apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Reminds me of a theater--you know, those black box theaters?

I got a lot of shit from people when I told them I wanted to paint my bathroom black. But now everyone admits that they like it.

Here's a pic.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mdeathstar/2636697468/

I like it in some people's visions (mdeathstar- great bathroom) but I like a bright room with lots of earthy colors and wood. Not exactly the right room for black anything.

There should be a 4th option on the survey of "No, I haven't but I want to do it."

I have seen some beautiful black painted rooms. The quality if the wall prep and paint need to be top notch. I think it depends on the room and how tailored you plan on being, black rooms need to be really finished and pull together.

mdeathstar- bathroom looks great and super cute cat!

I haven't, but my mother painted the walls of her sunroom black. The room is very monochromatic, black and white and tan.

mdeathstar - Yep, neato bath.

I'm with sara mc -- the closest I've gotten to black was the navy I talked an ex into painting our bedroom, but would totally consider black if I had a space that could handle it.

We did our master black in our loft. I loved it. I miss it.


http://embritadesign.blogspot.com

I'd choose option 4 too, because my landlord said any colour, but black. I find it funny because when we leave we have to make everything white... so really its just more work for us, not him.

My husband is the director of a contemporary gallery and the current show is all black. It's beautiful, like a cocoon everyone is peaceful and happy in the space. Prep is the biggest part of making black walls successful. You really have to choose the colours of your furniture wisely too, darker colours can get lost in a black room, but all white furniture can sometimes look like an 80s video.

Yes, last year and I love it...I wish I'd tried it years ago.

I did black stripes in matte and gloss in our last house, and it looked AMAZING!!!

I'm afraid of black on the walls...but oddly enough, I'm not afraid of bright colors.

Anna's new bath on www.doorsixteen.com is gorgeous.

I painted my beedroom what I thought was black... was actually charcoal. I've since repainted it a dove grey b/c the room is tiny and doesn't get a lot of sunlight. I hope to do a black wall again if I move to an apartment with more sunlight.

i am debating painting a wall (or the room) black in my bedroom.

I did one wall, behind the fireplace - our place is a 1920's bungalow and I was nervous making that first brushstroke, but now I love it because the old fireplace really stands out brilliantly from the dark paint (admittedly, mine is a dark, dark gray, not black), and added a lot of depth to the room. and I now frame the art with lots of white space around it, and they look great against the dark background.

mdeathstar, I like your use of black as an accent.

We did one wall in an office in black chalkboard paint, and it's awesome.

I think black works when there is a lot of light OR in small doses.

Black paint can be absolutely gorgeous when done right, but I wouldn't want to paint over it before moving out! I'll stick with black accents for now.

I was going to paint the accent wall in my dining room black, JET black. I took a friend with me to pick out the paint and she convinced me that black was too black and to go with a charcoal grey. That charcoal grey we picked out ended up being a very dark blue once it got on the wall. Not at all what I was thinking. It doesn't look bad, but I can't help thinking that its not what I wanted, and I will never get around to repainting it before we move out.

The kitchen in my old apartment was painted black...walls, tile and ceiling. I loved it, but I think it would have looked better if the ceiling was a bit higher.

going black is no big deal.

we've done tons of kitchens, bathrooms, walk in closets,
and of course bedrooms in black, but usually with a complimentary and contrasting color, i.e. molding is a different color and or using wallpaper, and the result has always come out looking chic and daring.

it takes a certain confidence to go for black, but if you've got it, go for it!

I've been in a studio apartment painted black. It was overwhelmingly negative and boring I left after fifteen minutes. Guess it's just my reaction to feeling closed in and draining of light and life. Perhaps because it was a matte black. Ive seen photos of gloss black rooms that pick up light and perhaps that would be not so depressing and pretentious. Black is great in theaters and dark rooms back in the day.

I painted the wall behind my headboard black. It actually reads a bit blue in some lights though, which works with everything else we've got going on in there. But I'll eventually want to redo it so that it's a truer black.

I really love black rooms when done well. My bathroom needs work, but I think black will be a contender when we're at the colour picking stage. Years and years away...

Following a former roomie's idea, she and we painted our small living room a dark, charcoal purple (pretty close to black) and the very top of the walls above a molding was a dark brick red (white ceiling). It looks nice with the dark red stained woodwork and floor, but it made the room way tinier seeming because it only has one window, which is in an alleyway, and our lighting isn't the greatest. And whenever we are taking photos to show prospective roomies, it always ends up looking like a tiny dark closet no matter what. Oh well. I would do it again but in a large room with lots of windows and a high ceiling, if it was to be black all over.

i painted a wall in my kitchen black and love it. it's not a full wall as there is a door opening on it but it's still a great effect - not too much not too little and gives the space that extra kick.

after years of debating we finally decided to just try it on one wall of our super light filled kitchen... It Worked and is awesome. I love it and it defines the space so nicely without sucking any of the natural light out.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/freakstorm/3155703360/

when i was in college, i painted our living room black while my mom was out of town. she got home and was shocked, but it definitely worked! she collects art, so lots of things on the walls and white built-ins really helped. the black really made her art pop.

I painted the living room in our last apartment black. I hung plain white canvases to break up the space, and artwork looked awesome. After living with it for a year, I decided to paint the living room in our new place a mid gray. I am much happier with the result.

Through the years, I've had a couple of black rooms and also a black bathroom. I guess some people wouldn't like it, but I think it's a great look. Truthfully, it doesn't feel dark or like a cave at all. It's very elegant if accessorized correctly.

Keep a small amount of black craft paint for any tiny touch ups.

Oh....and never try it on a shower rod. Good Lord, it just peeled off for months and caused such a mess.

Well, I have not painted the entire room, just one entire accent wall. It is so dramatic and lovely. Black actually has a lot of depth.

If you are scared to try for real, you can always try for "fake" to see if you like it. For example, check the the black drama wall on this dining room: http://mochihome.com/?p=159

Dark navy or dark dark purple are also great. I say go for it!

We did this in our guest bathroom in our last home. We loved it and so did our guests.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/yankee_belle/1465226859/in/set-72157604090264497/

I couldn't make the commitment with paint, but I got some strippable black wallpaper and I think it's going to look great with my white mantel headboard