I felt that my living room needed a face lift. It seemed washed out and lacked oomph. Once I saw this cover spread of
Brooke Shields' house in
Architectural Digest, I was in love with wall colour (
Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray HC-168). It had to be mine! I also adored the choices of furniture and pops of quirkiness in this room.
Many people had concerns and asked, "Won't the dark colour make your room seem smaller?". This is design myth can be put to rest right here! I am not arguing that white walls create an illusion of expansive space, but dark walls have their own pluses too! Dark hues create a more classic look in an otherwise plain, box room. Think warm tones in grays, browns, navys, and blacks. Not only are they very forgiving colours (but challenging to paint with!), they can actually add depth to a space and make it feel more cozy and comfortable. It adds an ambience you cannot get with lighter tones.
If you have a room with the architectural details, such as windows, interesting (white) mouldings, a fancy fireplace, why not make those pop? The contrast will be remarkable. Even in small rooms, such as a boring powder room, you can get away with dark colours because most people don't spend much time in there....or, er...I hope they don't.
Before and after photos of my living room transformation to come....
