It does not take a design expert to know that color plays a significant role in your interior. The hue that you select can have a drastic effect on the tone or mood that you are trying to set in a space. It can enhance your mood or do the opposite! In addition, the wrong color decision can make or break the architectural details of a room, creating an uneven balance.
In this article, we are going to focus on how to use dark colors. Rich colors such as dark brown, navy, charcoal, and black are hues that many people shy away from in their design schemes. To help you feel more comfortable using them, we are going to show you how you can use dark colors appropriately. Let’s take a look!
Picking the Right Room
Can’t decide whether you should splash a dark color in a specific space? When picking the right room, you should consider the size of the room and the mood that you want to set. Darker colors instantly create a cozy and intimate atmosphere. This can be particualry effective in rooms such as the living room, bedroom, or foyer.
However, keep in mind that dark colors have the tendency to make a room appear smaller. Avoid using rich hues in rooms that you want to have an open and airy feel like the bathroom where you get dressed in the mornings.
Highlighting Architectural Features
Common architectural features such as crown molding, shutter-style windows, and window trim work well with darker tones. You can create contrast with these features by choosing your favorite dark, rich hue and using it as a paint color on the walls around it.
Accent Wall Color
If you are interested in creating an accent wall in a specific room, you can drench the walls in a dark hue. For instance, painting an accent wall charcoal gray and leaving the opposite walls a lighter color will make the room feel a bit bigger while still keeping the dramatic accent wall.
Advantages to Dark Flooring
Choosing floors that are dark in hue can make the room feel more grounded while leaving other areas lighter as not to make the room feel too dark overall. Think about when you’ve seen dark and rich wood floors and how they bring warmth and stability to the entire room. Think about dark carpet in a cozy master bedroom and how warm and inviting it might feel. As a bonus, dark floors hide most types of household dirt. They don’t hide all dirt thought! Light colored things like lint will tend to show up more on a dark floor.
Highlight Other Design Elements
You can also use darker tones to highlight design elements such as the cabinetry in your kitchen. Painting your kitchen walls with a charcoal gray or navy blue will enhance your white cabinetry and marble counters. You can also use a darker wood variation on your floors to complete the look.
Authored by Shannon Vogel, Published on 10/28/2022
