Black Walls...Black Rooms...Punk, Goth or Glam with an Edge?

A couple years ago, I started getting into black walls and

black rooms...I even painted my guest bathroom black.
This was after I lost the battle at home to paint the guest
bedroom black. Granted, it's not the usual color to paint
a bedroom or any room for that matter - but black as a
room color can definitely work. Take the above room for
instance, who would ever think of pairing this ornate bed
with black lacquered walls? But it works and to me it's
glam and chic with an edge.

Here's a room where the black bed frame blends into the
black walls and ceiling. It's actually pretty neat. Even the
bench, rug and door frame is painted black. The gray flooring
and white bedding give some contrast to an otherwise very
black room.

This room is painted all black except for the window frames.
The white desk and white bed linens help temper this space.

Black textured wallpaper on one wall can make quite a
statement without painting the entire room black.

Black and bright yellow. You can also pair black with
other bright colors where it can really make a color pop.

Metallics will always look good against black.

This is Jennifer's bedroom (Made by Girl). She makes
fantastic stationary and we share a common penchant
for the union jack. Isn't her bedroom cool?

This kitchen is from Domino magazine. I don't know
about you but I don't see many kitchen walls and ceilings
painted black - but this really seems to work. Painting
kitchen walls and cabinets with chalkboard paint has also
been popular lately. You can achieve a similar affect with it
and have the benefit of being able to use the wall as a
chalkboard - pretty nifty if you ask me.

Black can make instantly create the "cool" factor
in any room. It can also make a room feel cozy
like this great lounging space where the wall
disappears into the ceiling.

Sky blue with black and white - black
and be a great neutral color.

This photo by Ted Yearwood showcases
an all black bathroom - even the door
is black.

The black marble and crystal scones in this
bathroom really make for a swanky and high
end bathroom. Can't forget the lacquered walls
for some shine and glam.

I just love how smooth and shiny the black
walls are in this bathroom. The single yellow
chair in this room really creates visual interest.

My Favorite and My Best has a great post on the

black rooms and walls in her home. Definitely

check it out.

What do you think of painting a room black?
Would you dare?

A big thank you to Terri Sapienza for featuring

this post in the Washington Post Home section.

Gothic Lolita, Gothic style and Punk - Part I

Today is Halloween. A very well known holiday

most widely celebrated by Americans. Once a year,

everyone gets the excuse to live out their fantasies

and dress up as someone or something else.

In some countries like Japan, it is Halloween every

day. If you've never heard of the fashion movement

called Gothic Lolita, the picture above sums it up very

well. Think Gothic and frilly/girly together. Visions of rococo,

Victorian and old French styles can further give you an idea of

what Gothic style is like. It doesn't seem like any of these fashion

types would fit together but trust the Japanese to invent new

movements in fashion. It's actually a fascinating subculture and

it is commonto see people every day in Tokyo walking around

in costumes.

One may wonder why the Japanese are so creative in fashion,

animation and design. My theory is that their culture is so centered

around society rather than self, that there are few outlets for stress

and individual expression. And Voila! You see their expression in

outlandish fashion, outrageously beautiful packaging/design

and animation/stories that few can dream of.

Some of the Gothic fashion is related to punk fashion as you

see to the left hand side. I particularly love the juxtaposition of

the men's wear on this super cute little girl to the right.

The left side is a very classic definition of Gothic Lolita.

Gothic fashion is broad and often subdivided into more niche

trends such as Gory or Grotesque Lolita, White Lolita, Punk

Lolita, Elegant Lolita and more. Conversely you have such

male subdivisions such as Elegant Gothic Aristocrat. Funny

enough, all of the above genres look exactly as they sound.

I, myself actually prefer the men's gothic style rather

than women's gothic lolita style. I wouldn't be caught

wearing a lacy black poofy dress. However, I wouldn't

mind wearing some of these get ups above. They rather

look a bit fantastical or like a video game character in a way.

Here's an example of Gothic Lolita make up. The model

above is probably a man. They do like to cross dress in

Japan although they are not necessarily interested in the

same sex. It's simply the culture there - they view

androgynous looks as beauty. In the USA, a boy who is

beautiful would probably be termed a "pretty boy" and

it would not necessarily be a positive thing as it would

in Japan.

I once got it into my head that I wanted to streak my hair

blue like the model above. Of course I gave up when I

found out you first have to bleach black hair before you can

dye it what color you want. A bit inconvenient... I also don't

know how my hair would take it. I recently chopped my hair

and permed it. My hair is so straight that I had to have my

hair permed twice in a row for the perm to actually take.

Unbelievable!

Some Gothic Lolita fashions for a wedding ceremony.

When it comes to design in Japan, there are many companies

that specialize in niche styles. You can find almost any kind

of style or label there. The above is an advertisement for a

Gothic Lolita label.

This style is called "Dandy Gothic Style."

You can see on the left boy that he is wearing something like

a cravat. This is obviously inspired by eras past in England. I

quite covet the jacket on the left. I have a strange fascination

for skulls. I have a tendency to dress one of 4 ways...Casual,

Business, Very Girly, or what I call Bad Ass. Weird I know.

I think the jacket above appeals to my "Cool or Bad Ass"

sense of style.

The whole Gothic Lolita movement in Japan was started

and inspired but a genre called Visual Rock Bands in Japan.

Think alternative rock music but dolled up like this band

called "Versaille" above. If you can't tell, most of them are
men.

So you know how I said every day is Halloween in Japan?

Here's an example above of a teenager dressed up on a

weekend.

One may ask what one does dressed

this way. Having a picnic is a great idea.

Or you can have a lot of attention and get

your picture taken by strangers.

This is Carmen Yuen dressed in Gothic Lolita fashiong at

the famed San Diego Comic-con. If you're interested in

knowing more about Gothic Lolita, you must visit

Carmen Yuen's blog aka La Carmina. Her blog follows

all things Gothic Lolita and has a following of over 1 million

hits a month! It's astounding. She even has 2 book deals now

including one that will focus on themed restaurants in Tokyo.

What will you be doing this Halloween and

what will you or your children dress up as?

All photos from Carmen Yuen's La Carmina.

A Modern Goth Design Hotel in NYC ~ The Night Hotel -

The Night Hotel in New York City is an ultra chic design

hotel located right next to Times Square. The entire

theme of the boutique hotel is Modern Goth and it

certainly does not disappoint in the drama department

with the entire hotel decorated in black and white.



The entire facade of the boutique hotel is

painted in starck black with the initial

"N" in Gothic styled lettering.

What a way to make an entrance. Even the carpeting

is custom in black and white with their logo repeated.

A very modern and sleek lobby with midcentury modern

styled furnishings mixed in with a huge gothic buffet.

Through out the hotel are very

artistic black and white photos.

A closer look at one of these photographs.

Definitely makes a statement.

At night, the bed lights up from beneath.



The ultra cool design on the pillows

really make this bed pop with drama.

A perfect study in black and white.

Some of the suites have round beds. I always thought

sleeping in round bed would be a strange but it crtainly

makes for a neat design concept.

This suite includes an outdoor patio

area with a sofa in white vinyl.



I especially love the black lacquered

dresser in the living area.

Rounding off with a cool rooftop deck to

lounge and hang out on. I think staying

at this hotel would make me want to dress

all in black...

Hope you enjoyed the tour to this unique hotel.

All photos from The Night Hotel's site.