Elle Decor Jan 2009: A deconstruction (part 1)

I'm not an avid reader of Elle Decor. By this I mean I have never actually read the magazine, and was not fully aware of its existence. So when I was directed to their website, I was pleasantly surprised. They focus on the same kind of design that I like, so I'll half-heartedly consider subscribing, then remember that I'm a poor college student.

On to the magazine.
The hot trend for the month is Black and White. It's a powerful, dramatic combination of colors. A little bit goes a long way.
Here's an example from Design Sponge
this headboard is good.








But when you see the rest of the room in context, the effect is a bit overwhelming

The red wall almost makes the room work, and it adds a great deal of much needed warmth. Something to keep in mind is that the black and white combination can get very cold very quick.






Second thing to consider is to keep it clean.
Consider these 3 patterns:










The middle pattern has a clean aesthetic that the others don't. And because of the stark contrast with black and white, design elements are emphasized: clean designs look cleaner and busy designs look busier.

Keep it warm, keep it clean and don't over-do it. Those are the 3 keys to making this trend work.