3 Simple Ways to Use Black Wall Paint in Your Home

My interior paint journey has been a wild one. In our last home, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. And it was obvious. I went with the norm and chose greige for our walls. If I’m honest, I never really loved it. For the kids rooms I went bold and painted one bright orange and the other super bold teal. It’s probably no wonder why they had trouble sleeping. Then, I took a big 180 and fell in love with classic, neutral white walls. Not the cheapy white from my first apartment but a crisp, clean, deep white. And then. I found black. And the black and white together makes me smile. I know the thought of black paint can be intimidating (but caution, it’s also super addicting once you start!) so here are my 3 favorite ways to use black wall paint.

office with black wall and woven wood shades — My fun little office with a black accent wall

I used Iron Ore from Sherwin Williams here in my office on this narrow wall and every other black wall in my home – it’s one of my very favorites!

3 Ways to Use Black Wall Paint

bedroom with color block black wall — color blocked bedroom wall

1. Color Block to Define a Space

As I’ve shared many times, my bedroom was a sad, asymmetrical, strange room. I’m pretty sure no one looked at the drawing plans when building this house. The bedroom gets pretty afternoon light, but has no other redeeming qualities.

So? I painted half the wall black! This serves a couple of functions: it gave me the look of a headboard and also made the room feel instantly more interesting. And the way the light shines on the black is just too good.

how to use black paint in your home — our bathroom with black accent wall

2. Black Accent Wall

Have a long or narrow space? They can feel kind of ominous or never ending. Our powder room and my office both have this long narrow layout. They kind of felt like boring tunnels.

By painting the back wall on each of them black, I’m basically stopping that floating never ending tunnel feeling. Both spaces now feel grounded and anchored.

Curious how to add this design feature in your space? Read How to Choose Accent Walls for more tips and ideas.

ledge with picture frame and plants — ledge painted black now looks more modern and intentional

3. Embrace Home Quirks

Seriously. Find those strange or weird parts of your home and imagine them black. That’s what I do. Of course, this 1970’s quirky custom house has lots of weird angles but I swear they each look better painted black. In fact, they look downright amazing.

In our staircase we had this funky little ledge. By painting it black it now feels more intentional…and a cool spot for plants!

Looking for more black paint inspiration? Check out my list of favorite Neutral Paint Colors and my Painted Black Piano. And if you’re really inspired, check out my 9 Easy Home Updates All Under $200.

3 Simple Ways to Use Black Wall Paint in Your Home