We've seen it time and time again: Client gets asked to make a decision about final paint colours for their walls. Client has beautiful interior design dreams of wanting to create a bit of drama and make grand gestures with beautiful dark hues around the house. Client talks to too many people about it and ends up chickening out last minute and gives up on the idea. Client ends up with white walls everywhere because they were talked out of it. Don't get me wrong, it still looks lovely, but lacks that 'piece of them' that was going to be easy to achieve.
WELL ... we at Ferguson Builders say, "get back on that bandwagon and go with your dream of dark paints". There is nothing like a bit of paint to add a special presence to a home.
Ok, so it's not as easy as just telling you to do it! We get it, to use dark colours in your home takes a lot of guts. But if you do your research beforehand, it shouldn't be quite the scary experience that it has been made out to be. Here are some lessons we have learnt over our years of building using dark paint:
1. Be bold! Yes, the use of dark colours can be a little unconventional, so people often think that they'll just do small amounts to try and make it more conventional. That's fine, a dark feature wall is always going to look good, but go with your boldness, be brave and have fun- splash out- why not do all the walls in a room or why not one of your most viewed walls in the house the dark one? Don't be shy... Remember- it is just paint. It is not a resource we are losing any time soon, you will always have access to more if you change your mind down the track.
2. Dark colours deliver drama - and it is because of the potential for such drama that so many people struggle with such self-doubt. There is no right or wrong when it comes to using dark paint in your house and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. It really just depends on how much drama you want to have in your home. People have consistently said to me "But dark walls make everything look so small and cramped"... I REALLY beg to differ. Do your research, pop on Pinterest or Instagram (or whatever your favourite home decor inspiring form of social media might be) and search: small spaces with dark walls. You'll be surprised at the amazingness people have achieved using dark colours in small spaces, even and especially the likes of bathrooms which are often the smallest room in the house!
3. Make an entrance- entrance ways are a great place to start with your dark paints because they are generally a small area of the home. The advantage is that they are also the place in your home that makes the first impression and when someone walks into your entrance space and sees a large, dark wall dressed beautifully with a buffet, some art, a bouquet of flowers or a yummy smelling candle and an LED Light or lovely lamp, they are going to be greeted with a feeling of WOW. Please all of their senses as soon as they open your front door! Then carry through this WOW to the rest of your home by introducing that same dark paint in other areas again so that it creates a feeling of cohesion- cohesion always helps lessen the drama for the self doubters.
4. Dark colours are great for setting the stage for TEXTURE in your home- and texture is your number one friend when trying to make a house feel like a home. Weathered woods, plush velvets, hard floors, soft rugs, warm blankets, fluffy sheepskin, cane and rattan furniture or rugs, stone walls, leather touches... these things all add wow factor and personality to a home and look FABULOUS set against a dark paint- they add real depth and mood to a dark space.
5. Forget about all the negatives people tell you and listen to your head and heart. If you have a love for a particular dark coloured paint you have seen, don't shy away from it- USE IT. Or if you pinned something on Pinterest and thought "that would be amazing in my home" it most likely will- USE IT.
Some of my favourite reasons people tell you not to paint dark walls are:
'Black walls mark easily'. You know what, they do, but only as easily as my white walls get marked by my kids crashing their dolls prams and bikes into them, sprawling their boogers and leftover food particles on them or even just me hauling around the vacuum cleaner and bumping the walls...there are PLENTY of black marks on my white walls, so what is the difference I ask you?
"You're wall art and hangings won't suit the wall anymore'. Now there is something quite cool about a dark painted wall and that is that it has this 'furnishing' effect where it makes your wall feel more finished than a white wall can. When you look at a white wall you often think- I have to fill it- hang stuff, stick stuff to it, put stuff in front of it. Strangely, a dark wall doesn't do this to the same extent. And then when you do hang something on it, the effect can be more dramatic and really make the piece pop- dependant of course on what the piece is.
"It will make my room feel dark and dull". In fact, I would argue the opposite. Light dances on dark walls differently than it dances on white walls, no less or more, just differently. Dark walls make everything pop! Art, furniture, lighting, curtains. SO much looks better against a dark background! If you don't believe me, get back onto your interior inspiration social media and search for before and afters, and if I haven't been able to convince you just now, then the pictures you discover from your search will.
Still not convinced... how about using your dark paint outside to start then. Fences, cladding, gates, retaining walls, decks... give it a go. The bonus to an outside area is that there is so much natural light, lots of space and the dark against the beautiful natural colours of the plants, light grey concretes and the rest of the environment will soften the effect and help ease you into the idea.
And as always, I am happy to accept that dark paint on walls isn't for everyone, but if you have even considered it for a moment and thought... hmmm I like that, go with your gut and check more of it out and give it a go. Colour choice is always about personal preference and personality, just like the use of monochrome design features isn't everyone's cup of tea, but then the use of bright colours is certainly not either. We are all different, and our homes are all different as a result and that's what makes them beautiful homes and not just all houses that are the same.
People are doing some really cool stuff with dark coloured paints these days so as a parting gift to you, I suggest you jump on that Pinterest account/Instagram account or whatever you use for your home inspiration, and hey why not sit back with a nice dark cuppa and revel in their dark paint greatness.
