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Shade Secrets

Inspired by the paint colors in this project? The walls are painted "Gentle Cream" and the wainscoting is "Cloud White"—both from Benjamin Moore.

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  • Candice Olson Shows 'Black is Back'

    Design leader Candice Olson illustrates how to use the color black to turn a room that's drab into one that's fab.

    by Trisha McBride Ferguson

    No one transforms bland and boring spaces better than Candice Olson. Give her your smallest family room, your most expansive basement, or your blah-est bedroom and sit back and watch the magic happen. 

    Designer, TV personality and best-selling author, Olson is host of HGTV's Candice Tells All and Divine Design. She is one of North America's most-loved designers and HGTV's reignqing queen of casual elegance. So how does Candice use black—the boldest and most-intimidating of hues—to redesign a room?

     

    Drab to Fab

    While admittedly intimidating to non-professionals, in the right hands, black is both elegant and timeless. The strategic addition of black accents injects sophistication and can turn a bland and boring family room into a stylish respite from the world. Using black also adds drama and a bit of bling.

    Here's a 'before' and 'after' look at a family room she rescued—taking it from boring and uninviting to warm and sophisticated. 

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    Basic Black

    Olson uses black to punctuate a room built on a palette of soft, neutral colors. While the wall color remains a classic cream, the arm chairs and drapery fabrics feature rich, deep shades of black. Even the woven blinds incorporate a stripe of black.

     

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    Accent on Black

    While dark woods are used throughout the room, it's black that adds the finishing touch by way of the light fixtures, accessories, and artwork. Black helps frame this space so it looks organized and focused. It highlights the focal points while helping the other colors in the space pop.

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