Limited Edition Prints

• A gallery wall of black and white art photographs can include signed, limited edition, framed prints as well; these pieces are handmade on paper and signed by the artist. The contrast between the photos and the art prints will keep the wall interesting but not jarring. One treatment would be to use the same frame for every photo or print on the wall. Another is to frame the art eclectically, such as using frames in all one color but many styles, from ornate to very plain platinum- or silver-colored frames. Another approach is to randomize frame colors, picking up colors from the rest of the room. The gallery wall might feature chartreuse-, teal- and blueberry-toned frames that echo the pattern of a rug or drapes. When mixing photographs and prints on paper, use a very high photograph-to-print ratio to avoid eclipsing the monochrome photos.
  
  

Art Furniture

• Match the era of the photographs to the era of the furnishings and treat the furniture like art. Pair Eames chairs and a Saarinen table with early- to mid-20th century prints. Mix antique Chinese lacquered chests with contemporary photographs of Chinese antiquities or classic Chinese architecture. When the photo art and the furniture art relate, they create a visual resonance that unifies the decor and visually enriches the room.
  
  

Oaxaca Pottery

• In Oaxaca, Mexico, local artists hand-build exquisite clay pots burnished with quartz to a glassy shine and fired to an ebony black color. Finer pieces can be found in museums, galleries and private collections. Oaxacan black pottery displayed on simple white pedestals can serve as a counterpoint to stark black and white framed photos hung on the wall. Both the two-dimensional photographs and three-dimensional ceramics are complex works of art that harmonize in a shared space.
  
  

Contemporary Sculpture

• A black and white photograph enlarged to mural size sets the tone for a room that holds a few dramatic pieces of modern sculpture. The photograph might be a contemporary or vintage image; either equally complements the colors and shapes of modern artwork like a balloon dog by Jeff Koons, a free-form glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly, or a soft sculpture by Louise Bourgeois or Claes Oldenburg. Keep the furniture in the room to the bare minimum to focus all attention on the enormous photograph and scene-stealing sculptures.