Darker paints create cozy, more welcoming rooms
DARK hues have a bad rap as gloomy and depressing. More likely, they’re bringing home the good vibes, all year long. One weekend, when I had the house to myself, I painted our family room Benjamin Moore’s Kendall Charcoal, a deep, earthy gray.
I waited till I had two days alone to do it because it looked pretty shocking when I got started on the trim and rolled the walls. Was it going to veer into Goth Teen Bedroom territory? Or maybe a villainous, albeit stylish, lair?
But when I’d finished, it looked amazing. The rich color, along with white trim and comfy furnishings, gave the room way more character, and felt much homier than the basic beige had. When the weekenders returned, the response was as I’d hoped; everyone loved it. That was in 2018, and it’s the only room I haven’t repainted twice since, so there you go.
Turns out I’m not a loony outlier when it comes to loving dark paint. For Apartment Therapy’s 2024 State of Home Design report, editors tallied 131 design experts who said“moodiness” will be one of the year’s hot vibes. Pros say darker hues are more likely to create resonant atmospheres like coziness, stylish ambiance and even a little drama to keep things interesting. Rooms with these colors aren’t boring, nor are they over-stimulating. They envelop and embrace.
“Moody hues are more than just visual,” says designer Noz Nozawa. “They’re storytellers, deeply evocative, emotional and often very nostalgic.”
She thinks people don’t give dark hues enough credit for their versatility, and points out how well they go with different woods, metals and brighter hues.
“I often like to use them as a grounding point — they anchor a room, and then all the other textures and elements in a space can harmonize around them,” she says.
Try it yourself, Nozawa says, by holding a moody color swatch next to different woods and metals.
“The swatch will complement in a way that’s warm and comforting, not gloomy or heavy,” she says.
Tasked with choosing BlueStar’s 2023 Color of the Year for their appliance collection, she went with a deep, fruity Wine Red, which pairs well with different finishes and might remind you of a cozy evening sharing a glass with friends.