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Black and white valances are a classic. The beauty of this potent color combo is that it can handle a tertiary color that can be as bold as it wants to be. Even though it leans towards a modern design aesthetic, there are ways to use black and white in a traditional or country setting.
So in this post, I’d like to show you some window treatment ideas using this “opposites attract” color palette.
Black and White Rooster Print Inside Medallions
In a contemporary kitchen with dark blue walls, black and white toile with roosters might not come to mind as the fabric choice for the window. So why does it work? Typically, black and white is a combination for traditional country kitchens. But, this usually means that a black toile is printed on an off-white canvas cotton.
When that’s reversed and the base of the fabric is black, not white, the toile print is made more modern. Also, black and blue is a masculine color combination, so the valance appears edgy and bold in this modern space, despite being a toile print.
Close-up of the fabric (Waverly La Petite Ferme in Blackbird), showing the rooster medallion design and harvest-themed florals.
White Faux Shade with Black Banding
Banding is popular nowadays around waterfall shades. Here, we see three faux shades (stationary valances) that were hung side-by-side in on a wide home office window. An inside-mount installation was chosen not to obstruct the built-in desk and overhead storage that surrounds the window.
Stagecoach Valances with Black Ties
Stagecoach valances are valances that are manually rolled up from the bottom and then secured by fabric ties. I spoke of black and white toile in a previous example. Here, we see the traditional interpretation of printing a black country scenery on a white canvas cotton. A solid black fabric was chosen for the back of the valance and the ties.
Close-up of the same fabric, showing the 19th-century farm scenery that’s common to toile fabrics.
Even though the main fabric here features subtle nuances of beige and gray, the overall black and white color palette is still represented in this stagecoach valance. This living room uses a blue wall as a balancing act between the black and white in the valance. Shutters were added to the bottom of the window as well. This style of custom valance is known as the Stagecoach valance.
Zebra Tab Top Valance with Pink Accents
Even though black and white remind us of seriousness and a posh tuxedo, these colors can be used in children’s rooms as well. Zebra prints are very modern nowadays in home offices and living rooms, but here it was used for a teenage girl’s room. To make the valance youthful, the tabs were created using grosgrain ribbons in hot pink and white polka dots.
A black and white polka dot print was chosen as the accent fabric for the mini jabots and center trumpet. And lastly, eyelash and acrylic bead fringe in hot pink was added to the bottom hem of the valance.
Striped Faux Shades in Open Floor Plan
Gray is very popular nowadays and is a favorite choice for transitional open floor concept spaces. In this open kitchen, dining and living room area, the gray and white color palette was repeated in the striped fabric on the faux shades. The fabric also included black stripes for an extra layer of depth on the windows.
The sliding glass doors in the dining area were dressed using both an extra wide faux shade and plantation shutters as a decorative element.
The faux shade on the single windows in the living room.
Black and White Damask Print with Red Fringe
Damask prints can become modern when done in black and white. Here, an oversized cotton print (Traditions by Premier Prints) was used to create a Parisian valance. To make it truly custom, a punch of red was introduced with the onion ball fringe.
The fringe also had red acrylic beads.
The same damask print fabric was used for a double wide window. This time, the pattern chosen was the PH&D arched trumpet valance. Each trumpet was lined in a solid black fabric to truly make it stand out. Again, the arched bottom hem used the beaded onion ball fringe in red from above.
Board-Mounted Valance with Jabots
If you want a classy valance, then a board-mounted valance with long jabots is the obvious choice. Add to that a predominantly black fabric and any window can look like it belongs in a high-end house. This board-mounted valance first started with a lined lumber board. Next, a flat swag was attached, featuring an elaborate medallion design that was centered.
Each side was then finished off with pleated jabots that were lined in a coordinating ticking stripe. Since the valance was already luxurious, the tassel fringe was only added to the bottom hem of the flat swag.
Looking closer, the bird toile medallion is revealed in this beautiful black and off-white fabric. Available at Waverly – the fabric is called Country House, but it has been discontinued at the time of writing this post.
Take a look at this board-mounted valance. Its black and white toile fabric was sewn into deep swags and side jabots. Bullion trim in black was added to the bottom and the valance was then mounted on a wood board.
Relaxed Roman Shade Valance with Center Pleat
In the next few ideas, you’ll begin to see some relaxed Roman valances. These valances are folded on the sides using rings. The center of the valance is allowed to fall freely. This allows the valance to create a mild swag without being overbearing. In this example, a white fabric with subtle stripes was used for the custom valance in a master bathroom.
A few small details add a touch of custom, like the center pleat, black bands on each side, and the mini tassel fringe at the bottom.
Three Toile Valances with Matching Wallpaper
The benefit of a relaxed Roman valance is that it doesn’t take up too much space and can be used as an inside or frame mount. In this toile-infused dining room, one extra wide valance was used on a triple wide window (see left). On the other window, which had five sections of windows, three separate valances were instead.
The three sections in the center were covered by a single valance, while the other two sections were each individually covered by smaller valances. It might be a bit difficult to see with the matching black and white wallpaper, but here is a closer look at the idea:
Relaxed Roman Shade Valance with Horizontal Stripes
I’d like to share another idea for relaxed Roman valances. This one is so simple, yet such a potent focal point in the room. All it took were the two horizontal stripes in black. Sometimes it’s best to keep it as simple as possible for the biggest impact.
Simple Tab Top Valance in Black and White Contrasting Fabrics
Remember the black and white damask print with the red fringe I showed you at the beginning of the post? Premier Prints tends to make large-scale and small-scale variations of the same fabric designs. The small-scale damask version was used for the Emily tab top valance. The center horn and mini jabots were made in a solid black to keep it simple (Madison by Premier Prints).
And yes, you guessed it. The valance used onion ball tassel fringe with acrylic beads, this time in black.
The same style was made with other black and white fabrics. Long tassel fringe in black and gold was added as an accent.
Cafe Style Awning Valance on Striped Wall
If you want to create a window treatment reminiscent of a French cafe, then an awning might be a great idea. In this master bedroom, a simple black and white scroll valance was installed on decorative wrought iron brackets. The awning look was successfully achieved by designing the bottom hem in a scalloped shape.
As unique as the valance is, there are a lot of other details in the room that are equally impressive.
Gathered Black and White Farm Toile Valance
If you’d like to keep things simple, then you might want to try a gathered rod pocket valance with a straight hem. The fabric here was a farm and country themed toile in black, white and gray. Scalloped fringe was the only extra detail this valance needed.
Black and White Buffalo Check Empire Valance
Empire valances are a staple window treatment, especially on wide windows. In this playroom, a large black and white buffalo check fabric was used to create a custom valance and draperies. To make the valance stand out from the draperies below, a short brush fringe in black was added to it.
Floral Faux Shades with a Hint of Yellow
Faux shades are difficult to get wrong when it comes to decorating a kitchen. They’re very popular and can fit virtually any window. This kitchen needed a way to bring together its white cabinetry and maize yellow walls.
The sunflower print fabric on the windows was the perfect solution. It has just enough yellow to bring out the wall color, while the rest of the colors keep the valance modern.
Board-Mounted Valance in Black and White Toile
You’ve seen this fabric on one of the previously mentioned valances. Here, it was upgraded to a board-mounted valance with several layers. But it wouldn’t have been possible without the rich 3 1/2-inch tassel in sand gold and black. By the way, the fabric used here was again by Waverly (Country Life).
Black and White Home Decor Fabric Ideas
Lastly, I’d like to leave you with a few pictures of black and white home decor fabrics. Hopefully, it will inspire you and give you some new ideas.
