Brown, black and white—so often cast in supporting roles—can be evocative and even sublime when they are the stars of a scheme. We’ve collected sumptuous visual proof that when it comes to this handsome trio, less really is more.
Fashion designer Michael Berkowitz infused a run-of-the-mill New York City apartment with style by painting one wall a striking cobalt and filling it with a collection of mid-century furniture, cognac cowhide and leather, graphic textiles and a screen painted by Antonio Lopez from 1965.Simon Upton
In a London dining room, Jacques Grange layered natural materials in nuanced tones—cerused oak walls, antique black flagstone floors—and punctuated the soulful scene with an arresting striped sideboard by Jean Royère. Painting by Robert Ryman.Martyn Thompson
David Hicks harnessed brown, black and white to unite an antique fauteuil with a boxy modern sofa and statement-making art.Courtesy of Ashley Hicks
High-gloss black cabinets and exposed raw-plywood walls set the disarmingly chic tone in the beachside getaway of Roman and Williams’s Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch.Nicole Franzen
Distilling decorative elements into a spare yet lyrical assemblage, Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent crafted a space that truly sings.Nicole Franzen
Untitled (2020), mixed media on panel by Ryan McMenamy.Courtesy of Ryan McMenamy
Stark white walls, warm brown parquet floors and ebony lacquered doors create a framework for glamorous touches in a dining area by Melanie Turner. Chairs in The Wave cut velvet by Miles Redd for Schumacher.Mali Azima
Angular (1935), an oil painting by Josef Albers.© The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York 2020
Faubourg wallpaper, Schumacher.
Elvetico fabric, Schumacher,fschumacher.com.
Tauride Epingle fabric, Schumacher.
