IT'S OCTOBER - DARKENING THINGS UP A BIT!
I’m all about bringing some lightness and brightness into the space, but guys, now that it's October, I'm kind of digging all those dark, fall, moody vibes for a bit! The colors, the coziness, the darkness…. my goodness, everything about it, and it's just the absolute perfect time to darken up the space! While you may think that dark decor brings you hallowenesque vibes - and real talk, Halloween is right around the corner, it doesn’t have to! Dark is in all year y'all, and today we're going to share some ways to darken up the space!
NATURAL LIGHT
First things first, if you want to go a bit darker, you definitely need to find the space that has some natural light! Since going darker typically calls for darker and deeper colors, we need to use natural light to our advantage. It's definitely best to start off with a room that has a lot of windows and natural light so you don’t get too carried away with the darkness and end up feeling like you’re in a dungeon! So let's start by choosing a space that has the most amount of light, the most windows or even the best overhead lighting!
PAINT COLOR
Once you choose your room, color is extremely important when you want to darken things up! Darker and deeper colors are where you need to start. And yes guys, black is included! Going with a charcoal or black colored accent wall will definitely be great, but that being said, choosing deeper colors like violet, mauve, burgundy, olive, mustard, and navy, are also amazing choices. Have fun with it. You don’t have to completely paint the walls either. You can add darker accents in the room like rugs, pillows, curtains, upholsteries and so forth - to add a touch of darkness, without overdoing it!
FURNITURE
Now for one of most fun part, furniture is everything when it comes to adding some darkness. When you’re going dark, you have to be a little daring when it comes to furniture! The pieces need to be fun and unique, or even quirky if you ask me, because sometimes when they're dark, if there isn't enough design to the piece itself, that can be washed away! With furniture too, this is where you play with the high-gloss finish, the matte-finish, cerusing, or even the addition of some waxes into the paint! Adding furniture with beautiful elements like curvature, or non-painted pieces like velvet upholstered couches, leather ottomans that are circular, chairs with high backrests, eccentric hardware…. anything that seems unique and daring, is where you need to start!
WALLPAPER
Guys, you all know I love some pattern and texture, but I cannot stress enough how amazing the addition of pattern and texture is in adding some darker elements to the space! To add darkness, texture is an easy way to do it without actually even going to dark because texture plays with weight, and weight makes thing feel heavier, which in term, can help with that dark vibe! If you don't want to play with color, why not play with our favorite - WALLPAPER! Sometimes adding pattern, instead of color, can be just the thing to add a little bit of darkness! Wallpaper is definitely a great element in making the room feel darker! Floral patterns, geometric patterns…. honestly, anything that’s kind of repetitive and large is perfect for this space. Plus if you’re going dark with the walls, doing a mural wallpaper accent would do wonders! But you can also do a simple element that’s framed, and offset by other shapes and decor! Other things like doing some black colored board and batten decor, would be amazing on the wall! Any type of molding whether it’s around a fireplace, or around the door frame, is also something to think about when going moody. With the molding, going different is the way to go. Pick something a little bit more cathedral looking, victorian or gothic, will literally give you those hauntingly beautiful vibes.
Check out these darker-toned MegMade wallpapers! Click on the pic to shop!
SETTING THE MOOD
If we haven’t already set the mood, your finishing touches to make the room seem darker and cozier, would be to add some candles, blankets, and lamps, even some overhead track lighting, with warmer toned lights, to make the space complete. The thing about darkness is that although it is an intense and heavy feeling, it’s supposed to be very inviting and comforting. Even while going dark, your space should still make you feel light and cozy on the inside.