One reader is ready for a makeover, but how drastic is too drastic? Dream Team member and interior design expert Jennifer Adams comes to the rescue and shows her the light when it comes to painting a wall black!
Q. Is black too dark for a wall color?
-Lyn W.
A. It depends on the room and its purpose. Dark colors often make a room feel dramatic, intimate and luxurious… but in the wrong hands it might feel dark and dreary! Typically I prefer lighter toned neutrals on walls across the board, but you can get away with dark and dramatic colors in rooms such as powder baths, entries, game or movie rooms, and maybe kitchens and dining rooms if there is also a lot of lighter colored cabinetry and a lot of natural light.
Dark paint in a room such as a living or dining room with a lot of windows could be beautiful, as the change from daytime to night would be so dramatic. But don’t limit dark paint to just large rooms. For small rooms like powder baths you can play up the dark paint with dramatic and sparkly accessories.
If you think black might be too dark, it might be your gut telling you it is. But if you like the idea of something dramatic and bold, think about dark warm gray or navy blue instead, for a softer effect. You can even work up to a dark color by painting a medium tone warm gray or navy blue first, and see how you feel about it.
Talk with your paint provider before doing it yourself. A tinted primer or a special type of paint that will hold the color might be necessary for the color you want.
Send in a picture and let me know how it goes!
-Jennifer A.