Bright, clear, colorful photographs play a huge role in the way we consume home decor inspiration – blogs, magazines, Pinterest, Instagram. Beautiful images are vital in this era of visual media. I’ve worked hard to improve my own photography to meet that expectation.
So imagine with me for a moment, your Pinterest feed or your Instagram app suddenly drained of color, instantly transformed to black and white with shades of gray.
It’s such a weird thought, right?
Black and white photography, while lovely in its own right, is typically separated from the world of interiors – aside from decorative purposes like family photos printed on canvas.
So I am okay with admitting that the thought of gaining inspiration from interiors shot in black and white is something that never crossed my mind until recently.
Today’s story (as with most good stories) starts with a rummage session in my grandparents’ basement when I was there for a visit a few weeks ago…
A Study in Black and White Interior Photography
Yes, that is THE George Nelson, iconic Mid Century designer and one of the founders of American Modernism. (Coincidentally, also a Connecticut resident like my grandparents.)
“Living Spaces” (*affiliate link, in case you’d like to nab your own copy) is a design book full of interior inspiration from some incredibly famous modernist designers. And, every image is shot in black and white.
As I flipped through the pages and devoured the inspiration, I began to zone in on the photography. If you aren’t at work to capture colors, what changes in the way you photograph a room?
The color scheme for the room above is explained in the accompanying paragraph of text, but even without color reference, it’s definitely a striking space.
Shadows seem to play a much bigger role, whereas interior photography these days tends to err on the side of overexposure.
Without color, lines, textures, and high contrast all become very important.
There’s room for pattern as well, although it’s interesting to be forced to consider the pattern itself, not just its color combinations, in the rooms below.
(Even without color, I’m certain that I adore that rug!)
No cheating – what colors do you think the stripes are in the sofa and chairs above? I was surprised to read the description and find out that they are red and white and blue and white striped. Would you ever have guessed?
I had to include the room above when I spotted the fiddle leaf fig – a time-honored and sculptural choice!
Finally, this room is my favorite. Without a hint of color, I know that I would be perfectly happy in this gorgeous design! The incredible rug provides a textural backdrop. I adore the lines of this room, and that wall of windows makes my heart sing.
So as I was perusing this book and musing on the photography, I began to wonder what my own home would look like in black and white. I’m such a color lover and splash it around with reckless abandon, without necessarily considering the lines, textures and contrast so important in the black and white photography of Living Spaces…
Purely as an experiment, I began to pull up my favorite photos of our home and convert them to black and white (adding some extra “noise” for authenticity’s sake, of course.)
Some rooms held up very well to the black and white treatment, while some suffered from lack of contrast, in my opinion.
Overall, it was a very interesting experiment that forced me to look at these familiar spaces in a completely different way!
For your viewing pleasure/amusement, I present…
A Black and White Home Tour
I’m really curious to hear your responses! How would black and white photography change the way you view your home?
It’s inspired me to give greater attention to form, not just colors, and perhaps to consider the value of moody shadows every now and again!
Also, I now fully understand my deep need for a wall of windows overlooking a luscious jungle of a back yard…
these images lose me, ya know? they feel sort of lifeless, not like black and whites of people which feel deep and soulful. i think i would probably not care as much about my home if all i saw were black and white images of homes.
I totally get it! I actually get the deep and soulful vibe from the images from the book – I think it probably has to do with how skillful the photographer is at working without color, especially when photographing something that is sooo foreign to us to see in black and white these days. It was a fun experiment though!
sorry to disagree but i loved the look, but i guess that’s because i grew up in black and white and these photos reminded me so much of the homes i grew up with xx
I’m jealous! I can’t get enough of the stunning interiors in the book… It’s my goal to one day live in a modernist home – I just love the lines and the emphasis on connecting the indoors with the outdoors!
I think your transposed photos are very interesting. I have several old books in my design library which are in black and white, too. I am old enough that I remember when a lot of things were just in black and white, like my mother’s “lady magazines” when I was a small girl. Chiaroscuro has always fascinated me, and maybe that is why I enjoy drawing with charcoal and dark pencils.
That being said, I am all about color, and I figure there will be plenty of time for the lack of color when I am dead. Color says life to me.
Thank you, Ellen! I couldn’t live without lots of color either. My first reaction to black and white interior photos was a knee-jerk, “No! Color is better!” Although I came around to appreciating them in their own right, I must say I still prefer pretty color photos for inspiration!
fascinating! I bought a vintage decorating book awhile back and was struck by how many of the pictures were in b&w, too, but I didn’t think to turn it into a post (you’re a smarty pants!) I love b&w photography in general, and it seems to be sort of out of favor these days, even for stuff like portraiture. I don’t know that I’d want to bring it back for interiors, but it’s definitely interesting to think about (also; I think your house and my house look a lot different in b&w than a lot of people’s houses…you know–the people who use a ton of black and white already in real life ;))
It is so interesting! It made me feel very young to realize that I had never even considered black and white photography applied to interior design. 😛
Since I didn’t take the photos with black and white in mind, I had to do extensive tweaking in Photoshop to give them a similar feel to the 1952 book. It definitely gave me a new appreciation for skillful black and white photography – it’s an art to think in that way when shooting the photos!
I love this! I have often looked at b&w interior shots from way back when, but never thought to view my own home that way. And now I need to! I am a color lover but there’s something about these b&w photos that get me. Art! Thanks for sharing this. (:
I agree with Cassie. The black and White invokes melancholy. They feel lifeless. But beautiful in a different way. It’s an interesting experiment. I don’t think my home would photograph well in black and white. Yours is still beautiful but I like it with the colors. They have a contrast in their own way that I think is very important in design.
It does – what a good way to put it! And I guess I like feeling melancholy? I could pore over the vintage photos for hours. I like that they challenge me to think about shapes and color value and contrast, which I tend to skip considering in my own home… But in real life, I do love being surrounded by colors!
Such an interesting experiment. I really enjoyed looking at those old photos. I would have thought the red white and blue sofa would have been strictly black and white (because that’s what I would have chosen haha). Your home looks lovely, glad you were able to see texture and layers in an entirely different way.
Your house is beautiful in black in white just as it is in color! You are definitely a talented person…I love how different your blog is compared to most home decor blogs! Awesome read, Brynne.
I love the post Brynne! I am obsessed with black and white photography but that is because that is where I started with my photography as I learnt using film photography and developing in a darkroom. I regularly use black and white photography in my posts for detail shots as I like that they have the ability to remove distractions and make you focus more on the subject. You can see my how mixed in black and white photography here: http://www.coloursaturatedlife.com/refreshing-a-vintage-ladder/ – it is such a fun way to mix up a post (especially when my posts are so photo heavy!) Love that you did a home tour in black and white it make you look at your home differently and gives a new perspective.
This is fascinating. I admit, I’ve never thought about interior photography in black and white but OF COURSE they would be… I love the idea of contrasts, shadows and texture being so important to carry them without the colour. I mean, I’m a colour lover myself – I couldn’t imagine what my home would look like without it. Yours actually takes on a different but still really striking look. I have to say, with Scandinavian design being so popular here in the UK and so much of it in b&w, I always feel like it doesn’t hold as much appeal to me – it feels a bit cold. But I suppose it’s a totally different challenge to ensure the other elements are there to carry it when it’s devoid of colour. All I can say is I’m so happy we have colour photographs! Ha! I don’t know if I would be as enamoured with interiors today if it wasn’t for colour. Anyway, your post got me thinking – and I loved that!! Thanks for the post 😉 xxx
I just came across this interior designer’s portfolio and thought of this post… he uses b&w photography for his site – interesting, no?
http://www.benjaminvandiver.com/
Just thought I’d share!!
xxx
Oh wow! That is amazing! Thank you for coming back to share the link – I’m totally going to share it out as well! Love his work!
How interesting to see your home in b&w. My favorites were photos 3, 4 and 5, and the guest room. The lucite takes on a whole new glamour! Wow.
That was a really interesting read Brynne! I love having my perspective shook up – thanks!
Aw, yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Cate!