Light and bright might be nice, but a dim room has its own beauty, too. Check out these mellow, relaxing havens and rethink the constant desire for bright interiors:
We genearlly find ourselves striving for lighter, lighter, lighter. In part, the heat of summer may have us leaning toward dark rooms in an effort to stay cool. But dim, cozy rooms look equally inviting for winter when they're lit only by a fire or candles.
Do you, like us, tend to think lighter is better or have you already found that mysterious and wonderful beauty of a dimly-lit room?
Images: original unknown via Sarah Rosenhaus Interior Design, Laura Ashley, Atelier Abigail Ahern
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After living in a very dark, low bungalow I crave lighter spaces and I'm constantly looking for more light. We have few windows, and because we live in the city in a one story home most of the views are facing other houses. Dark homes can be beautiful, sure. I like to think is, but do you have any strategies for bringing some light into them?
I like to have lots of artificial lighting on dimmers so I have choices depending on the activity.
I once lived in an apartment with a southern exposure; it was filled with bright light. Unfortunately, I suffer migraines, and the light became a painful mega-glare in my head and behind my eyes. Soon it was a nightmare. I longed for just one low-lit, lovely and mysterious room. These days, I always look for northern exposure.
how do i install that running curtain tracking (i mean the curtains in the first picture)- what is it? right now i have an over extended (& after too many inebriated nights a little dented) aluminum curtain hanger across ~72" space - is there a kit of sort for that smooth, hidden tracking?
In an ideal world--or an ideal apartment, which is theoretically more achievable--we would have both kind of rooms, one bright & cheerful, and one dark & intimate so we could match our surroundings to our moods. It can be done, even in small place, because my last apartment was under 600 SF and I had two main rooms with totally opposite feels. But if I have to choose, I'll take dark any day. As the Arab proverb says, Nothing but sunshine makes a desert.
I have bad eyes that strain in dimly lit rooms and flourescent lighting, so I'm always looking for lots of windows, and nothing irritates me more than my husbands insistence on keeping the blinds down. A nice dim bedroom is nice though, since my glasses are usually off, and my eyes are shut!
It depends on the room. Personally I like light and bright in the kitchen and living room, but darker and relaxed in the bedroom.
for a bedroom, a dim room is always my favorite. i can't sleep if it's too bright, esp in the morning.
I love that first bedroom-- it must look so cozy at night with the reading light on. But yes, light is so important to me! From the moment I wake up to when I'm finishing up dinner, I find myself gravitating to the rooms in my apartment with the most light.
I love these spaces!
My loft is dark without being too dark. I find that playing with different textures makes it feel cozier than one would expect with a dark/industrial style. My favorite room is the master bedroom, because our contrast wall (black) wraps around. We have a velvet headboard (deep beige/gold) against the black and it just looks very comfortable and sexy.
Bright cheerful rooms (IMHO) don't feel right with Chicago weather. Light colors just make it seem colder to me.
Love this space its relaxing and modern.
The discussion of light makes me think of Edward Hopper: his Cape Cod studio had one very large window with a northern exposure because he thought it was the best light to paint in.
I'll agree with fatskinnygirl about bright rooms in Chicago. My very bright, southern-facing kitchen is always hot and stuffy, but my northern, shaded living room is delightfully cool and dim.
That looks like another example of canvas drop cloths as curtains.
I love the moody atmosphere in these interiors...especially that teal kitchen! I'm totally obsessedwith that color!
Can anyone source the chandelier in the first pic? Love it!
thanks for this post! there seems to be an obsession with "brightening" rooms. i gave up trying to "brighten" naturally dark rooms a long time ago and have embraced darker richer colors for the rooms in our house that do not get much natural light. The most often-used word to describe those rooms by our guests is "soothing." These photos are great inspiration!
Since I own a Craftsman bungalow with the original smoked oak woodwork and my color palette for my house are the historical colors appropriate to the era (taupe/tan, olive, burgandy, ochre) my house is darkish. I find it very soothing and comfortable.
While I admire some of the 'bright all white casings and moldings' houses that I see on AT, all I can think about is that the people who live in them must spend all weekend, every weekend scrubing their woodwork!
Spectogram, I think you've summed up completely what makes a darker room wonderful.
Can someone identify the paint color in the room with the drop-cloth curtains? I LURV it!