Monochrome & Wood

Black and white on its own can feel cold. Add timber and it relaxes: the contrast stays crisp, but the grain brings warmth and a little life. It is one of the easiest looks to live with, and one of the hardest to get wrong.

Our Monochrome and Wood edit pulls together Umbra's BELLWOOD shelving, caddy and cosmetic organiser, the Ned Collections arm chair sofa tray in oak or black, and NZ-made empty frames in matte black, white or natural. There are Papier HQ mango wood trays, salad servers and cheese knives, Emma Kate Co prints and magnetic art hangers, a Made of Tomorrow full length arch mirror framed in oak or walnut, and teak console tables and a bench for the bigger pieces.

Keep wood tones consistent within a room, either all pale or all dark, and repeat black in at least three places so it looks intentional. For more pieces in the palette, browse Scandinavian.

How do I mix black, white and wood without it looking stark?
Use white as the base, black for outlines such as frames, shelving and hardware, and timber for anything you touch. Soften it with texture in linen, wool or rattan so the room does not feel like a showroom.

Should all the wood tones match?
They do not have to match, but they should relate. Stick to either pale timbers like oak and mango wood or deeper ones like walnut and dark teak in one room, and let the black pieces bridge the two.

What furniture suits a monochrome and wood look?
Pieces that combine the two do the heavy lifting. Umbra's BELLWOOD shelving adds timber accents to a clean frame, and our teak console tables and bench give a pale room a solid block of wood to balance it.

Are the frames sold with prints?
The empty frames are sold without art and are made in New Zealand in matte black, white or natural. Pair one with an Emma Kate Co print, or use magnetic art hangers for a frameless look.