Day 780: right amount of black

My summer love affair with black (here and here) continues, though this time, I think I could actually live with it. This is a guest apartment at Martha Stewart's former home, Turkey Hill. She used black paint to unify and simplify the small space. Furniture was an assortment of pieces of different style and pedigree, and most of it had been painted white at some point. "It was the popular thing to do -- dressing up shabby furniture with a coat of paint," says Martha." And I thought, if it works with white, why not try it with black?"


In the kitchen, black soapstone countertops replaced white Corian, and black glass drawer pulls replaced wood.


A wire rack from a flea market got a new coat of paint.


The living room is an interesting marriage of black textures and fabrics. This room is my least favorite. I like most of the individual elements, but wouldn't have put them all together.


I do love this little spot in the hallway, which features Martha's collection of Aesthetic Movement hardware. There is a drawer pull on the bottom of the window shade -- how clever is that?


In the dining room, black painted chairs sit around a galvanized-steel tabletop. Dark paint inside the cabinet makes clear glassware stand out.


A black-painted writing desk is accessorized with a black lamp and shade.


In the bath, the carved wooden mirror got a coat of dark gray-black.


Above a dresser in the bedroom, "an inexpensive mirror, framed in whimsical fretwork, became a glamorous accent for the bedroom when its old varnish was replaced with a deep, charcoal-gray paint." A collection of Wedgwood basalt pieces -- my favorite! -- sits on the shelf.