This Plain White Bedroom Transforms with a Luxe, Moody Paint Color
Going with a dark paint color in your bedroom is a surefire way to create a cozy, cocoon-like vibe. Just ask the owners of this jet-black bedroom, this navy room, and this deep-red one.
Designer Harry Young Parmenter (@harryyoungdesign) also opted for dark paint in his sleep space, but he balanced it out with bright white on the ceiling. When Harry was house hunting, he was drawn to the wood-clad ceilings and, in the primary bedroom, the natural light.
He did, however, want to replace the exterior door with a large window instead, and he reworked a utility closet next door to the room into a primary bathroom. The professional renovation of Harry’s entire home (designed by Harry) took six months and included redoing all of the plumbing, electrical, HVAC, drywall, and trim, and adding hardwood floors.
“The house was built in 1955 and had been barely touched since then, so I knew we had a lot of work to do,” he says. Here’s how his primary bedroom changed.
There’s more storage in the same square footage.
During the renovation, Harry had a utility closet next to the bedroom converted into an ensuite closet and bathroom.
The square footage from the closet in the “before” image became space for 8-foot tall, wall-to-wall wardrobes, which make the room feel both taller and wider. Keeping the lofty wood ceilings white helped with that, too.
The deep brown paint creates a serene “sanctuary” vibe.
Harry shares his home with his partner, Matthew, but the two don’t share a room. “It’s nice for us to both have our own sanctuaries where we can get lost in our little creative worlds and reconvene as we please,” Harry says.
The deep brown paint (Farrow & Ball’s Salon Drab) he chose for the walls certainly helps create a cozy, relaxing vibe. Harry writes on Instagram that he was inspired by earthy tones and textures for his design.
Furniture completes the bedroom.
The artwork — one of Harry’s favorite ways he incorporated nature with contemporary flair — is from 1stDibs. His bed and nightstands are from CB2, and the swivel sconces flanking the sides of the bed are from Ferm. He says the blackout curtains in the room were an absolute must, as he wakes up at the slightest sliver of light.
“I wanted to create a neutral but cozy and comfortable atmosphere that still had an element of freshness, modernity, and maybe even a little sexiness,” Harry says of his decorating style — and he certainly achieved the look. For more dreamy, dark sleep spaces, check out these 20 bedrooms featuring dark paint.
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