Photo Gallery: Interiors From Expressive Modern

Glamorous Black Walls

Reflective armchairs and pink accents lighten a dramatically dark space.

In jewelry designer Barbara S. Gross's New York City apartment, Lau covered the living room walls with ebony plaster, the perfect foil for the metals and other reflective media the artist uses in her work. Once Lau top-coated the walls in wax, they took on a reflective sheen, as if they were lined with satin ribbon. To marry form and function, she chose a large lacquered coffee table with recessed niches and cubic side tables with sides that lift up like garage doors to uncover inner shelving.