Black door frames?

8 years ago

We have just purchased a brand new two bed, two bath 750ft2 flat in Sunbury on Thames and we plan to create a boutique hotel vibe but on a budget. We will be using whites, dark blues, greys and blacks with the odd splash of colour to accent the space. My question is can we get away with painting all the internal doors black with the door frames and skirting boards being white or is that too imposing in a small space. The other option is white doors with black door frames and skirting boards. Your thoughts and suggestions are genuinely appreciated. Thank you!

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RICHARD BENNETT ARCHITECTURAL INTERIORS

8 years ago

If you are looking to create a chic space on a budget I suggest you limit your palette and use warm tones of grey. Grey is the new black. Introduce colour and interest with accessories and soft furnishings. :)

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Comments (13)

chunkysox
8 years ago
Black doors with white frames and skirtings would be fine but not the other way around!! I think maybe staying white with everything may make it lighter though - good luck :)
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shelleyuk
8 years ago
If you search photos there are lots of examples of black interior doors with white frames. We toyed with the idea for about five minutes before sticking to plain old white. I don't think it would work at all the other way around though with white doors and black architrave. That would look very odd.
Áine Ní Aileacháin
8 years ago
Please, please don't do this. My brother almost died in a house fire because he couldn't see the door through the smoke in the room. He was rescued and was fine, but he couldn't get out of the room without assistance. There is a sensible reason most doors are white.
Monica
8 years ago
Do it, there is something magical that happens to a space that is punctuated by black. I took the plunge and painted a horrid door we have leading into the porch (thinking it will get replaced anyway so if I hated it I didn't have to live with it for that long) and I love it so much that all our doors upstairs will be painted dark as well. Looks stylish and black has this amazing ability to ground a space visually. Saying that we went with a dark graphite grey not actual black but I imagine the effect would be the same.
CWD
8 years ago
Depends how many doors you have in the space. If you have an entrance hallway with three or four doors off it, then do not paint them black. We were going to do that but a designer told me it would look like a row of black teeth. If it's just one door, maybe two, then that's probably fine. It looks much more stylish to paint the doors and frame the same colour as the walls so that they blend in and don't draw the eye. You want people to be looking at your art, your shelf sh*t, your light fixtures, cool furniture and rugs, etc - not the doors. My only exception would be if they are solid wood and it's a period property, in which case strip the doors but leave the frame/trim painted white.
PRO
User
8 years ago
I would not make a statement on the doors and architraves. If you paint the doors, walls and all other woodwork the same colour in the whole flat then you create space and harmony. The add in colours by way of feature walls, cushions, throws, curtains, blinds rugs etc. Choose a neutral palette that you like but that can go with many other colours such as greys, pale greens, pale blues etc, you can jazz it up later. x
Jonathan
8 years ago
I agree with earlier comments- keep the colours matching- either go over everything in a pale colour like grey or choose many different whites and layer the look.
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Amber Jeavons Ltd
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Hello John,

I do like a black door or a dark charcoal but it does really entirely depend on the scheme and where the doors are... If you have a set of wooden french doors that open onto a large sized room then they could be fantastic black or a charcoal.. If not it might be better to compliment these with the overall colour scheme which really should include all woodwork.. Skirting, dado, architrave and picture rail..

The other thing is the period and style of the architecture.. I personally have done both accentuated wood work and blended... It really is a matter of looking at the space as a whole... Smaller budgets are absolutely no problem at all if you know how to deal with the space as a whole... The other thing to consider in this scenario are the windows and the flooring as these too are vital.

Here you can see the window frames are a mix of black and a mauve - I make my own paint as I chose a matt finish for the windows. (curtains and blinds to be added soon)... You can then see the walls are a complimentary colour as is the flooring.. Black can be fantastic and black doors are spectacular but do think of them as part of a scheme and not just as an accent... Same goes for white doors on black or darker architrave and wood work...... It all can work it's just knowing what would suit best... One other thing... Take into account the furniture and flow of the space... You want a coherent scheme throughout... For black doors think glass and brass hardware.... Oh and another one more thing... Will the doors be painted both sides or only one side and the other another colour... Are they going to be open and if so will this be worse if one colour or the other... Have a think before you start about these things... as you don't want to have to re-do : ))

For very plain without any woodwork..

For a two tone look.... One of my favourites!

Monochrome..

Symmetry

Black on black...
If you want to inject warmth and something altogether more spectacular... consider textures and natural materials... Woods, concrete, warm leathers and other interesting uses of black in spatial design..... I think fantastic!!!
Monica
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
AJ is right, black doors can work successfully into schemes that are well thought out. I thought I would show you a few examples a quick search brought up for me.
PRO
Amelia Pearson Interiors
8 years ago
Go grey John...see an example from one of our latest projects...

www.ameliapearsoninteriors.co.uk
PRO
User
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I agree with all the comments on black / grey doors, and that they have their place. However, the directive was for a Boutique feel, where, in only my opinion, still say black has no place, it's too stark! Soft Greys, blues, hints of mustard, sagey greens and raspberry is Boutique not black and white...........too cold! However, everyone has their own likes and dislikes and that's what make spaces individual and interesting, at the end of the day, you have to go with what you like and what makes you happy.
PRO
Amber Jeavons Ltd
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Hello John,

I'm moving the black theme on a bit further from just the idea of black doors... but my last two images in my above post should illustrate how warm black can be and I love it and them... It is of course entirely a matter of taste but I do very much feel that it can be warm, luxurious and inviting.. So a bit more black to show it can also be calm and tranquil.. :))

It's monochrome with the additional element of wood..

Consider lighting and uses of large amounts of one colour...

and last but not least a grey one... :))