The dark side

There’s a certain wild beauty about today’s dark paint colours. We’ve moved away from plain blacks and charcoals to colours with more depth and interest. These are stormy, twisted colours that on the one hand can be brooding and torrid, but on the other hand can be comforting and enclosing. Think sooty faded black, brackish green, bruised grey, bitter brown and briny blue.

These evocative colours can be used for different effects. One way is to really commit to one shade. If you can match your couch and armchairs to the shade of your walls, and add tonal elements, you’ll create an intriguing, comforting space. You can even paint the ceiling dark.

The shadowy, bruised grey of these bedroom walls (above) anchor a tonal dusky purple scheme, enhanced by the relaxed shapes of rounded vases and wall hangings, and the crumpled linen bedding. Dark colours also work well with the trend for velvet furnishings.

Or use a dark colour as a robust backdrop to allow bolder and brighter accent colours to shine. These kinds of colours need stronger shades to match their power but if you want to go soft and dusky, just use a lot of it. Accessories and furnishings can also be switched out for seasonal effect.

This dining space (below) matches the strength of the teal blue walls with waxed concrete floors and a sturdy timber table.

Left: Wall in Resene Coast, floor protected with Resene Concrete Wax, plant pots in Resene Ship Cove and stools in Resene All Black.  Right: Dark tone-on-tone is elegant and intriguing. The walls and floor here are Resene Quarter Bokara Grey.

Dark coloured walls are supremely versatile and can be joined by many styles of furnishings and accessories to suit many tastes. We took one room, painted the walls in Resene Indian Ink and had it styled in three distinctive themes – contemporary, coastal and classic. The contemporary setting at the bottom mixes the Resene Indian Ink walls with aqua blues and silver. A midcentury sofa and glass-topped table painted in Resene Deep Teal lend an architectural feel. The picture frame is painted in Resene Silver Aluminium and the floor is in Resene Midwinter Mist.

Watch what happens when you introduce plywood floors finished in Resene Colorwood Whitewash (above left). The look is coastal cool with light, slightly rustic furnishings. The peg stools are painted in Resene Wedgewood (darker) and Resene Eskimo and the magazine rack is in Resene Half Sea Fog.

This more traditional, luxe setting goes classic and cosy (above top right) with a Resene Persian Red painted coffee table and a small side table in Resene Negroni. The floor is painted in Resene Bastille.

Other stormy darks to try:

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