anyone know what the light is in the first picture?

Serge Mouille Three-Arm Ceiling Lamp retails about 6,000.00 USD

I like these new formats with the paint colors under the pictures, but is there any relationship between what's in the picture and the paint colors,especially when there are two colors for every picture? At first I thought they were the actual colors used.

6k? figures lol

I've been dying to paint our bedroom a dark charcoal color for the past 6 months. I just need to work up the guts to do it...

I recently purchased my first home and painted my master "man cave" by Allen & Roth (Valspar signature match)- love it! It's a perfect charcoal gray with any significant undertones one way or another.

The 5th picture isn't a charcoal grey -- it's a blackened green/teal -- Benjamin Moore's Newburg Green.

I've just moved into a new apartment and the bedroom is not huge and is not particularly light. I'm quite keen to paint it a rich, dark colour like a charcoal, but am concerned it will make it look gloomy rather than cosy... Do you need a lot of space to pull off a colour like charcoal?

I suggest going with a warm gray (either quite dark or very light) or one that is a grayish tone of another color. If you don't get the right gray, it can look like your walls are made of cement and be very depressing. If you go for a charcoal, you do need light, so pair it with a pinkish hued warm white, white linens on the bed and some happy colors. I painted my master bedroom a medium gray last year - even the ceiling. I used gloss to keep the light factor up. It's very cocoon-ish for sleeping. I'm using natural oak furniture and white linens. But I have a huge south-facing window to keep it from getting dreary. Magenta, a heathery deep purple or a grass green can make nice accents.

I like these rooms especially the West Elm room. A black accent wall in a bedroom could be okay. I don't know about an entirely black bedroom, too Rosemary's Baby, and a black ceiling is a total deal breaker.

Yes! It's nice. But it's not easy to find the right color (try samples first!). It has also to matches with your floor. In case you'd like to learn from my mistakes (not a success for me) : http://homeofbambou.blogspot.be/2012/09/from-charcoal-to-dark-blue.html :-(

I just painted my office/second bedroom (which is a totally clean slate... it was once a bedroom) Farrow & Ball's Down Pipe and it's the paint best decision I've made in a long time. There's something cozy about a small room with dark walls. The room I is about 9 x 10.

I have always LOVED charcoal walls. I did a horizontal tone on tone charcoal stripe in my bathroom and everyone loves it. Loved seeing how other rooms have used it too.

@Wesmundo: If you balance the dark walls with lighter elements in the room you can beat that 'gloomy' look. Keep your bedding and floors light, use an area rug if you have to, and maybe chrome or satin nickel for your lighting and hardware. I'm a real sucker for light colored curtains/shades on a dark wall, it just looks damn good.

I can't get enough of that Niche Modern Solitaire pendant above the bathtub. Ms. Lyons has impeccable taste. And at $475, it gives that three-arm ceiling lamp a run for its money.

Behr Premium in Intellectual is an unbelievably gorgeous, very dark, earthy charcoal.

I can attest that sleeping in a dark charcoal room is heavenly, AND that you need to find the right shade for the room. As much as I loved Intellectual in my old bedroom, I just couldn’t get it to work with the light in my new place.

I love this SO much...but my boyfriend would never go for it.

I have Behr's Amazon Stone in my bedroom. Less intense, less black than most of the shades shown here; dark enough to be dramatic without being drastic; works well with browns and copper.

One IMPORTANT thing to consider: What color are your doors? If you have a couple of white-painted closet doors in a charcoal room, know that once you turn off the lights, there will be two glowing tombstone-like monoliths looming in the room. My closet doors are of a wood finish, so they don't provide the unwanted contrast, but sometimes I think about toning down the off-white trim paint that outlines them. The same consideration goes for curtains. In a bedroom, you need to be aware of the profile of contrasts that will be evident when you're lying in bed.

@Wesmundo: I used a deep cocoa color in a small bedroom once, and it worked great. As long as you're not trying to fool anyone into thinking "This room is gigantic," you won't have a problem. People sometimes think that dark colors will make the room feel closed-in, but just the opposite is true, especially at night: The dark walls just seem to fall away. It's like you're peering into the distance.

Charcoal really can be incredible for a bedroom if done right. Great examples!

What finish is the best (in the bedroom) for such a dark color? Flat, satin, semi? I would assume in a bathroom, semi-gloss. But in the bedroom, I am having a hard time choosing the finish. I loved the coziness of the color we had, Driftwood from Restoration Hardware, but now that we put hardwoods in, it is too much brown. Our linens are gray and white, furniture white, and the trim is white. I'm thinking a the Valspar Tuxedo Tie will be a perfect dark color to keep the cozy, but not be dreary, especially with the light treatments of the room. Any ideas on the finish?

I have recently been on a one day Masterclass by Abigail Aherne [in London] and she has the most fantastic approach to using dark colours to the max!! The class was held in her divine home and she definitely practises what she preaches! However, if you can't get to London then check out her book 'A Girl's Guide To Decorating', FULL of pics and advice. AND she paints everything dark, incl the window frames and ceiling. It looks fabulous! Good luck, and GO FOR IT!

I did a master bedroom with the benjamin moore Charcoal color for one of my clients.
When I picked the color they were unsure because they thought it would be too cold and to modern for this retired couple. Its been 3 years now and they love it.
I highly recommend to mix dark color with white or cream and the brighter your room is the darker you can add.
However, if not careful ark grey can be boring and overwhelming, so do not forget to add little accents of colors here and there.
For my lovely couple i added red velvet pillows some solid and some with different patterns; i also added gold table lamps with motifs on the shades and the final touch: a bright pink and purple multi-colored bouquet of roses and peonies carefully placed on top of the side table sealed the deal!

if you need help or advise do not hesitate to drop me a line!

xo

@elisesom

I love this charcoal post! I'm always nervous to paint my walls in a trendy color that goes out of style. Charcoal is such a versatile color and you can easily change the feeling of a room by making small changes to your decor.

It's just paint people. You can always re-paint if you hate it. I just finished painting my bedroom La Paloma Grey from Ben Moore. Love, love, love it!!