"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."
"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: From GRAS directors Kristin Hannesdottir and Nicholas Groves-Raines, the Pavilion at Lamb's House features "a dark interior of the box bed, combining Farrow & Ball's India Yellow-painted timber panelling with walls in Mole's Breath," they describe. Here, the dark, moody grey of Mole's Breath, when set into a lightless space, creates an off-black effect."
"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"
Black and near-black paints absorb light, soften edges, and can define or heighten architectural details. Designers select specific dark paints—from off-black to near-graphite—to make restrained statements and add drama to exteriors and interiors. Deep exterior blacks like Benjamin Moore's Black Tar can emphasize Italianate detailing while shades like Sherwin Williams' Iron Ore suit restored Victorians. Farrow & Ball's Mole's Breath and Off-Black No.57 offer moody greys and blue undertones that shift with changing light, preserving warmth or creating off-black effects. Customized mixes and finishes, such as high gloss or amber-accented palettes, further tailor the response of black paints to each space.
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