For fans of Jennifer Aniston, her mid-century modern Bel Air home needs no introduction. The structure, designed by architect A. Quincy Jones in 1965, is the ultimate canvas for experimenting with her favorite design trends, thanks to its abundant use of glass windows that fill her spaces with sunlight – and this includes her bold living room color palette.
The Friends actress opted for a primarily black color scheme – exhibited not through her paint choices (though the area around her fireplace uses this hue) but through her furniture choices. In the room, designer Stephen Shadley has found a way to decorate with black without darkening Aniston's room.
Despite the rich, dark furniture pieces (most notably, the dark leather seats), black-hued sculptures, and fireplace, the space appears indisputably bright and airy. Much of the sucsess comes down to the floor-to-ceiling windows that fill the room with natural light. However, as designers explain, it's also because of her styling.
Alongside her black furniture and artworks, Aniston has a balanced room with a large light gray rug (that covers almost the entire floor). She's also used a lighter gray on some of her wall space and incorporated a cream throw and statement indoor plant in the corner of the room. It's a color-balancing technique that Rudolph Diesel, an interior designer at Rudolph Diesel London, swears by.
'To style black furniture, I suggest surrounding your black pieces with light-colored accessories in the form of cushions, throws, or rugs. In my experience, this contrast creates a more visually balanced space and prevents the room from feeling too dark or heavy,' Diesel says. Alongside the technique seen in Aniston's space, they also recommend decorating with mirrors – especially in rooms that aren't filled with natural light like Aniston's.
'Incorporating reflective surfaces, like mirrors or metallic accents, will cause light to bounce around the room, boosting the perceived brightness of the space,' Diesel suggests.
Besides choosing the right-colored accessories, we can also learn a lot from Aniston's lighter wall paint. As mentioned, she has chosen a subtle light gray that doesn't demand attention. It allows her black furniture to make the statement it deserves while letting the rest of the room breathe. We can do the same with a similar gray or another light neutral, including off-white or cream.
'To ensure that black furniture works well within your interior design, I recommend coming up with a cohesive color palette that complements the boldness of your black furniture pieces,' Diesel explains.
'Light walls and flooring provide a neutral backdrop that allows the black furniture to stand out without overwhelming the space. Experimenting with different textures, such as velvet or leather, would deepen visual interest in the room while maintaining a unified look.' For an Aniston-inspired starting point, we love these soft, neutral pieces below. The rug is particularly perfect for adding light and warmth that juxtaposes black leather, and its colorway is pefect for almost every type of space (even beyond the living room).
The final key to a cohesive black living room involves playing with varying heights and shapes. Both of which 'can go a long way in amplifying the aesthetic appeal of black furniture' in a living room. 'For example, tall floor lamps draw the eye upwards, contributing to the growing sense of balance and sophistication throughout the space.'
