When I started my 12 Colors in 12 Months project, I imagined immersing myself completely in each color – wearing it, eating it, surrounding myself with it. But one thing wasn’t possible: changing my entire living space every month to match the color.
I mean, I could have painted the walls black in November, but first, I didn’t want my family to kick me out (haha), and second, I couldn’t just repaint every room every month. Keeping it to one room also wouldn’t have worked – I live in the whole house, not just in one tiny bubble. So, I didn’t get to physically experience my colors in my space, but that didn’t stop me from imagining them.
And while I was wearing black, eating black, and experiencing black for an entire month, I kept thinking:
What if black were a room? Not just visually, but in its energy and function?
Black as a Space
Now that my black month is over, I know how it made me feel. I didn’t feel particularly great in it – it didn’t flatter me, and it didn’t make me feel energized. But I also learned how to use black strategically, how to make it work for me instead of against me.
Black made me feel invisible. Unnoticeable. Like I could slip away into the background. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, we want to disappear – to retreat, to be alone, to shut out the world and focus inward.
Black is a color of endings and new beginnings. It’s deep and silent. It doesn’t entertain or distract – it thinks. It reflects. It is absorbed in itself, detached from everything around it.
And so, if black were a room, it wouldn’t be just any space. It wouldn’t be a place for socializing, for working, for productivity. No. Black would be a room of transformation.
The Black Space: A Room for Retreat
I imagine a Black Space as a place to withdraw. A place to be still. To reflect. To be alone without distractions. Just like I create a Color Personality every month, I decided to create a Color Space – an environment that embodies the essence of the color, not just visually but in its function and energy.
Here’s what would be inside:
- A meditation area. Soft cushions, candles, a subtle scent of incense filling the air. A space where silence speaks louder than words.
- A place to write. A simple desk. A notebook. A quiet corner where thoughts can flow freely, uninterrupted.
- A comfortable reading space. A chair, a few carefully chosen books—deep, wise ones that don’t just entertain but make you think.
- A bed. A place to sleep, to rest, to reset. Because transformation often happens in stillness.
- Natural materials. Dark wood, stone, linen, wool. Nothing artificial, nothing that distracts from the essence of the space.
- Soft lighting. No harsh brightness. Just warm, ambient light that makes the room feel like a cocoon.
Everything in this space would be designed for introspection, healing, and transformation. No distractions. No noise. Just a quiet, powerful energy that allows you to end something and step into something new.
What I Learned from My Black Month
Experiencing black for a whole month wasn’t easy. It drained me. It didn’t make me feel vibrant. But now I know when and how to use it.
Black is the perfect color when you need a break from the world. When you want to step back, be still, and focus on yourself. It’s the color of deep thought, of solitude, of reset. It’s not a color for activity, but for transformation.
Maybe one day, I’ll actually create this Black Space – not just in my mind, but in real life. But for now, I know how to step into the energy of black whenever I need it.
Because sometimes, the most powerful transformations happen in silence.
