushing too hard. These little ornaments also publicise the bespoke origins of your plain drapes and save them from coming across as readymade store finds.
Your Window to Inspiration
In an age when technology has blurred the divide between ‘reel’ and ‘real’, visual effects lend life to images, and colours flaunt their minutest nuances, good old Hollywood noir films still stand out for their theatrics and evocative power. And in a world where the textile industry has blended fabrics, colours, patterns and textures in all conceivable combinations in cosmic proportions, the enigma of a black and white drapery continues to resonate with a clear ring.
It is hard to explain the colourful world’s undying romance with the colourless. Perhaps it is because a muted palette sets the stage for other elements to stand out and leave their mark. Or, because the juxtaposition of polar opposite colours lends a dramatic twist to your decor. Or, because it has a timeless quality that can blend with most design styles. Whatever it is that moves you to shop for black and white curtains, we want to let you know that The White Window can cater to the rarest of tastes. Let us give you a bird’s eye view of our drapery collection with a few select samples -
'Boulder Creek' Sheer Floral Paisley Curtains
This floral curtain scatters ethereal charm with its gradient black embroidered paisleys beaming on a pure white backdrop. It is the finest addition you can make to a transitional living room or monochrome bedroom.
'Glazed Stucco' Indian Motif Cotton Drapes
When you want to carry on with the eclectic theme of your space without bringing in more colour, look at this exquisite drapery that captures the iconic Indian poppy motif framed in royal ‘jharokhas’ and laced with arabesque florals. It looks like the colour bowed out for the pattern to have the last word!
'Regur Soil' Striped Curtains
The high-definition awning stripes of this drapery are evocative of old Hollywood glamour and vintage beach cabanas. Add to a modern space to air its suave personality and forge an effortless focal point.
'Queen's Park' Floral Print Curtains
The full-bloomed peonies covered from end to end of this drapery make a bold statement of both the restrained palette and the floral theme.
'Dark Spot' Geometric Pattern Drapes
Redefining the simple beauty of classic argyle, these cotton blend curtains have bold geometric prints punctuated with embroidered accents that lend visual depth and one-of-a-kind elegance.
Simplicity, Balance, Drama: Say It All with Black & White Curtains
Colour contrast is the quickest route to generate visual interest. And it cannot get more intriguing than in the pairing of black and white. While fully competent to conquer the space with its dramatic contrast, this enigmatic palette is also capable of lying low and letting other elements take centre stage. No matter the destination, count on The White Window collection of black and white curtains to take you there. From breezy cottons to iridescent silks and zesty patterns to demure woven accents, there are umpteen ways to bring your tastes to the fore while brandishing your dual-toned palette with panache. So, head on. Explore, shop and colour your windows with the ever-in-style black and white curtains!