Hey. I like the gallery wall with TV in number 4. This is how it should be done. The way the art is framed the TV fits right in!

I now live in a small studio where I'm not allowed to paint - period. No wallpaper, no decals, no temporary decals, etc... How can I get black walls under these circumstances?

I told multiple people I was going to paint a wall in my bedroom black and they all told me it would look horrible. Now that I've done it I want to "throw caution to the wind" and paint the whole room black. Of course the same people, who now say the room looks great, tell me painting the whole room black would look horrible. Pics on flickr... anybody think I should do the whole room or just leave the one wall?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/38053501@N02/8489780942/

The whole room! The black looks great in your bedroom.

#1 and 2 are way too dark. Most of the others are beautiful.

Oh my God! These look great and I am so into using colors people normally don't. I have a red wall already but I wonder how a black wall would work in an apartment that is not getting enough light even during summertime

I think your room could totally pull it off! I say go for it!

The was a house in Season 1 of the TV show Grimm that was done in black. It was beautifully accomplished. I had to look at it multiple times before I realized that it was indeed an (almost) all black decor. It sounds horrible but it was very well done.

I've never painted a wall black, but I did paint trim a glossy black. Wow, what a difference! It made the living room in my old farmhouse look sophisticated and chic. Everyone freaked out before I did it, but they LOVED it afterward.

these rooms look warm and cozy, counter intuitive for black. love it. wish i knew what the actual colors were.

I just painted my smallish living room (13x13) BM - Iron Mountain in an eggshell finish. It's a warm charcoal that reads black but a little softer. I have linen white on the bottom 1/2 wainscoting so it breaks it a little but I LOVE it. Everyone thought I was crazy too when I said I wanted to paint it black and now the same people love it and think it's magazine-worthy. Go for it! I wish I could post a picture here to show you. Before it was that pinkish brown that was so popular 10 yrs ago, and I was thrilled to see that go.

I recently painted an accent wall in our basement a matte bluish-black ("Soot" by Benjamin Moore, which is the deepest indigo imaginable). It serves as a backdrop for our TV and really looks fabulous. I also have a black chalkboard wall in my office.

Inky hues can be effective and beautiful in many different kinds of spaces. If you're on the fence, go for it!

These are all stunning. I never considered black paint.

I have dark gray curtains with a very light gray wall. The contrast they create with the walls really draws your attention. I'd rather buy Ikea curtains than paint, so I probably won't do a black wall, but I love the look it creates.

Whoops, here's the chalkboard wall link: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/before-after-wasted-space-to-organized-wall-166055

Thanks Karen!

I don't think you can get the same exact effect, but you can go for something different. A few ideas off the top of my head:

- Large paintings (even single-toned paintings)
- Hang fabrics
- Painted dividers

Unfortunately, most of these end up using black as an accent rather than as a base color.

We have deep, deep charcoal walls (I remember the color was "man cave," can't remember who made it) in our bedroom, and I love them. The white molding looks crisp, and the art pops right off the walls. Our bedding looks brighter too.

Accent walls are never enough! I'd say that you should go for it.

Yesterday, after reading a question about a beautiful bright carpet and finding homedecorators.com (I think that's it), I spent HOURS perusing brilliant carpets. I am so wanting one in my new place and I think the brilliance with a dark charcoal wall would be stunning. I'm getting an ivory leather couch and the room is bright so it might look great.

and if it doesn't, I'll repaint. Of course, the cost of the carpet means I'll have to live with that for a while but right now I'm in love with it.

These are all great. Some are more grey than black but they look great. When I was looking through paint samples recently, a lot of "blacks" are grey.

When I think of black, I think of Spinal Tap and the legendary words of Nigel Tufnel: "It's like, how much more black could this be? and the answer is none. None more black."

I want "none more black" black walls.

They all look nice, but the only one I'm seriously in love with is the exterior shot. Moke076, I think the black wall in your room looks great, but that the room already feels a bit dark (from the pics anyway), so I'd hesitate to do the whole room black. Part of what makes the accent wall work so well is that you have the big white mantel and door and big mirror to lighten it up. The rest of your furniture/bedding/etc. looks darker, so I don't think you'd get quite the same effect. Also, a word from personal experience--until recently, my dining room was painted a very deep black cherry color. The walls opposite the windows looked nice and rich, but the walls that had windows somehow looked depressingly dark and kind of shadowy/featureless no matter what I did (white curtains, light colored art/accents, etc.). I had a love/hate relationship with it, and finally repainted the whole room Silver Fox by Benjamin Moore, and it feels so much more airy and spacious now. ymmv.

Moke076, Let me give you that push: Paint them all black. You have such a beautiful space with lovely architectural details that will pop even more with it all black. Forget what your friends are saying and go for it. It will be so handsome.

I have always loved black but havent known how to fill a wall without paint as I am an apartment dweller. I am going to try starching fabric to my bedroom wall. I have heard of using double sided tape on wallpaper but many say it will take the paint off your walls.

I have collected a lot of ornate, gold framed mirrors and pictures frames and think they would look very gothic french couture on a black wall.

Love the bold statement of a well done black wall. I think it can actually make a room look brighter!

@moke076, It looks great. I say paint all the walls black.

@moke076

the whole room! that is gorgeous. i had deep chocolate brown walls and it had the same effect. i loved it. every day i would touch the walls because they were so awesome. and although people said "eww" when i said i was painting my walls dark brown, when they walked in and saw all the furniture pop off the walls, they fell in love.

another vote that you go all black moke076

@moke076

Your room is amazing - so much character! I too wanted to paint my bedroom black and everyone said not to do it. I, of course, ignored them and did the whole room. It's without a doubt my most favorite room in the house.

http://soledwelling.com/2012/11/14/its-my-house-and-ill-cry-if-i-want-to/

Do it! You'll be glad you did. :)

Thanks for the input everyone! I think I'm going to pull the trigger and do the whole thing... it's only paint right? :)

Personally, I couldn't do this because I LOVE light. But I do love the look. I've noticed, too, in really long, narrow spaces, that painting one of the long walls black is a GREAT way to make it kind of disappear. I wound up painting a wall in my galley kitchen charcoal grey to duplicate this effect.

Hand black fabric with a staple gun and glue trimming. When you leave, it's very simple to remove and fill up the teeny holes.
Another idea would be to get really large posters that are primarily black.
Good luck MAESTRO 58.

I love black walls. I recently painted my master bedroom a very dark navy blue, almost black, and they look great. I have a white upholstered bed to help break it up, though. Black on black is just about the ultimate look to me, though. Reminds me of some of the vampire homes in True Blood :)

When my teen brother wanted a black room, I thought of "papering" the walls with the colored paper that comes on rolls. It is usually used in schools to cover bulletin boards. My mom put it up with a staple gun using a small gauge staple. She said when she redid the room it was easy to remove and the staple holes were small enough that the new paint filled them in -- no need to spackle.

I wonder if this would work with 3M removable adhesive?

I was only allowed to paint a feature wall in my flat, I went dark and LOVE it.
http://www.designgratislondon.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/marvellously-moody.html

When my parent's were newly weds they lived in an apartment & they starched fabric to the walls. This blogger shows herself doing the project with her mom & has a link to instructions, if you're interested.

Oops! Here's the link:
http://athomewithh.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-to-starch-fabric-to-walls.html

I think your room in all black would look spectacular! It currently looks like a medium gray already so I'm not sure why the skeptics are freaking out. The only thing I would add is that you may want to get a white quilt/coverlet, maybe like this: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30162637/#/10162638

to replace the gray one at the bottom of your bed, just to add a little brightness. With the addition of a white or off-white coverlet at the base of the bed, I think the rest of your bedding will continue to work well.

Sadly - they won't even let me use fabric starch on the walls! Management is strict here. I may have to try getting picture frames of various sizes and spray painting them all a glossy black so the variety "matches.."

Definitely go the whole hog and paint all the walls black - I started with a 'feature wall' in my bedroom and then, when I had the ok from the other half, did the whole room. It's so much cooler now, with all the bright colours popping against it. http://gettingitswoonworthy.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/the-art-of-pose-photo-shoot-and-bedroom.html

Love Abigail Ahern's style too, definitely one of my favourite British Designers!

x

I love black - but you can't always get a client to go with that absence of color! I have had better success with a tone on tone black damask as the backdrop for a wall or that with a white or off white wainscoting.

I am dying to do a black ante - but takers yet!!

Love Abigail...

Linda

Oops - I meant "mantle"

Linda

I have never seen black interior painting done so well. I'm not too sure about the black mantle around the fireplace, but I really like #4 with the white line, and art to help break up the darkness. I almost regret going with sea glass green now.