How to Decorate a Dining Room With Black Furniture

Walls and Ceiling

• Buttery yellow walls help to mellow the mood in a dining room furnished with black furniture, while pristine white walls intensify the stark contrast against coal-colored pieces. Bring a playful color punch to your room by applying apple green paint to the walls for a delicious complement to black furniture. Gray-toned walls deliver a calming neutral ambiance when paired with black pieces, whereas salmon-colored walls offer a warm, earthy feel. A white ceiling with crown molding sets off any wall color and adds outstanding color contrast against black furniture.

Windows and Lighting

• Give your dining room showy panache when you hang floor-length luxurious draperies in a silky gold-colored fabric over bare windows. The black furniture and gold-toned draperies create the posh atmosphere found in a five-star restaurant. Or, install energy-efficient white cellular shades for a no-nonsense window dressing that brightens a dining area furnished with dark-colored furniture. A chandelier can steer a dining room toward a specific decorating style. For example, hang a rustic wrought-iron chandelier over a black dining table to enhance Tuscan decor. Alternatively, suspend a magnificent chandelier with sparkling prisms above the table for a posh, elegant look. The glistening crystals and rich black table make a well-dressed pair.

Furniture

• Break up a black dining set by intermingling a few colorful dining chairs. Exchange half of the existing dining chairs for upholstered replacements in a different style. Choose bright red chairs to boost the visual energy of a subdued black table, or add a calming atmosphere with sage green upholstery. Go wild over leopard prints to add an exotic flair to black dining chairs. You can stencil small motifs and designs on other black furniture, such as sideboards, china cabinets or serving carts, to create eye-catching pieces. Use a paint for your stencils that stands out against the black furniture: gold paint adds elegance; silver paint suits modern decor; and off-white paint complements cottage appeal.

Decorative Accents

• Define your decorating style in a dining room furnished with black furniture by incorporating the right decorative accents. For example, hang an oversized colorful abstract painting on a bare wall to emphasize contemporary style. Place a gray area rug dotted with a geometric pattern under your dining table and center a trio of streamlined silver candlesticks in varying heights atop the table. Accentuate traditional design with vases of fresh flowers, crystal candlesticks and bowls, linen tablecloths and ornate picture frames encasing soothing prints. The traditional accessories make a sophisticated design statement against black dining room furniture.