Paint It Black (The Bedroom, That Is)

When I first moved into my Victorian duplex apartment (about a year ago), one of the first rooms to get painted was the yellow room. I painted the office a vibrant chartreuse called Pollination from PPG. It's a gorgeous color that worked great with accents of gray, turquoise, white, and black. However, due to some re-arranging in my place... I swapped the bedroom and office. The bedroom got moved into the Pollination room and the office moved into the gray room. This arrangement really works best, so I won't be swapping back.

(Though, that picture above is almost enough to make me consider moving my office back into the front room. But it just doesn't work best for the flow of the apartment.)

I was in love with Pollination for an office color. I'm in love with the bright yellowish green in general. (Especially as an accent in my decor or my clothing!) However, I'm not so smitten with it as my bedroom color. 

After living with this color in my bedroom for several months now, I'm just not digging it. Sure, it picks up on the exact same color in my quilt... but I don't love how it pairs with the pops of red, burlap beige, and bits of darker greens.

Isn't it crazy how colors can look totally different when paired next to different colors? Turquoise and gray look gorgeous with Pollination! Red, beige, and other greens? Not so much.

It's just too much for a bedroom. So I've decided that rather than have the whole room painted this bright green color, I'd rather use it as an accent. 

And in the upcoming weeks, I'm going to paint my bedroom black... or a similarly dark shade.

Apartment Therapy

This first inspiration photo isn't of a bedroom, but I'm drawn to it because of how the emerald green curtains pair with the gray walls. It's lovely and I'd love to swap out the red curtains for green instead. I think Juniper Berry would do well – it's a dark gray with just a tinge of green in there.

Cup of Jo

Of course, I'm really drawn to the idea of painting the whole room black. I love the look of black with pops of white trim, warm wood furniture, and colorful accents (like my quilt). Black Magic would be a good option – and I like the name. (Picking paint colors based on name? Guilty.)

Apartment Therapy

Sometimes, the thought of a black room scares me just a little. Softening it up with a really, really dark navy blue like Sailor's Coat could be a good alternative. I love how this color looks with warm, golden-hued wooden floors (like mine), white trim, and colorful accents.

FADS Blog

Then I see a room like this and come right back to the black idea. Look at how that yellow pops against the black wall! Maybe I should spray paint my headboard mustard instead of red? I also adore the bits of gold here and I think Onyx is a strong contender.  

Brit + Co

I probably wouldn't go all-white with the bedding like in this bedroom. (My black cat Dahlia is allowed in the bedroom and I wouldn't want black cat hair all over the white bedspread.) But I do really like the little art gallery arrangement against a black wall. And Black Forest is a gorgeous color.

Architecture Art Designs

 

This black might lean a little too close to the purple side of things, but it could work. What I like about the idea of black walls is that I could change up my decor so easily. With Pollination, I feel a bit limited. But with a black like Napoleon, I could swap out accessories, bedding, and furniture easily knowing that black serves as an ideal backdrop for all sorts of colors – from my reds, greens, and beige to deep purples. 

Life Style Etc.

It's definitely more charcoal than black, but this color is the front-runner right now. It contrasts perfectly with crisp white trim, bright yellow, and shiny gold. Obsidian is in the lead.

West Elm

Going with a basic dark gray like Volcanic Ash would be similar to the Antique Silver I first used in my bedroom (which is where the office is now). This wouldn't be a bad thing. I loved having a gray bedroom. And this color is just a bit darker than Antique Silver, so I know I'd love it just as much.

Lesley W Graham

Here's another example of going with a deep, dark navy blue. Admiralty looks great with lots of white, pops of yellow, and glints of gold... and I imagine it'd look good with some red and green thrown against it, too.

Anthropologie 

Last but not least, I'm also considering the possibility of a really dark brown – kind of like a "dark chocolate" hue. It'd be a warm, luxurious backdrop for my bright colors and work well with the burlap accents I plan to bring in.

What do you think? Do you prefer a true black, warm charcoal, deep navy, dark chocolate, or maybe a purple or green tinged black? Would you or have you ever paint your bedroom such a dark color?

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