Black and White Rugs

Choose by how much black you want: bold diamonds, lattices and checks from Jibal and a few graphic tiles from Mozaik give a room a strong, clean edge. The ivory is warm, never stark, so the black reads graphic rather than harsh; what is a Beni Ourain rug tells the story of the palette.

Rooms with warm materials to soften it: black on ivory sits naturally in mid-century rooms with teak, Scandinavian rooms with pale oak, and modern spaces with black steel. In an all-white, all-gray room, add wood or leather and the contrast relaxes.

Yes, it is one of the few rugs that does: black and ivory carry no hue, so they sit under a green sofa or beside a terracotta wall without clashing. Avoid a second bold pattern at the same scale close by.

Living rooms, offices, entries and hallways, where a strong pattern gives the space structure. Skip it in a nursery, where soft, low-contrast color belongs; the nursery page is the better start.