I've been in the industry for over 30 years, and of course, I see trends come and go. So, I wanted to share with you some of the current design trends that we're using in our own design studio, and hopefully this can help you with some of your own design projects.

THE COLOR BLACK

The first tip I wanted to talk about is the use of the color black. If you're like me, you're beginning to see black in all kinds of interior publications. We've been using a lot more black as another neutral. We think of whites, grays, and beiges as neutral, but black is right there along with the other neutrals.

Black is a great way to layer on a very velvety smoothness with an interior. However, black is best used for those spaces that are used primarily in the evenings. Black comes alive and is very luxurious, and very enveloping, and very cocooning in the evenings. Whereas, white becomes a little bit dead in the evenings with artificial light.

People think of black as morbid or somber. It's really not. It's just one more color. Use black in your palette of interior finishes and you'll really find that it pops. I think every room, no matter what it's color, should have some black in the room. It really does give your eye a spot to rest and relax from other colors.

When you visit Harrison’s you’ll see our black kitchen, but you'll notice that there are multiple shades of blacks and grays. With any monochromatic space, it's always important to have highs and lows in terms of shading.

In the kitchen there are black walls. The cabinetry is dark gray. The countertops are a matte granite that combines that gray and black. If it's all the exact same shade, the space is really dull. So remember, that as you're using black or really any color in a monochromatic setting.

I hope this has helped a little bit with the color black, and in some of the photos that we've included.

I hope to see you in person at our store Harrison's in downtown Clarkston, Michigan. Take care.