Wall art seems to make people’s knees shake more than most decorating decisions in the home. There are so many questions we ask ourselves in the process of hanging something. “Is this too high? Is it too low? Is it too large or too small? What if I put the nail in the wrong place?

Maybe I should just put this in the bedroom instead.” We overthink and over-hammer so much, it’s no wonder that so many of the walls are bare. Well, we’re here to help. First things first, you want to look for black and white wall art. It matches everything and with all the options available, it takes away one more element of concern as you hang. Here are 30 tips for rocking black and white wall art.

30 Inspired Black and White Wall Art Designs

1. Use a Black and White Grid

In any wall art situation, grids are always the easiest layout. They’re symmetrical and pleasing to the eye so you aren’t second guessing the arrangement. When you use black and white photographs, you can even use each one more than once to give you double the grid. And we all know, a bigger grid is a better grid. Try to display prints with a running theme or repeating patterns to help unify the look even more.

2. Build a Black and White Photo Collage

Displaying family photographs can be a tricky business when you’re trying to keep a tight rein on the colors that come into your home. So black and white it is. Whether you use a service or edit them yourself, hanging a little gallery of family photos will become the easiest thing ever when you only have two tones to worry about. You can either display photos all in the same shape and size for a geometric look, or you can put together a more eclectic gallery wall with a variety of frames and photo sizes.

3. Frame Vintage Black and White Photographs

Some styles can seem almost impossible to accomplish in a home. Like how do you achieve modern eclectic? The answer lies in wall art. Collect some vintage black and white photographs for your walls instead of hanging the usual eclectic mix of paintings and woven pieces. It will clean things up for the eye and leave you free to add your colors to the other decorative elements. If you want to add a more personal touch, you can take some digital photographs yourself and put a black and white filter on them to give them a vintage vibe. {{found on strangerthanvintage}.

4. Mount Large Black and White Statement Art

When you lean towards large pieces of statement art in your home, black and white is the safest choice. Such large pieces require a lot of thought, due to the large dent they make in your wallet. So a black and white statement piece is going to become a classic part of your decor, matching whatever styles you’ll go through for the rest of your decorating life. When you use black and white as your base color scheme, it also makes it easier to alternate out different accent colors if you feel like changing things up.

5. Make a Piece of Homemade Black and White Statement Art

Have you ever considered making your own statement piece for your wall? While most of us non-artists would shy away from the invitation, black and white themes give us some good opportunities. You only have to have one large canvas and one paint color to work with. Abstract is your friend, and you can easily have a favorite piece in a single afternoon. You just have to be brave enough to try. If you have a painting design in mind, try a few practice pieces first on cheaper material such as cardboard to get a better idea of how things will look before you move on to your final materials.

6. Paint Some Watercolor Paper Black and White Art

For some, decorating with black and white means using all the gray shades in between to soften things up. Lucky for you, wall art in all those shades is easy to make too. Borrow a set of watercolors and invest in the largest piece of watercolor paper you can find. Then get to it! You’ll create a unique abstract piece that fits the black and white theme in the softest way possible. Watercolor black and white art is a good choice for people who also want to incorporate shades of gray in their decorating scheme since the boundaries of this art form are much less defined. {found on lilyardor}.

7. Use Text on Black and White Architectural Prints

Looking for a simple wall art DIY that is two tone and minimal? All those criteria can be met in quote art. You can get large architectural prints for cheap so the hardest part is choosing your font. Hang them side by side above your couch or in your hallway and you can fill an empty wall in black and white by the weekend. The quote you choose to frame can say a lot about your personality to visiting guests. {found on lilyardor}.

8. Compose Some Black and White Gallery Walls

Okay, let’s talk gallery walls. They can be easy to hang if you’re confident in your arranging skills or they can seem like a leap in the dark. But if you can make all your photos and prints black and white, you’ve eliminated the worry about color. Plus your gallery wall, no matter how it’s arranged, will be the most Instagrammable gallery you know. The monochromatic color palette means that the wall will look put-together no matter how bohemian and eclectic your art choices are.

9. Install a Black and White Wraparound Gallery

You’ve probably seen the gallery walls that wrap around the TV. A brilliant idea since that big black box seems to stand out no matter where you put it. By making your surrounding gallery wall black and white, it will flow seamlessly with that big black box, almost making it seem like they were meant for each other. Wraparound galleries are also a great way to soften up the look of a black and white room since they bring some softer lines to the design as they curve around.

10. Try Black and White Patterned Wallpaper

Okay so it’s not exactly wall art… but patterned wallpaper should be considered wall art! You’re putting a pattern or picture on your wall so why not? Find a big bold black and white design to cover your bedroom or your powder room for the biggest black and white influence you can get in your home. Any furniture you put in this room will look amazing no matter what color it is with some black and white wallpaper as its backdrop.

11. Put Up Black and White Signage

Looking for something simple and fun to decorate your bathroom wall with? Check out this cute print that comes ready to hang, no hardware needed. The coolest thing about it is of course the design and in particular the message. The frame is made of wood and has a square shape. The minimalist, black and white palette ensures that this fits into a variety of different decors and suits a variety of styles. Black and white signs come in a ton of different themes, so no matter what kind of decorating style you’re trying to get across, you should be able to find something that will fit your design perfectly.

12. Use a Black and White Photograph Portrait

For areas like the living room something simple and sophisticated is sometimes exactly what’s needed. This beautiful print offers just that. The photo is titled “La Femme au Chapeau” which captures the very essence of the image in a simple and elegant manner. You can get this in several different sizes with all the necessary hardware included for easy hanging. Want a different portrait but the same vibe? You can install a close-up black and white portrait of yourself, a friend, or even your pet instead for a similar noir feel.

13. Black and White Wooden Inspiration Prints

Inspirational quotes and phrases are a nice fit for offices and workspaces in general. This set of 4 wooden prints would look lovely up on a wall next to a desk. They each have a different design and a different message on them but they’re all designed in black and white with no other accent color which puts more emphasis on the design and the message rather than the color palette.

14. Black and White Waterscapes

There’s something very peaceful about looking at an ocean or a lake or water in general. This peaceful and serene atmosphere was captured in this beautiful set of two framed pictures. They’re in black and white which adds a mysterious and artistic vibe to their design. The frames are black and there’s a white inner outline for contrast. Both art pieces measure 17.5” H x 17.5” W x 1” D, they have protective glass covers and arrive ready to hang.

15. Black and White Graphic Art

If you find it difficult to pick a specific theme or a design for the artwork that you want to display in your home, perhaps something abstract could solve the issue. We really like this design by Irena Orlov Graphic Art. It’s simple and uses neutral colors but it’s also eye-catching, elegant, and very versatile. You can get it in a variety of different sizes and it comes printed on a wrapped cotton canvas in a black floater frame.

16. White on White Horse Portrait

In case you’re looking for something a bit different and less abstract to decorate the walls in your home with, why not a majestic white stallion? Horses are beautiful and gentle and this piece is a reflection of that. The white horse is placed against a white background which creates a foggy effect and as you can barely distinguish the silhouette of the body. It’s painted on tempered glass and there’s no frame around it.

17. Black and White Botanical Prints

This is still a type of black and white wall décor but with a distressed and vintage-inspired look. It’s a four-piece set representing a series of vintage botanical prints in white and gray, each being framed in black wood with burlap backing that creates an inner border and adds contrast and texture to the design. The paint on the frames is purposefully rubbed off to create a distressed look in tone with the overall style of the artwork.

18. Black and White Eye Chart

An eye chart may not seem like something one would display in their home as art but that’s what makes the idea so ingenious and interesting in the first place. Besides, this is not just any regular chart you find in an ophthalmologist’s office. It’s a vintage print, with a retro and stylish look that has been transformed into something purely decorative. It measures 14” H x 11” W x 0.15” D and it easily pops into a frame if you wish to add one.

19. Black and White Three Piece Wall Art

This sort of three-piece wall art that depicts a large image split into sections is quite popular in a lot of modern and contemporary homes as well as other types of spaces. This is an abstract design entitled Gilded Arcs I by Christ Paschke almost entirely in black and white. The image is printed on 2 plexiglass panels with thin black frames which fit together side by side but can also be spaced out if that fits the décor and the layout of the room better.

20. Black and White Line Art

If you want to add a touch of whimsy to your black and white decorating scheme, simple line art like the hipster cat featured here can make your space look both fanciful and contemporary at the same time. An off-center over-the-couch installation of the art piece can add to the quirky and asymmetrical vibe of the piece. Since black and white schemes can end up looking cold or spartan, the imperfect organic lines in the art help to soften things up.

21. Black and White Scripted Art

Calligraphy has been regarded as an art form for centuries, and using a decorative script in a piece of black and white wall art can look both stark and intimate. You can either strap your craft apron on and make this piece of wall art yourself, or you could have it commissioned by a calligrapher on Etsy or another artisan crafting site. Either way, choosing a quote that is close to your heart is the perfect way to make this black and white scripted art earn its place of honor. (via Elise Lindsey)

22. Black and White Architectural Prints

If you’re a fan of architecture or non-organic lines, beautiful photographs of buildings lend themselves well to being blown up and used as ultra-modern architectural prints. The patterns in the buildings and the contrasting dark and low highlights in architectural prints can add dramatic flair to any living room or dining room. Displaying these black and white photographs alongside some framed vintage building blueprints can carry the theme around the room. (via The Savvy Heart)

23. Black and White Zen Calligraphy

Scripted black and white art is great for displaying quotes, but what about if you want something a little more simple? The enso, or broken circle, is a Zen symbol meant to represent the idea of vast space without needs in Buddhist culture. This meditative black and white wall art can be a great way to display your love of calligraphy without putting up a bunch of motivational quotes everywhere. Take it to the next level by creating a piece of custom enso wall art for yourself.

24. Black and White Piano Keys Inspirational Wall Art

Bring your love of music and monochromatic wall art together with this piano-inspired wall art. Whether you display it in a music room or you want to theme your bedroom around your love of music, this black and white wall art will inspire you any time you look at it. Even if you’re not a musician, the love of music is nearly universal. The affordable price of this wall art is also a strong mark in its favor for home decorators on a budget. (via With Love, Archipelago)

25. Black and White Animal Photography

For lovers of animals instead of music, wildlife photography lends itself really well to a black and white format. By using a monochrome approach, you can mix and match different kinds of animal photographs for a cohesive look no matter what actual color the animals in the photographs are. This allows you to also use photographs that would otherwise clash with an unnatural color scheme in the rest of the room, such as coral or indigo. (via TipTop Home Decor)

26. Black and White Customizable City Map Poster

City maps can be another type of unique wall art that you don’t see every day. For home owners who are restless travelers or people who have an interest in cartography, making a customizable black and white city map poster can be a fun way to show it off. Customizable city map posters can be created using a free online tool called MapBox. You can even do a series of city posters for every major city you’ve visited in your travels! (via Agus Yornet Blog)

27. Black and White Wall Tapestry

If you want to add a softer look to the room and also help muffle the acoustics, a cloth wall tapestry is an interesting option for wall art. You can get black and white tapestries in a wide variety of different designs to match basically any interior design scheme you can think of. Multiple tapestries can also be used to increase the sound dampening quality of the tapestries and create a bohemian look. (via Society 6)

28. Handpainted Black and White Rainbow Hills

For artsy home owners, painting your own black and white wall art might seem like an ambitious project, but it’s also one that you can be proud of for years to come. Using your personal art as a focal point on your wall is a power move that exudes confidence and comfort with your aesthetic. These black and white rainbow hills are a simple DIY project that you can pull off beautifully even if you’re not very crafty. (via Cassie Bustamante)

29. Simple DIY Black and White Abstract Art

Speaking of making your own black and white wall art, abstract art is one of the easier wall art forms to pull off for people who don’t have a lot of experience in painting and drawing. The blurred divide between black and white has a minimalist feel, but it can still manage to operate as a standout piece in your interior design. Creating this abstract art yourself also helps you put an intimate, personalized touch on your space, so this project is perfect for a bedroom. (via Dans le Lakehouse)

30. Black and White Wall Planters

You might not think of planters as a form of wall art, but these black and white wall planters from West Elm are perfect for maintaining a monochromatic black and white theme while also adding a natural accent to your indoor space. Wall planters are great for air plants, succulents, and other houseplants that can thrive on indirect sunlight and arid conditions. They have the additional benefit of filtering the air in your home and producing oxygen while they look cool too. (via West Elm)

When some people think of wall art, they may think of paintings and that’s it. While art prints and paintings do make for some great artwork in an interior space, you can come up with much more innovative interior designs if you think a little bit outside the box. One way to do that is to display an item as wall art that wouldn’t normally be considered decor or art, such as an eye chart or a sign. This can show your houseguests that you have an unconventional perspective on the world.

Another way to shake up wall art in your home is to create that art yourself. Some people might find making art intimidating, but that’s usually a result of lack of experience, not lack of talent. Try a few of the black and white wall art projects in the list above and who knows? You might end up with a fantastic piece of art you’d be proud to show off to visitors!