My mother-in-law, who has an innate design sense, has a few firmly held beliefs when it comes to interiors; one of her dicta is "a coat of matte black paint hides a multitude of sins." Tired, battered furniture suddenly seems hip and edgy with a coat of matte black (gloss finishes, on the other hand, draw attention to any small imperfections, such as chips and nicks). We like Benjamin Moore's Ben Waterborne Interior Paint, which is a low-VOC, 100-percent acrylic latex (ideal for painting furniture) in a flat finish in Universal Black.
Above: A black-painted desk at Sleep in the City in Antwerp.
Above: A matte black mantel in Ashley Putnam's Houston living room, via Lonny Magazine.
Above: A sideboard from the Contemporary Living Handbook 2012-2013 (Beta-Plus Publishing), via Belgian Pearls.
Above: A chalkboard black-painted table via Concept2012.
Above: A wall of frames, a DIY foyer project at Classicly Amber.