The Power of the Dark Side: Making Deep Shades Look Great for the Home
Inky hues don't have to mean gloomy spaces! Used smartly, they can be luxurious, emotive, and can enhance your design style
High ceilings, beautiful architectural details, expansive windows, glorious ocean views, bright, airy interiors … Sounds like a dream home, doesn’t it?
Sadly, for most of us, that is exactly what it is… a dream; few of us are blessed with such spectacular properties. But that doesn’t mean we have to accept homes that are dull and boring.
When views and architecture are suboptimal, clever interior design can make all the difference. Let these stunning examples show you how.
Sadly, for most of us, that is exactly what it is… a dream; few of us are blessed with such spectacular properties. But that doesn’t mean we have to accept homes that are dull and boring.
When views and architecture are suboptimal, clever interior design can make all the difference. Let these stunning examples show you how.
If walls could talk
Decorating with strong colours may seem intimidating at first but professional designers know that these colours can be an invaluable tool in a designer’s arsenal. Blacks, greys, inky blues and chocolatey browns can all add impact to a decor scheme in ways that neutrals and pastels can never achieve.
These wall colours can add a hefty dose of glamour and drama, or provide the perfect backdrop for the other elements in a room to shine. Notice how the the rich tones of the upholstery fabrics pop against the sleek walls in this stylish living room.
Decorating with strong colours may seem intimidating at first but professional designers know that these colours can be an invaluable tool in a designer’s arsenal. Blacks, greys, inky blues and chocolatey browns can all add impact to a decor scheme in ways that neutrals and pastels can never achieve.
These wall colours can add a hefty dose of glamour and drama, or provide the perfect backdrop for the other elements in a room to shine. Notice how the the rich tones of the upholstery fabrics pop against the sleek walls in this stylish living room.
In this elegant dining room, metallics shine like jewellery in a black velvet lined box.
Set the mood
Dark walls, however, can do far more than provide a backdrop. Sultry hues can create an intimate mood. This is especially valuable in poorly lit rooms.
A windowless or low-ceilinged space is never going to look open and airy, so don’t try to force it. Instead, turn its darkness to your advantage, using moody colours to invoke a cosy, intimate atmosphere.
Dark walls, however, can do far more than provide a backdrop. Sultry hues can create an intimate mood. This is especially valuable in poorly lit rooms.
A windowless or low-ceilinged space is never going to look open and airy, so don’t try to force it. Instead, turn its darkness to your advantage, using moody colours to invoke a cosy, intimate atmosphere.
Dark coloured rooms are’t necessarily all about drama. They can be tranquil too.
What can be more comforting than a rich hot chocolate with whipped cream and caramel sauce? Here, chocolate brown makes this a truly inviting sleeping environment, providing a perfect base for soft camel and creams.
What can be more comforting than a rich hot chocolate with whipped cream and caramel sauce? Here, chocolate brown makes this a truly inviting sleeping environment, providing a perfect base for soft camel and creams.
Optical illusions
Still afraid of the dark?
The big misconception about decorating with dark colours is they can make a small room feel small and ‘cavelike’. On the contrary, dark colours absorb light, making the colour appear to recede – this effect can actually make a space appear bigger.
Still afraid of the dark?
The big misconception about decorating with dark colours is they can make a small room feel small and ‘cavelike’. On the contrary, dark colours absorb light, making the colour appear to recede – this effect can actually make a space appear bigger.
Painting the ceiling black behind strips of wood actually disguises the low ceiling height in this otherwise stark white room. The dark ceiling confuses the eye, amplifying the perceived proportions as the black visually recedes.
In this room, the designer has taken a completely opposite approach. Instead of using a dark tone to disguise, here the dark colour is used to focus attention on the room’s key design element: the intricate ceiling taking centre stage amidst the dark walls.
But perhaps my favourite way to use dark colours is to mix them up, and then to add an unexpected dash of zing.
Layering different dark hues and shades will add depth to a design, creating a sexy, intimate atmosphere that can be just as invigorating as light and airy.
So fancy a bit of a change? Try embracing the power of the dark side.
TELL US
Do you have a dark-coloured room? Would you try it now?
MORE
How to Decorate With Dark Walls
9 Dark Colours to Suit Your Mood
Layering different dark hues and shades will add depth to a design, creating a sexy, intimate atmosphere that can be just as invigorating as light and airy.
So fancy a bit of a change? Try embracing the power of the dark side.
TELL US
Do you have a dark-coloured room? Would you try it now?
MORE
How to Decorate With Dark Walls
9 Dark Colours to Suit Your Mood
Well, when it comes to small, featureless rooms, the old-fashioned adage, “black hides a multitude of sins,” applies to interiors just as it does to fashion. Rooms lacking architectural interest, especially compact ones, can be transformed by a dark hue. Check out this room: architecturally it is pretty uninspiring, but dressed in sultry shades, it just oozes sleek and cosy.