Embrace the dark side: painting with dark colours

Firstly, I’d like to clarify that painting a room dark doesn’t make it feel smaller. In fact, dark colours tend to recede and studies have shown that humans perceive bright colours as being closer than the same object in a dark colour.

Dark colours work so well in rooms where you don’t need them to feel particularly light. Bedrooms, for example, are a great place to start with dark walls, as it gives a cocoon feel to the room. There are so many beautiful colours to choose from in dark shades too, such as a forest green, midnight blue or even a chalky off-black.

When it comes to dark paint colours, our personal favourites include Railings by Farrow & Ball, Basalt by Little Greene, and Chimichurri by Benjamin Moore. Think about the undertone you’d like in the paint first and then look through deep shades of said colour.

Deeper hues also make a better background for your décor and furniture. Take a black piece of card and put it behind a bold cushion or a ‘loud’ print. Now put a white piece of card behind it instead. Doesn’t the dark card make the colours look so much more impressive?

So that should eliminate any fear you have of using dark colours! At the end of the day, even though it would be a bit of a faff, if you paint a room dark and absolutely hate it, you can go back (despite what people might say).

If you’d like some help on choosing the right dark colour for you, or applying it in a particular room, give us a shout!

Much love, Lucy and Nicky x