If you have checked out social media platforms lately, then you must have noticed that dark walls are becoming increasingly popular. Pictures after pictures of powder rooms, dining rooms, kitchens etc. are painted in shades of gray, navy blue, and black. In fact, even Benjamin Moore proclaimed the rich amethyst as the color of the year.
A dark color is dramatic. You can consider painting walls with a dark color as daring, but the end result is well worth it. But like most things, there are some downsides with the dark shades. For example, a darker color can have that undesirable effect of making the room feel smaller than it really is. Also, darker shades are better at absorbing sunlight which can bring up a room's temperature. The sunlight can cause darker shades of paint to fade faster as well. Darker colors are less forgiving in terms of imperfections. This means drywall chips and overlap marks are going to be more visible. A touch up is also more difficult.
On the upside, deeper colors are cozy and warm. Of course, these are not the only advantages of darker hues. In fact, the previously mentioned cons should not scare you. After all, it's just paint. If you don't like it, you can simply repaint the walls. It's not expensive compared to other home renovations. Furthermore, you can avoid a lot of the downsides with a little know-how.
Here are a few tips if you want to color your walls with darker hues:
Size Doesn't Matter That Much
The notion that darker colors will make the room feel smaller might be true, but it does not have that big of an impact as some would portray. Yeo from Country Living states that the room size should not scare you away from choosing darker colors. Deep colors will blur the wall's edges, which then creates an illusion of an expansive room. Yeo also suggests using light-colored linens and furnishings to balance the dark-colored walls.
Accents for Dimension
According to Yeo, the right color can often trick the eyes into making the room appear larger than its actual size. You can use bright-colored accents such as throw pillows or painted chairs. These items will redirect the focus of the eyes to the forefront.
Trim for Low Ceilings
If the room has a low ceiling, then you can paint the trims with the same dark colors that you used for the walls. This will visually hide the trim. As a result, it will appear as if the ceiling is taller. For the best effect, place mirrors on the wall to give the room an illusion of depth.
Start Small
If you like the idea of dark-colored walls but you are a little bit intimated of painting your whole home with dark colors, then start small. Choose a small room - or even just one wall - and paint it with a dark color. If you like it, then you can move on to other rooms or walls. If you end up not loving it, then you can always paint over it. By starting small, you can test out whether you want to have dark paint in other rooms of your home.
Dark-colored walls are growing in popularity. Don't be afraid to experiment because of the downsides. It's easy to manage the cons by following the tips we mentioned above.
