This City’s Homes Have Some of the Best Use of Dark Paint Color We’ve Ever Seen
From the beautiful house tours I’ve seen over the years —no one decorates with dark wall paint colors quite like Londoners. Now, I’ve of course seen stunningly dramatic darkly painted homes in other cities of the world, just as I’ve seen refreshingly light-colored homes in UK’s capital city. But there are so many gorgeous homes in London that we’ve toured here at Apartment Therapy that it’s clear: London homes are an absolute go-to for inspiration on dark, dramatic home design. Below, six homes that are packed with moody color palette motivation.
There’s a reason why the word “classic” is in this house tour’s title: the home’s decor itself is eclectic and pleasant, and the architectural bones hint at the home’s geographical location. But the way the couple who lives here uses rich, dark paint colors—especially in the kitchen and bedroom—shows that dark colors belong in any room of the house.
There’s an often repeated—but absolutely false —rumor that you shouldn’t use dark colors in a small space. While that can certainly be true in some instances, this compact, contemporary London home is only 600 square feet and proves that sometimes dark wall paint colors make a small space feel larger.
“The right color has such an impact on the way you feel about your home, and I like to think the colors we’ve used make ours a relaxed and happy home,” says Design Soda blogger and interior stylist Ruth Matthews of her London home. And I couldn’t agree more.
“As soon as I painted my hallway dark, I loved the coziness it gave,” says Catherine Ashton in her house tour. “It didn’t make the room look smaller, contrary to what people say, and I instantly fell in love with it. As I started googling more pictures of dark interiors I came across Abigail Ahern and was in awe of her dark, cozy cocooning home. She paints everything dark, including the ceilings. At first I was a bit apprehensive so I tried one room and immediately loved it and gradually, I became more confident and started doing all the rooms dark.”
Dark colors can not only be used to add drama to a home, they can help disguise things you don’t love about your space, from hiding wall imperfections to helping camouflage the television, as seen with the dark accent wall above.
Often displayed in museums and galleries on white walls, art arranged on top of dark-painted walls can be just as visually arresting. It can also be a tool of cohesion in a home with a lot of decor, all exemplified in the above beautiful space.
Welcome to ‘The World at Home: 31 Real House Tours Around the Globe.” Check out where else we’ve visited this month here.