Source: House Beautiful
Not unlike nose piercings or bullet-proof coffee, the black painted wall trend is something I have always been happy to admire on others. From afar. For somebody else. It’s one of those things you hear about people doing and think it’s really neat, but in equal measure, you’re delighted you don’t have to mess around with it. Until now. I’m thinking about it. If you follow me on Pinterest you might have seen me staying up half the night pinning images of black walls (and if you follow me on Facebook you know why I was up). There is nothing like a good long night of Pinterest porn and the start of open window season to put a bug in your ear about paint. Amiright?
Last summer, after extensive research and internet stalking, I painted my living room Benjamin Moore’s Super White, which is, I am told, the brightest white you can get in a can. I’m not happy. It’s supposedly ultra luminous with a lot of reflective qualities. And while I’m not saying it isn’t really bright, it’s not really doing anything special for my living room. Maybe it’s because there is already a decent amount of sun exposure, or maybe because I didn’t go high gloss on the moldings, or maybe because 70% of the walls are hidden by furniture and frames and doors and stuff…hard to say. But it’s a bit of a thud. I really dislike the way my art looks on it, so it’s gotta go. Question is, what to replace it with?
I am through with sewing the seeds of ultra colorful walls. The hot pink kitchen of 2012 was my last hurrah. These days I’m into brightly colored doors with ultra neutral walls. White. Off white. Whispers of pale gray and pink. But what about black? It didn’t occur to me before, and now it’s all I can think about. In my anxiousness last night, I photoshopped my living room a warm charcoal gray to try and convince myself the idea was nuts, and surprisingly, I’m digging it. I am really digging it!
So maybe not black. Maybe just dark gray. Or inky-black indigo blue. That desk up top is actually a super dark green, and it looks awesome. Mind = Blown.
Have you ever painted a room black or nearly black? Tips? Tricks? I’m all ears.
Maybe looking through Abigail Ahern’s site would be helpful. (http://www.abigailahern.org/) She does a lot of wall painting in very dark colours, and I think she wrote about things to consider somewhere on her blog.
We have been remodeling a house for the last six months. The first thing I did was paint the whole thing white. Lots of arches (hacienda) lots of open rooms opening on to more open rooms. The next thing I did was paint one wall in the powder room black. It made the wood and the mirror and the copper POP it creates mood and gives attitude . I love it and am hooked. Then I painted two walls at the back of the dining room black then one wall in the bedroom darkest navy. The paintings look amazing on it. It’s a bit like what I hear about tattoos… You can’t just do one! Go for it I say. If you hate it you can always paint over it.
Ooooooh. That sounds fantastic!
Hello there Peaches! I haven’t been around in a while, but I saw this and wanted to say that a few years ago Morgan (http://www.pepperdesignblog.com) painted a portion of her guest room dark brown. I was skeptical when she announced it, but it looks fantastic. Looking forward to seeing whatever you do, because you always surprise in the best ways possible.
Hey Leslie! Glad to hear from you 🙂 I’ll check that out for sure!
I covered the inside of a built-in with homemade “wallpaper” of black on black posterboard and washi tape. It really grounds the colorful art books and accessories displayed and for some reason, looks less cluttered than white. (Which of course means I added more stuff…)
That sounds amazing! I’d love to see it! I’m a big fan of easily removable/changeable decorating, since I change my mind every few months.
I think the black is fantastic (I know, shocking). I would say, if you want to go dark, just go dark. If you paint it a slightly lighter gray because you’re not sure, you’ll just end up repainting. Go for it! I’m a big fan of hale navy (it’s on our fireplace and our island, neither of which are on the never updated blog but both are on insta) and the dark kettle black oh happy day used. Chris loves Julia has a lovely dark green.
I haven’t painted any walls black yet, but my bedroom is a dark gray, and my basement (with windows) had oak paneling that I stained a super dark brown. then I stained my kitchen cabinets in an espresso brown also. the dark walls/cabinets make everything more dramatic in a good way. those rooms seem mature, classy, and bright colors pop nicely but don’t overwhelm. i have a lot of colorful artwork in my bedroom, and it was amazing how beautiful and rich the paintings look now with the dark gray.
Do it! your photo-shop mock up looks amazing, im sure you’ll love it!
I remodeled our hall bathroom and used a dark grey for the walls. I absolutely love it. If you’re interested you can see how it turned out at: http://teri-gonewalkabout2.blogspot.com/2013/01/ugly-duckling-to-swan-our-bathroom.html
I’ve also used a very dark teal blue in the master bedroom and it is fantastic too. Dark colors are great as long as you counter them with a contrast. Your room would be smashing in a dark grey.
I painted my kitchen black, once. It got tons of natural light, and the black was like a sexy embrace. I loved it! It’s grounding, surprisingly warm, and a fantastic backdrop for art. I say, go for it!
Have to chime in… as another girl who loves high contrast colors, you should make this happen. Colorful room with black back drop? Amazing. God speed!
We painted our narrow, windowless hallway in anthracite, hesitating because it was already such a dark place. But the dark walls turned it from something ugly into a distinctive and interesting part of the apartment.
Plus, they make everything in there look so good, like a velvet casket. (same thing with the black plates we used to eat off – talk about green peas!)
Our art professor told us he had a room with an awkward low ceiling, and after he painted the ceiling black, it kind of magically disappeared.
I’ve painted furniture black before, and though I love the look it shows the dust like crazy (even on the vertical surfaces). So if you dust approximately once every 5 years like me, maybe keep that in mind. Though a dark charcoal might not be nearly as bad as black. Hmmm…. *eyes furniture*
Cheers!
I had to go take a peek at your Facebook and see what kept you up all night looking at black walls. And being from Indiana, I have to agree with you. I strenuously disagree with the legislation, I don’t like our governor, and I’ve blogged about it myself. But hurting the people of Indiana doesn’t matter to a governor whose own policies are hurting us anyway. Personally, I am going to do business with those in my state who are willing to serve everyone without discrimination. It would be nice if the ones who aren’t to blame weren’t getting hurt in this matter.
That being said, you’ve got me thinking about a black wall in my living room now…
I have to say I am with you, the darker wall definitively looks better!
A P…you are brave, strong, and bold! DO IT! We are behind you every step of the way!!! I personally like the way the black sets off the rug! Wowie!!
Renovating our lake house and just did my new black cucina… wall colors throughout are deep taupe and deep gray…floors chocolate (laid at an angle!)… looking gorgeous and also loving my parents’ VERY OLD dressers, personally transformed (took me two weeks!) from antique white with gold hardware to… yes… black with pewter hardware. Rustoleum makes an incredible spray called “Antique Pewter” that does amazing things to hardware. Bubbles up in contrast as though I spent hours antiquing the hardware. Also works SO WELL on cheap plastic switch-plates. Magic! Check out our work in progress here: http://nickicarm.blogspot.com/2015/03/three-cs-concert-couch-cucina.html
Have fun! New Yorkers love black… wanna talk wardrobe???
Happy Easter. Happy Passover. Happy Spring!!
I’m going to jump on board with… the deep inky blue. Or an inky blue grey if you like. Black, nah…notsomuch. I had a friend who did it– awful. But deep color, yes. I’d think chocolate, eggplant, or deep blue, Maybe a deep green. But black is a trend. Its already happened. Start a new one…you are Aunt Peaches… boldly going in a new direction. 🙂 Lead on!
Go for dark walls!! I would do dark grey. Your photoshopped room looks fantastic.
We painted our bedroom in Sherwin Williams’ “Sealskin,” and I love it. It’s dark and cozy, but it’s a warm gray, with just enough brown in it to not feel cold. We also have used “Iron Ore” in various places around the house, but it reads more black than the warm black you have in your Photoshop image. Not sure which way you’d rather go, but I’d suggest looking at Sealskin!
Ooo. That sounds lovely. I’ll look that one up!
I have some dark walls and love them. Not an entire room (I don’t have nearly the number of windows in my house that you have in yours), but just an accent wall here and there, and I love the dramatic impact of how things hanging on the wall look against the dark color.
I like your photo shopped black wall. You have nothing to lose except a couple of gallons of paint and an afternoon, so why not go for it? If you don’t like it after six months, it’s a relatively easy fix to change it.
Exactly. If the worst case is six months and couple gallons of paint…I can totally do this. Why am I waiting?!
I love the dark charcoal walls. As a renter who has no control over the wall color in my own home, please do this and allow me to live vicariously.
OH MAN! YOU GOTTA DO IT! That photoshop looks AHmazing! I painted our master bedroom black last year (actually, the same color that was used in the Oh Happy Day! bedroom, Dark Kettle Black by Valspar) and it has totally changed the vibe! I normally favor bright clean white too, but the black just makes everything sexy, richer, classier. And I’d venture a guess that my taste in art/home decor is pretty close to yours: bright colors, bold patterns, glitter and rhinestones sprinkled about! The black walls just make everything meld together into one intentional collection. Do it, Peaches! You won’t regret it!!
OOO — that sounds dreamy!
Do it!!!! I used to be a weenie when it came to committing to bold colors, but I’ll be darned if I didn’t overcome that and paint a major wall in my living room a deeeeep inky blue/black. Holy Toledo it looks good. Makes everything I hang on it stand out a million times better. And shoot, if you don’t like it, that’s what 10 coats of primer is for!
Love my dark green bedroom. Helps me sleep and is cozy!
Your photoshops look great! Do it.
I think you disliked the white because there was not enough contrast with your art wall. Many of the mats are light and gold frames fade into the white. I only mention it as it may help with other color decisions down the road. Contrast is what makes things interesting…in all areas of life really.
Go for it!