Want to Add Some Drama to Your Life? Paint a Wall Black

Posted by Tisha Morris on September 23, 2011

photo courtesy of Sherwin-Williams

I’ve toyed with the idea for years. But I’ve only just recently got up the nerve to try it. And I couldn’t be happier with the result. I painted my dining room black!

Sound dark, goth-like, and depressing? It’s anything but. Painting a room or an accent wall ‘black’ can add so much drama that it can make a room come completely alive. It highlights and brings to life everything else in the room – from art, pillows, and accessories to colors and textures. Concerned that it might make the room look dark? It actually can have the opposite effect. As I learned when I used to do architectural renderings, when you make one area darker with shadow, it makes other areas look much lighter. And so is the case with a room with a dark wall. It makes all the other colors pop. And any natural or artificial light is accented.

Pick Your Room

Like a good outfit, black can be elegant, sophisticated, and a show stopper. Is there a room that you want to make such a statement? For example, a powder room, entry foyer, or dining room is fodder for packing a powerful punch. Once you’ve found your room, decide on whether you want to paint the entire room black, or just an accent wall. For feng shui enthusiasts, consider using black in your front door entrance. This area represents your Career sector and the color associated with that section is Black.

Consider the trim color and other wall colors in the room that you are pairing it with. The great thing about black is that it goes great with just about any other color. That being said, stay away from pairing it with other dark colors, such as chocolate, navy, or forest green. Stick with other sophisticated colors, such as a sultry eggplant or radiant coral.

Be Creative

Similar to a luxury car, black provides a sleek, modern, classic look. For this reason, it can be fun to contrast it with textures and unpredictable colors. In my dining room where I painted my wall black, the rest of the walls are exposed brick. This rough, brick texture provided a great contrast to the sleekness of the black. I also added touches of color and textures to make the entire room come alive.

Or you can be totally fun with black by using black chalkboard paint!

Take a look at the pictures below and get started on adding some drama to your life.

Before…