Get the Look isn’t just about real homes; it can also be ignited by design fantasy. This week, Aleksa Brown draws inspiration from Celerie Kemble’s Black and White (and a Bit in Between) to add personality to a duotone living space.
I used to think rooms with black and white color palettes were reserved for chic hotels, Old Hollywood-style boudoirs, and floor-to-ceiling windowed penthouse apartments. Meanwhile, my last place had yellow, red and green walls (all in the same room) with a floral couch and bright magenta curtains. Needless to say, I’m a recovering color addict.
I’m realizing with my current apartment, however, that you don’t have to paint the walls all the colors of the rainbow to change the vibe. By adding a bright vase, textured pillow and a few trinkets, you can convey your point of view and still maintain some tasteful subtlety.
For inspiration on how to take my space up a notch, I turned to Celerie Kemble’s Black and White (and a Bit in Between). She includes a list of eight ways to bring variety to your black and white space, and suggests trying to incorporate at least half to achieve your desired look.
These are the four suggestions I’m going to use in my new space.
Something Slick
[1. Green lacquer headboard from Tweakedhome 2. Blue ceramic vase by Redclayco 3. Poppy end table from Minthome 4. Vintage orange desk from Lavintagefurnishings 5. Yellow ceramic lamp from Georgiainbloom 6. Ceramic rooster figurine from Nashpop]
Something Metallic
[1. Vintage record rolling rack from Taylorvintageco 2. Gold faux deer head mount by Lucyhaus 3. Sputnik Orb from Ilikemikes 4. Vintage gold box from ModRendition 5. Brass lamp from Highstreetmarket 6. Vintage vanity tray from Recyclebuyvintage 7. Black and gold telephone from MattiesMenagerie]
Something Furry
[1. Striped faux fur pillow by Narkelandnorsu 2. White faux fur pillow cover by Thepillowcollection 3. Mid century fur chair from Llcooper202 4. Vintage sheepskin pelt from Castandcrew 5. Mongolian lamb pillow by Manifestenterprises ]
Something Crystalline
[1. Clear candelabra by Urbananalog 2. Vintage lucite cookie jar from Saltandginger 3. Vintage lucite globe from Justsmashingdarling 4. Lucite floating clock from Mistertrue 5. Vintage dayglo lamps from Ilikemikes 6. Vintage lucite chair from Ccduexvie]
Celerie’s list also includes something leather (faux or real), something matte, something woven or something glimmery. Which four would you use?
For more home interior ideas check out Celerie Kemble’s Black & White (and a bit in between) available from Amazon or an independent bookstore near you.









141 comments
Sign in to add your ownpipapiep from pipapiep says:
nice style!
86 days ago
totalradness from totalradness says:
love the picture wall- would love to have something like that on my lounge wall- just need to save up for all the frames! :)
86 days ago
Feltoza from Feltoza says:
mmm, good decor.
86 days ago
Kim from QueenBeeVintiques says:
Great ideas...wonderful picks...love the mix!!!
86 days ago
MegansMenagerie from MegansMenagerie says:
Such beautiful ideas! I love pops of color!!!
86 days ago
Jody Ball from JodysVintage says:
Fun shapes and textures here! Interesting stuff!
86 days ago
Judy from TwinkleStarCrafts says:
Interesting, eclectic choices. Well done.
86 days ago
rosebudshome from rosebudshome says:
Beautiful black and white choices!
86 days ago
park from carlossantiago says:
Happy Oscar Sunday!!!! Love love the metallic section!!! I have seen a lot of black and gold lately. I think it looks fantastic!
86 days ago
Jess from volkerwandering says:
Beautiful!
86 days ago
Jurgita from PassifloraBloom says:
super!
86 days ago
Matejka Max from mattyhandmadecrafts says:
Great finds!
86 days ago
Marietta from blueroompottery says:
Beautiful article!! Love the furry and the crystalline!! thanks :))
86 days ago
Kirsti Joy from KaiceJoy says:
Great!!!
86 days ago
trixzstreasures from trixzstreasures says:
Beautiful ! Love it all !!!
86 days ago
SacredandProfane from SacredandProfane says:
Amazing selections!
86 days ago
Angela Holman from GingersGirl says:
Great selections! I love the gold deer head.
85 days ago
Laurie from BirdinHandVTG says:
Fabulous feature! Now I want to pick up the book. I'd love to know more about those "table sculptures" in the very first photo.
85 days ago
messinabella from OxusEstate says:
Great ideas!
85 days ago
France Gallery from FranceGallery says:
Some really interesting decor!
85 days ago
Alison Herr Scates and Chuck Scates from ACESFINDSVINTAGE says:
Super Cool Inspiration! And great Etsy picks too! Thanks so much for sharing~ Peace~Alison :)
85 days ago
southernladysvintage from southernladysvintage says:
Bold and beautiful! Great ideas!
85 days ago
Sharmila Dabare from TopponcinonMore says:
Great Ideas... Love the black and white options...
85 days ago
TheGildedTassel from TheGildedTassel says:
Love this....nice picks:)
85 days ago
TheEverlastingPosy from TheEverlastingPosy says:
The rooms are lovely!
85 days ago
mazedasastoat from mazedasastoat says:
With two Great Danes & three cats, I really don't think a pure white sofa is the way to go... in fact, life would probably be easier if all my decor was mud coloured! :-)
85 days ago
Challand from Challand says:
Very pretty rooms!
85 days ago
Megan Morris from MadebyMegShop says:
These rooms are gorgeous! Beautiful selections!
85 days ago
Alexandra from BlueMoonLights says:
Great ideas! Thanks for the post!
85 days ago
wwchloerunning from LeadBasedInsults says:
love, love, love that orange desk! http://www.etsystalkers.com/
85 days ago
TheIDConnection from TheIDconnection says:
Love this!
85 days ago
Emily from VitaNostra says:
It is all gorgeous! I am in love with that Something Metallic room... so dramatic and elegant.
85 days ago
Iammie from iammie says:
Beautiful!
85 days ago
Frances Royal from franstradingpost says:
Wonder4ful feature and ideas. Love eclectic decor!
85 days ago
Frances Royal from franstradingpost says:
WONDERFUL
85 days ago
Jeanne from stuartroadvintage says:
Great ideas-keep it coming!
85 days ago
Rita Van Tassel from RitaVanTassel says:
Absolutely one of the best curated decor posts in a while - fantastic!
85 days ago
VintageBeach from VintageBeach says:
Love it!
85 days ago
Peshka from peshka says:
Lovely!
85 days ago
Elena Fom from Attractive1 says:
Aleksa, waiting for Your posts with impatience! Thanks!
85 days ago
goodbeads from goodbeads says:
Great,love it.
85 days ago
Joe and Elizabeth Veres from JETypographyPrints says:
Lovely!! Wonderful items here! I would love to see more of 'Get the Look Decor' posts! :)
85 days ago
Parachute425 from Parachute425 says:
That went well with my morning coffee. Thanks.
85 days ago
snUGGLY from snugglyugly says:
nice.
85 days ago
specimenboxshop from specimenboxshop says:
Love it!!!!
85 days ago
evey and sara from nashpop says:
Really awesome blog post. Thank you for featuring our red rooster!
85 days ago
NICOLE Dotto from DOTTO says:
daggone, I love a huge wall with black and white photographs.
85 days ago
GeorgiaInBloom from GeorgiaInBloom says:
Thank you so much for featuring my yellow ceramic lamp in your blog post! I didn't even know etsy had a blog, so finding out by having one of my items featured is quite the compliment!! Thank you, again!! All the selections are just gorgeous! I need more rooms in my house! :) Cortney
85 days ago
Vintage Nelly from vintagenelly says:
Love the feature and especially the black and white photo wall! I'm a big fan of color, but black and white allows you to use color in other ways. Thanks for sharing!!
85 days ago
Natalia from KMalinka says:
Awesome idea!
85 days ago
Tania from chiquiita says:
I am so neutral, even my house is!.... my daughter will say I am kind of boring. But I do love color, is just that I am afraid of it!! Seeing this article helps my creative side....I have a piece of furniture I could paint in a bright nice color and that way introduce color in my family room, (like the top picture with the black, white and hint of red here and there).......thanks so much!!!
85 days ago
Anne-Marie from BlackBowHangers says:
Black and White is the new style! I love how the decor in these pictures offer a modern edge while still giving off warmth of home. :)
85 days ago
Miosotis Merchan from chanel30 says:
Very nice! I love this color>
85 days ago
Kimberlee from GracefullyGirly says:
Love this! I love gray and white or chocolate brown and white to the same effect. I have one of each of your suggestions in most every room. Furry blankets, crystal lamps, metallic finishes and glass tile back splash and quartz counter tops in the kitchen for the slick element. It's moderated in some rooms with aqua shades of paint to lend a homier touch.
85 days ago
Marilou from MissMarilouStudio says:
I just love the first room with the red. Wow!
85 days ago
Erika from ErikaPrice says:
Gorgeous, gorgeous colour schemes! I'm a neutrals fan, but black and white can look so elegant!
85 days ago
Cristina C from GiftsWithCharm says:
absolutely beautiful!
85 days ago
Angela from cottonbirddesigns says:
Great article!
85 days ago
Shannon from JustSmashingDarling says:
I love these home decor blogs. Thank you for including my globe.
85 days ago
Barbara from PDXfabricdeli says:
Cool lacquered industrial ! I love it....thanks for sharing.
85 days ago
Enterprise Americana from EnterpriseAmericana says:
Slick with lot's of character, just like a like it. Love the juxtaposition of new and old in the first photo.
85 days ago
Gracie from TheBeautyofBoredom says:
"Recovering color addict" haha. Color is great, I wish I could match them with neutrals better. I also tend to link blue a little too much. It was interesting to see what you came up with.
85 days ago
rhapsodyattic from RhapsodyAttic says:
Fun article, beautiful!
85 days ago
Zalavintage from Zalavintage says:
Great tips, color is more than a statement, also adds energy and emotion to a space.
85 days ago
keren from GRAVITYjewels says:
Wow I love colors and I think black and white has so many colors and shades with depth in it! Great article, thank you for sharing!
85 days ago
Olga Savchenko from Ukrainiangift says:
Gorgeous combination! Thanks for article! The first red room especially impressed me!
85 days ago
Melissa Mulder from VyntageBlooms says:
My SIL has the prettiest black and white bathroom. White in the bathroom with little kids! It is made possible by the unique wall paper! The paper pattern is actually white with black hand written saucy little quotes like " how are you" is greeting not an invitation to tell your life story" so on and so forth. You spend most of your time sitting ;) reading the great wallpaper grafitti that your eyes don't wander in to the hairy corners. Every time I come by she has a different feature colour in their, blue towels, hot pink, green. It makes it so easy to switch it up! Now I must come up with my own version of a cool black and white bathroom.. Great article, it will help. Blessings, Melissa
85 days ago
Vivianna Pena from viviannapena says:
I guess you can say I'm a color addict. ;) (My old room is red, green, and yellow!) Black and white with a pop of color sounds very scary to me, yet it looks so beautiful, and you can change that pop of color very easly. Great tips and suggestions
85 days ago
maggiemaevintage from maggiemaevintage says:
love black and white with splashes of red!
85 days ago
azie from verdigreen says:
loving the crystalline look! great article.
85 days ago
JillianReneDecor from JillianReneDecor says:
Slick, metallic, woven + leather. There's nothing like spicing up classic black and white! Fun read - thanks so much for sharing!
85 days ago
Christy from Vintagology says:
Such ecletic rooms bursting with personality! Thanks so much for sharing these amazing items!!!
85 days ago
Star Stanford from Gypsydazzle says:
I LOVE the orange desk. Great ideas, thanks.
85 days ago
orangeonbroadway from orangeonbroadway says:
Love it!!
85 days ago
L2Country from L2Country says:
Aleksa, ...you did a great job on this article. ...Loved it!..."L"
85 days ago
easasa from easasa says:
Eager to learn more about color match!
85 days ago
Nicole Risinger from nicolerisinger says:
I would use something furry, something crystalline. something glittery and something slick! What interesting ideas, I never would have put those things together, but they look fab the way you've demonstrated them. I am in. love. with black and white, which is probably why one of the tote bags in my shop is black, white and teal. The top picture makes me want to make one in black, white and red! Hmm.....you've got my wheels turning! Thanks!
85 days ago
VintageNChic from VintageNChic says:
I love the vintage statement pieces!
85 days ago
Katrina from saltandginger says:
I adore the inspiration you've taken from each category & love how each adds another layer of visual interest - beautiful. Thanks so much for including my lucite cookie jar!
85 days ago
Amy Wilens from ModRendition says:
I love the contrast between the white marble fireplace and that fantastic wallpaper. I also love those knobs on the red chests . . . so amazing. And of course, all of the items featured in "Something Metallic." Totally my style.
85 days ago
baconsquarefarm from baconsquarefarm says:
Enjoyed my persuse down the page feasting my eyes on each group of photos, thanks for the article, very well done. :)
85 days ago
VogueVixens from VogueVixens says:
Great modern pieces.
85 days ago
kirstenann from kirstenann says:
I love the elegance of black & white paired with modern shapes and textures it can look sophisticated and modern love this article great read!!
85 days ago
Tianna from tcollor says:
Great modern pieces,thanks for the article;)
85 days ago
Vickie Moore from WingedWorld says:
I love the variety of these pieces!
85 days ago
Dotty Walker from SewThoughtfulBlanket says:
It makes me want to redecorate!
85 days ago
EphemeraAndMore from EphemeraAndMore says:
I really enjoyed the story and the imagery! Thanks!
85 days ago
Shannon from FreshlyFallenDesigns says:
Love this article!
85 days ago
FauxFurPetBakery from FauxFurPetBakery says:
Beautiful designs and ideas! Way to go Aleksa!
85 days ago
Kelly from PalomaAccessories says:
Lindas Ideas! Great Ideas!
85 days ago
riricreations from riricreations says:
Love that photo wall, working on something like that in our home~great ideas!
85 days ago
Images By Tasia from ImagesByTasia says:
Beautiful! What wonderful ideas, I can wait to redecorate this spring
85 days ago
Ashley from AntiquesAsh says:
Amazing! I love the pop!
85 days ago
Heather from HBoydStudio says:
Great finds! I loved the crystalline section...
85 days ago
LivingVintage from LivingVintage says:
Love it! Great picks.
85 days ago
Holly Zarski from ZCreateDesign says:
Ooooh - This is my style of decorating all the way! I love the 'Something Metallic' room!!!
85 days ago
Unique Fabric Gifts from uniquefabricgifts says:
I love black and white decoration! Beautiful room designs, fantastic ideas and great selections!
85 days ago
CaliforniaSweetPeas from CaliforniaSweetPeas says:
Good tip. Love adding splashes of color.
85 days ago
Donna from PetiteCuisine says:
Beautiful ideas, thanks.
85 days ago
Victoria Baker from LittleWrenPottery says:
Great picks, I love how texture in the furry choices can add real variety to a room!
85 days ago
ZOUi from XZOUIX says:
nice ideas, except the dead animal skins/furs.... go vegan,
85 days ago
ZOUi from XZOUIX says:
nice ideas, except the dead animal skins/furs... go vegan,
85 days ago
JJMOSSIEM from JJMOSSIEM says:
love!!
85 days ago
Ever So Lovely from EverSoLovely says:
That headboard and desk are amazing! Great picks!
84 days ago
Sharon Moores from slathered says:
Gorgeous post! I'm the complete opposite -- I have a ton of color in my house, so I use black and white to calm things down a little. :-)
84 days ago
Maria Cruz from BabyLoveknitting says:
Great :)
84 days ago
katherine norton malek says:
How convenient! I was just considering doing my large master bath in predominantly Blk & wht, wondering if it would be too 'over-the-top. Great ideas from this blog. After this, I found the courage. Going for it with confidence now.
84 days ago
Maria Cruz from BabyLoveknitting says:
Awesome:)
84 days ago
Discord Vintage from DiscordVintage says:
Everything is so sleek and polished - looks amazing. A few of those pieces could really brighten up my own place :)
84 days ago
Kristina from SoapLab says:
Great ideas!
84 days ago
WestU from lillysshoppe says:
Great finds!
84 days ago
Lauren Rose from LaurenRoseJewlers says:
I abosultly love the first pic! Great Ideas, I am also a color addict, my room is orange and yellow but I threw in some whites and beige's to not make it so brightt! but I love the idea of the black and white!
84 days ago
Liz B. from MyEverAfter says:
You can never go wrong with black and gold. Absolutely gorgeous!
84 days ago
aristocratandthat from aristocratandthat says:
love all of it !!
84 days ago
emir hepoglu says:
i like that all...
84 days ago
accentonvintage from accentonvintage says:
Gorgeous selections! Great decor!
84 days ago
Sharleen from ElmPlace says:
Wonderful design. Love the balance and composition.
84 days ago
flamingfuchsia from flamingfuchsia says:
Like it.
84 days ago
Georgia from JewelMeShop says:
Great tips for a sophisticated and stylish space! Thanks for sharing!
84 days ago
Melanie from melaniegracedesigns says:
Super!
84 days ago
sevim modelci from modelknitting says:
i like that all...
84 days ago
Kathleen from myvintagecrush says:
Beautiful interiors!
84 days ago
Angelique Ellerton says:
Stumbled upon your site. Very welcoming and well planned. The idea was , very well developed and strong.
84 days ago
Pine from PinesVintageClothing says:
Big fan of using black in home decor. I have a black and white rug and a black sofa with white curtains in the living room. It allows me to constantly redecorate by incorporating other colors.
84 days ago
VaLon from thevicagirl says:
I so wish that people understood that black and white design can be cool. I get in so much trouble because that is all I seem to wear. But I love it! I also love the design of a clean white room, which can work so well. I totally agree about the four above points, my favorite being metallic (or anything shiny.) I love it. I may just have to go get that book.
84 days ago
Maria Cruz from BabyLoveknitting says:
Great:)
84 days ago
www.BlairBarbour.com from BlairBarbour says:
Amazing!
83 days ago
Susan from LiseVintageLighting says:
Love it all! Great post!
83 days ago
Sarah from CopperheadCreations says:
Oooo yeah. I want to climb inside the metallic and crystalline room photos and live inside them. Beautiful! Black and white and pops of color: surprisingly simple to do, and stunning results.
83 days ago
Michelle from MishaGirl says:
I am loving that green lacquered headboard!
83 days ago
babydolldressup from babydolldressup says:
Love the different ideas to give black and white some pizzazz!
83 days ago
AJ Marsden from OnlyOriginalsByAJ says:
Great ideas! I love all of it!
82 days ago
liddysopretty from liddysopretty says:
Wow! Wonderful ideas!
82 days ago
Jennifer Beaudet from JBeaudetStudios says:
Gorgeous choices!
81 days ago
gabrielle lundy from GreenFolksStudio says:
You chose wonderful accessories and you have a great eye for details which is what kept everything in balance. Gabrielle who is color addict
81 days ago
gabrielle lundy from GreenFolksStudio says:
you scored 10 out of 10 with the details, Room had energy but enough balance to make it a very comfortable room. Kudos from another color addict
81 days ago
Kim Baldwin from lifeaccessories says:
I love all the gold!
72 days ago
margaret roach from featheroriginals says:
I love mixing colors!!!! Whwn I.m working with my feathers i sometimes just mix some in a basket and look inside and see what fell into each color. Sometime amazing results. I love feathers easy to work with and very versital. Love your reds and dotted fabrics!!
72 days ago
Hilde from hildes says:
Great!
71 days ago
Andrea Robinson from MissCrackleberry says:
I love the decor!
66 days ago
Joy from JunkStoreAddict says:
Oh! I want everything posted up there!...and then a housecleaner to keep it all organized for me. :)
58 days ago