WHY I’M STILL DRAWN TO BLACK HOUSES.
There’s something about a black house that I love. I’ve noticed it for years now, not just in my own homes, but in the way my eye moves across a street or lingers on an image. It always seems to land there. It’s not something I’ve had to think about or try to explain. It’s just been pretty consistent.
At one point, I found myself saving images of black houses constantly. Different styles, different settings, some modern, some more traditional. I was drawn to all of them in slightly different ways, but there was a common thread I couldn’t quite name at the time. Over time, I started to realize it wasn’t just about collecting inspiration. It was something I was already living with, something that had become part of how I see.
I think black has a way of simplifying things. It removes distraction. It allows the shape of a house to come forward, the lines, the proportions, the relationship to the land around it. There’s less to hide behind. What’s there is just… there.
At the same time, it doesn’t feel flat to me. It shifts throughout the day, absorbing light, softening edges, deepening in certain moments and almost receding in others. It can feel bold and present, or quiet and almost withdrawn, depending on where you’re standing and what time of day it is.
What I find most interesting is how it moves across different styles. People often associate black exteriors with modern homes, but I’ve seen it work just as well on more traditional forms. It changes the feeling, but it doesn’t erase the character. If anything, it seems to distill it.
For me, it’s less about making a statement and more about creating a certain kind of atmosphere. There’s a groundedness to it. A restraint. It doesn’t try to do too much, and because of that, it leaves space for everything else to come forward. The landscape, the materials, the way light enters and moves through a space.
I’ve chosen black more than once now, and I don’t think that’s accidental. It feels like a language I understand. One that continues to reveal different things depending on where I am and what I’m paying attention to.
I don’t know if I’ll always choose black, but I do know I keep returning to it. Not just in how I think about a house, but in how I approach my work as well. There’s a similar pull toward contrast, toward simplicity, toward letting something stand on its own without adding more than it needs.
If you’ve ever found yourself drawn to something in that same consistent way, I think it’s worth paying attention to. There’s usually something there.
And if you want to see how that way of seeing shows up in my work, you can explore more of that here.
xx,
Michel