Few colors hold a room like black—absorbing light, softening edges, and, at times, defining or heightening the details. Architects know it’s less about moodiness and more about mastery. From off-black to near graphite, these are the paints they reach for when restraint becomes the statement.
Above: “We’ve designed many modern farmhouses and understated neutral homes, but I love an exterior color that makes a statement.” says designer Nicole Hollis. “I selected Black Tar [from Benjamin Moore] for our San Francisco home to give the classic Italianate a bold, dramatic look. The dark exterior color also enhances and highlights the architectural detailing.” Photograph by Douglas Friedman courtesy of Nicole Hollis.
Above: Architect Lauren Lochry of Brooklyn firm Ridge House applied Iron Ore by Sherwin Williams to a Victorian living room in Omaha, Nebraska. See our post Lovely, Dark, and Deep: An 1800s Victorian House in Nebraska, Restored Down to the Doorknobs.
Above: “Farrow & Ball’s Off-Black No.57 can have a blue undertone which worked for this bathroom,” says Amy Kehoe of Los Angeles firm Nickey Kehoe of the shade applied in a Hollywood Hills bath. “Having a nuanced black allows for different shades to reveal themselves as the light changes throughout the day. For this space, it helped preserve a certain warmth.”
Above: Peter Cohen of PB+C used Anchor Gray (a Benjamin Moore color he had mixed by Fine Paints of Europe) paired with amber accents and warm textures in his Salem, MA house. Peter chose a high gloss paint for the walls to further emphasize the texture of the millwork and the carefully preserved horsehair plaster. On the trim here and throughout the home, Peter used Fine Paints of Europe Brilliant Gloss, which contrasts the old and “makes things feel like a shiny, new car.” Photo from New Salem: Peter Cohen’s Classic Beauty Receives a Modern Makeunder.
Above: Architect Gregory Merkel of used Benjamin Moore’s Black Iron on the detailing throughout his own Brooklyn brownstone, including the staircase. Photo from Two Young Architects Tackle Their Own Brooklyn Townhouse.
Above: Oak cabinets in the Brooklyn kitchen of architect Jess Thomas, founding partner of Shapeless Studio, are painted in Benjamin Moore’s Midnight Dream, “which we love because it changes throughout the day—sometimes it looks nearly black and other times it is so blue,” says Jess.
Above: Architect Elizabeth Roberts applied Off Black by Farrow & Ball to the stairs of a Forte Greene project.
Above: Architect Oonagh Ryan of ORA worked with Benjamin Moore Black Jack 2133-20 for custom accents in a Santa Monica house. “Black Jack is a deep, off-black that’s softer than a pure black. It has a slightly cool green undertone so it works really well to ground a building in nature, as well as in an urban environment,” see describes. “Inside it makes a great accent color, its cool-tones work with a variety of decor styles.” Photograph by Eric Staudenmaier for ORA.
Above: Architects Alexandra Barker and Chrisina Ostermeier, of BAAO along with their creative director client Shana Faust, painted the front door of Shana’s Boerum Hill townhome with Benjamin Moore Witching Hour, a color “that evokes the dense plume of smoke from coal factories, steamboats, and freight vessels that filled the harbor over a century ago,” says Shana.
For paint picks on the other end of the color spectrum, see our posts:
