One of the major trends that we have seen in interior home design over the last year or so is deep dark walls. It used to be thought that smaller spaces had to be painted and decorated in bright, neutral colours in order to maximise the sense of space and light in the room. However, interior design experts have been ripping up the rule book and dispelling this misconception by embracing moody hues and inky blues in even the smallest of rooms.Design magazines and blogs have been awash with examples of intrepid adventurers who have dared to go over to the dark side. The popularity of deeper colour pallets shows no signs of diminishing and paint colours like Farrow & Ball’s Railings or Stiffkey are transforming rooms around the country.
So let’s take a minute to explore why deep, dark colours are having a bit of a moment right now and what makes them such an excellent choice for bedrooms.
Cosy Colours
If you ever speak to trend forecasters you will hear them talk about the fact that socio-economic factors have a huge influence on the design trends for interiors. So it’s probably quite accurate to say that the current political situation could well be driving the trend for dark colours as people seek to create a feeling of comfort, stability, safety, and privacy, away from the chaos of the outside world.Interior Designer Kia Sunda says: “Dark walls have a way of making us feel very safe and for this reason they work great in bedrooms.”The warm tones of these dark walls add a sense of calm, cosiness and intimacy. We all know that bedrooms should be a relaxing and soothing sanctuary that we can retreat to, so using these warm tones and cosy hues will deliver the restful ambiance that we are striving for.
A Touch of Luxury
Using shades of dark grey, deep blue, rich browns, vivid greens and even pure black can also be an instant shortcut to luxury, mystery, glamour and drama. Inky-coloured walls work particularly well with brightly coloured accessories that provide a pop of contrast, but they also work equally well when styled with pared-back neutrals. By introducing luxurious, tactile textures such as velvet, faux fur, wool, linen and silk, or incorporating these fabrics into a divan bed, you can really create a feeling of opulence.However, the ultimate way to accessorise a room with dark walls has to be a metallic hint. The shine and sparkle of brass, copper, gold, rose gold or silver is enhanced greatly when placed against a dark backdrop. A few carefully chosen metallic pieces can totally transform your dark room.“Deep colour tones are a great way to make art really pop too” says Sunda. “For example, you can team dark blue with a shot of copper or bright pink and it makes a real statement.”
A Beautiful Blank Canvas
Inky walls can form an ideal blank canvas for your bedroom. And contrary to popular belief, dark colours can make a room feel larger. Deep tones can make it harder to see where walls end and join and therefore can create the illusion of more space.You will also find that placing accessories and furniture against a dark backdrop really makes them stand out, far more so than if you were to place them against a white or pale backdrop. Their shape and colour is immediately more prominent and makes these features a lot more eye catching, great for any statement pieces you want to draw attention to.Dark colours are also ideal for highlighting period features. So if you are lucky enough to have a fireplace, picture rail, coving or panelling in your bedroom, painting the walls dark will only help to make them more visible.
Make or Break
The decision over whether to go over to the dark side is not an easy one to make and it will undoubtedly prove a little too intimidating for the less adventurous amongst us. For more seasoned or fearless decorators however, it may prove to be an exciting challenge. But if there is anywhere at home that is a good place to experiment with moody hues it’s got to be the bedroom, right?Think about it, we spend most of our time here at night when it’s dark anyway so it will probably have the least impact on our perception of light in the room. Plus darker rooms promote better quality of sleep. It’s also one of the rooms that not many people will see. Bedrooms are private spaces so you can really decorate how you want. There’s no need to justify your choices to visitors or guests as it’s unlikely they will even see your bedroom, unless it’s the guest room of course. So feel free to go all out, and you can even paint the ceiling dark too if you want to go for full on, intense impact.
But if you’re still not convinced that the dark side is for you or you’re feeling a little non-committal, why not try to break it up a little. “It can help if you pair darker colours with off whites, especially for ceilings, a light grey can do wonders to help soften even the darkest of colours,” says Sunda.Otherwise, you could opt to paint just one wall dark first to see how you like it and how it makes you feel. Or alternatively, why not try painting just the bottom half of your wall dark and leaving the top half a lighter colour.
Whether you decide to embrace dark walls or not, this trend is here to stay. Dark walls, if used correctly, can have an amazingly positive effect. They can transform boring, soulless bedroom spaces into a luxuriously relaxing retreat.
Create Your Dream Bed
If you’d like to purchase a brand new bed for your on-trend boudoir, then why not design a bed with our bespoke bed builder? You can build your way to a comfortable and stylish night’s sleep by modifying the colour, size and more.
