Stylish, comfortable living room in dark colors

2019-02-28

Author: Belfan

Issues discussed in the material:

• What are the pros and cons of designing a living room in dark colors?
• What color principles should be used in the interior of a dark living room?
• In what styles can you decorate a living room in dark colors?
• What furniture to choose for a living room in dark colors?
• What are the features of a living room interior in black?

Psychologists have a theory that everyone has a corresponding shade or even several, because people cannot be separated from the natural environment with its variety of unique colors. For any person, it is natural to strive for comfort, and everyone has special requirements for color combinations when creating an interior composition in their home. How do you like the idea of ​​implementing a living room interior in dark colors? Our article will tell you what nuances need to be taken into account.

Color solutions in the interior of a dark living room

When we talk about design in dark colors, this does not mean that all surfaces are dark. A dull and gloomy living room, in which it is dark as a cave, is definitely not the dream of its owner. The distribution of such shades must be thoughtful, only then the project will be successful. In each specific case, the interior design option with dark finishes and furniture will be individual. But there is a list of basic rules proposed by designers for the proper distribution of such shades.

To create a color “portrait” of the future interior, you need to take into account the basic principles:

• You can without hesitation decorate a spacious room with dark tones, for example, wallpaper in this color. Only all dark corners should be well lit.

In a living room with a small area, the decoration should be done in a light tone, while pieces of furniture and some details can be dark. It is better if the ceiling is very light.

Attention:

a living room, the small size of which is not suitable for decoration in dark shades, can be enlarged by combining it with a kitchen or balcony.



• A living room with windows facing south is more suitable for a dark finish; good natural lighting will not allow the room to look gloomy. For less lit rooms, it is better to choose light colors of wallpaper and furniture.
• A dark palette will look more harmonious with the inclusion of contrasting combinations. For example, white or other bright elements are very eye-catching. A set in light colors looks impressive against a dark background and vice versa.

Let us remind you once again that using only black and dark shades in decoration will make your interior dull and boring. It is necessary to adhere to certain proportions when choosing colors to decorate the living room. Professional designers have proposed a scheme for selecting three types of shades (dark, medium, light) with a ratio of 2:2:1 for the design of living rooms in dark colors.

For example, the living room has a dark floor, then the walls can be decorated with medium-tone materials and the room can be decorated with light decor. Dark wall decoration allows you to favorably present light furniture against your background.

Fans of contrasting combinations can use black and white as the main ones, and complement them with red accents. Photos of such living room interiors in dark colors with bright accents are presented in abundance on the Internet. A design with this combination looks stylish and expressive, but such a radical solution may not suit everyone.

There are many other interesting developments. The main tones in the decoration can be:

• chocolate;
• emerald;
• sapphire;
• cherry;
• Bordeaux;
• shades of asphalt.

After choosing a base, it is not difficult to create combinations from the middle or light part of the spectrum to ultimately get a stylish design. It must be remembered that creating an interior with a predominance of dark tones in a room of up to 18 m2 is no longer suitable: it must be decorated in light shades. Dark tones in small rooms should be used, if at all, in doses, as separate elements. For example, make one wall in the room dark and the upholstery can be the same.

The wall is a fairly large furniture module; it occupies a significant part of any living room.

Therefore, it is important to make the right choice of furniture for the living room, thanks to which comfort and convenience will be achieved throughout the room.

It is considered quite common that when decorating the interior of an apartment, you should not use black shades, because this is the most inappropriate color.

But a designer who has been working in this field for several days can always prove the opposite.

After all, black color is not so much characterized by darkness as it is strict and sophisticated.

Fashion trends in modern furniture fashion dictate their own rules in matters of choosing furniture for decorating a living room. Of course, this also applies to the choice of furniture colors.

In the modern pace of life, many strive for minimalism in design, and a black wall is perfectly suited for decorating a living room in a strict, laconic minimalist style.

Dark living room colors in various styles

Interiors with dark decoration are primarily English and classic styles. In such living rooms you can see wooden furniture in chocolate-coffee color and textiles in bottle, cherry, royal blue and other noble and refined tones.

The living room with dark wallpaper and furniture is illuminated by a magnificent sparkling chandelier, on which crystal pendants shimmer, gilded elements and textiles with patterns of metallized threads look harmonious. A large mirror in a beautiful frame will add light. Of course, in such a living room a person will feel comfortable, despite the dark design.

To implement interiors in high-tech and minimalist styles, designers use black, asphalt gray, dark green or dark blue shades, as well as purple. They are the main ones when choosing finishing materials, upholstery fabrics, furniture facades and decorative decorations. The cold metallic shine of the decor and the gloss of the surfaces perfectly complement the overall picture.

Also, a spectacular image is obtained by using only black and white shades. Black and white photographs or, conversely, bright abstract paintings will be an effective way to decorate plain walls. Another way to decorate modern living rooms is to organize lighting with LED lamps.

The loft style is also not against the use of dark colors. This design combines terracotta brick walls with gray concrete and metal. The dark range is slightly diluted with bright, pure shades.

Decorating a room with dark furniture

In addition to the contrasting black and white option, you can decorate a room with dark furniture in rich or deep colors.

In addition to maximum natural light, rooms furnished with black, brown, gray, brown furniture require a special artificial lighting system.

Wall canvases

A variety of finishing options are suitable. The materials are not of fundamental importance. Color and accents are much more important. What wall decoration is suitable for a room with dark furniture:

• wallpaper with heraldic patterns, with a gold or bronze sheen;
• plain light wallpaper or material with linear patterns;
• bright walls finished with textured plaster, liquid or roll wallpaper;
• slabs made of natural or artificial stone - it can be dark, to match the furniture or neutral; it is better to combine slabs with light wallpaper;
• photo wallpaper, 3D panels using bright or pastel colors.

Combined wall finishes are interesting, for example, a combination of bare brick and plaster.

The overhead light is combined with spot lighting of the depth of shelves, corners, especially darkened areas.

Floor and its covering

The floor can be made in the same color as the furniture. In this case, the wall decoration should be quite bright, since light colors will create too sharp a transition: the walls will stand out from the overall interior design. In this case, tiles with a glossy finish or laminate would be appropriate.

A reasonable approach to choosing the colors of surrounding objects can reduce the gloominess of dark furniture sets to zero.

If a black and white design scheme is chosen, then the floor should be finished with the lightest, matte finish possible.

The diluting colors can be creamy, creamy - the whole beige range along with snow-white.

Harmony in color

Dark furniture can have a warm or light undertone. The entire interior should be decorated in the same color scheme: a blue-black cabinet looks rather ridiculous against the background of light beige walls, and vice versa, “warm” chocolate-colored furniture will stand out against the background of “cold” wall decoration.

A combination of light walls and dark furniture in strict colors is the basis on which an interior with dark furniture of any style is built.

Decorating the living room in dark colors

Living room with dark floor.

The dark floor gives the interior a majestic and solid look. Against this background, furniture made of natural wood with leather or velor upholstery looks great. Designers can offer different options, and the decision will depend on the style of the room and the personal preferences of the owner. Typically finishing is done from:

• granite-like tiles;
• oak parquet in dark tones;
• laminate in wenge, cherry or other shades.

Floors with imitation stone coverings have a solid and luxurious look. Matte surfaces with a muted shine look great and noble in classic living rooms. Gloss is closer to modern styles.

Flooring made from natural wood or its high-quality replacement looks presentable and is also comfortable. This option is widely used to create classic, Scandinavian and other styles.

Dark floors in the living room can be supported by decorating the walls in the same shades. Only the ceiling and furniture in such cases should be light or medium tones, otherwise the room will look gloomy.

How to choose living room furniture in dark colors

To create harmony in the interior of a dark living room, you need to add light objects - cabinet or upholstered furniture. Installing dark furniture is acceptable if a minimum of black and gray shades are used in the design.

The color of cabinet furniture is chosen depending on the color design of the walls, this rule especially applies to large furniture sets.

Thus, the minimum amount of dark tones used in the decoration of the room allows you to install dark upholstered furniture.

A room decorated in dark colors creates a feeling of restraint and conciseness. For example, you can choose the following composition: finishing with soft panels of a dark tone, purple upholstered furniture and golden lamps. There are a lot of options for decorating living rooms. Leather, stone, wood harmoniously complement the interiors, the use of species such as oak and cherry is especially important; Shimo ash has also earned particular popularity. After completing the main design work, it’s time for accessories. Without these accents the picture will not be complete.

Furniture selection

To decorate a dark bedroom, light furniture is widely used. This will reduce the load on the interior. At the same time, do not forget that in small rooms you should use a minimum amount of furniture. Thanks to this, it will be possible to save the missing space.

In some cases, you can use dark furniture. Of course, here you need to make sure that it fits into the interior as organically as possible and does not visually reduce the space.

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Proper lighting in the interior of a dark living room

The principle of organizing lighting for the living room interior in dark colors comes down to the following - there should be as much light as possible. If the room's decoration and furniture have a matte texture that absorbs light, then more lamps will be needed. Glossy surfaces have reflective properties that change the visual sensations of the environment, so in such a room you should carefully approach the installation of lamps. The system must be combined. The overhead light will come from a large chandelier, plus each zone should be equipped with additional lamps.

Interior elements for the living room in dark colors

It is worth emphasizing that an interior with a dark finish is associated with wealth and solidity. When implementing this design concept, various techniques are used. The use of the following elements will help emphasize significance:

• pieces of furniture with parts made of glass, metal or decorated with gilded patterns;
• carved frames on mirrors or mirror mosaics;
• large crystal chandelier with pendants, sconces, LED lamps;
• natural or decorative fireplace.

Sparkling crystal, metallic shine, gilding - these details perfectly complement such a room, eliminating unnecessary severity. Installing a fireplace harmonizes the atmosphere, filling the room with comfort and warmth.

Living room interior in black tones (+ photos)

Recently, black has been actively used to create home interiors. It can be combined with many other shades, no matter whether they are cool or warm, bright or muted.

Black color brings features of nobility, luxury and expressiveness. This tone is very active, and previously it was used in the design of apartments and houses only as an additional accent. But now fashion trends dictate new rules in the use of black, and interest in it has grown greatly. Increasingly, this color dominates the interiors of living rooms and other living spaces.

There are several options for combining black with other colors:

Black and gold.

This expressive and sophisticated combination of shades transforms the interior. The brightness and shine of gold contrasts with deep black, giving the room dynamics.

It is very important to take into account when planning a black design that if there is an excess of this color, it can have a negative impact on the psyche of the people in this room.

A black living room will not seem gloomy if the walls have an unusual, heterogeneous texture. Since we are talking about a pair of black and gold, let one of the walls be dressed in gold.

The panel, illuminated by light and slightly glittering with gold, perfectly copes with the role of an active component of the interior, attracts the eye and does not allow one to concentrate on the dark surroundings. The real photo above shows a similar living room design in dark colors in a modern style.

Remember that artificial and natural light, falling on shiny surfaces, visually increases the size of the room.

So, as decorative elements in a living room with a dark finish, you can safely use gilding on frames, candlesticks, vases and other items that match the classic design.

Decorating with lamps with metal gilded shades is more suitable for modern design.

The duet of black and gold in the living room is perfectly complemented by furniture in a gray tone. It is worth taking a closer look at the large modular sofa installed at the junction of the walls. You can put a small wall with a TV on the opposite wall.

Artificial lighting can be represented by lamps with metal lampshades. It is better if the room is well lit with natural light during the day.

A room with a window facing north or west will experience a lack of sunlight. But if you want to implement a design in black colors, you need to install more lamps. This will make you feel comfortable and cozy.

Interior in black and white.

This contrasting combination can be used in the following styles:

• modern;
• art deco;
• eco;
• minimalism;
• constructivism;
• pop Art;
• high tech;
• loft.

Pay attention to some important points that will make the black and white setting unforgettable, impressive and also practical.

• Perhaps you should seriously think about the feasibility of creating such a design when there are kids growing up in the house, otherwise you will constantly worry about the whiteness of your furniture and walls.

A child should grow up in an atmosphere of care for him, and not about sofas. It probably makes sense to wait until the children are older and you don’t have to constantly rein them in.

• If your decision is firm and a black and white interior is your dream, then carefully read the recommendations and follow them so that your renovation makes you happy and not sad:

• Construction and finishing materials should be subject to increased requirements in terms of water resistance; they must be washable.
• It is better to purchase white upholstered furniture with removable covers, in this case it will be easier to deal with dirt.
• If you are planning a white floor covering, then pay attention to carpet with anti-vandal properties.
• Paint the walls with white paint for external use: it has a higher resistance class and is easy to clean.

Here are a few more subtleties of black and white room design:

• The unshakable rule is that white ones can be increased in size, and dark ones can be reduced in size. For a small living room, primacy should be given to white, but in spacious ones you can boldly use black.
• The correct proportional relationship of colors should not be neglected - an equal number of these shades should not be allowed in the interior. Be extremely careful, it is necessary that one of the tones prevails, otherwise the design will feel variegated and disharmonious.
• It looks stylistically correct to create a black and white living room by introducing transitional shades. For a calm and balanced person, the presence of gray and its undertones is enough. Creative and extraordinary individuals are prone to brighter accents: red, yellow, orange.



• In a contrasting interior, it is worth choosing a monochrome type carpet or rug to eliminate additional variegation; in this case, for practical reasons, it is better to choose dark covering options. It can be a steel, muted red, terracotta shade. But brown will reduce all contrast to nothing, and the design will look boring.
• As you can imagine, there is an impressive range of wallpaper materials on the market today, and there is such an interesting option as black and white photo wallpaper. They will visually enlarge a small space, and add perspective to a large one.

Features of the living room interior in brown tones

Symbolism and impact of the color brown.

Chocolate colors with their noble tints can transform any interior. The brown palette fills the living room with the calm and comfort of a homely atmosphere. Soft, warm, calming shades, coupled with original artistic solutions, create a respectable environment, emphasizing the sophistication of the owner’s taste. The brown color scheme is typical for many popular trends.

The main thing that distinguishes the coffee palette is its ability to have a calming effect on the nervous system. Dark brown decoration, furniture and professionally selected lighting create an atmosphere of relaxation and security in the living room, relieving emotional and physical stress. Therefore, any shade of this range can be used when decorating a room.

The brown palette belongs to natural natural colors, because building materials of natural origin, such as stones and wood, have chocolate-earth tones.

Deep brown is related to the colors of the earth, it is associated with reliability, stability, security and the ability to solve pressing problems. It is good to use for those who want to receive support and confidence in their abilities. In a calm environment, you can quickly concentrate and find the right solution to any problem. By focusing on positive and warm colors when planning your interior, even the most melancholic people will worry less about little things and become fixated on failures.

The main palette of brown shades.

The variety of brown colors provides great opportunities when choosing the color design of living rooms, ranging from dark tones to soft pastels. The most popular chocolate shades are harmoniously integrated into the space, create a successful union with others and transform the interior beyond recognition. Namely:

• Tones of chocolate and coffee will decorate the spacious living room, flooded with natural sunlight.
• A small city apartment will acquire extraordinary charm in shades of mocha, cappuccino, cocoa and beige.
• Cinnamon will add coziness to the interior, and with the help of yellow and red accents you can add dynamics and energy to the atmosphere.
• Any of the shades of natural wood with a preserved natural pattern is appropriate in decorating a classic interior. Such an environment harmoniously affects the well-being of the people living here, filling them with positivity and peace of mind.

Brown color and different stylistic directions.

It is also not common for various fashion trends to abandon dark and pastel chocolate tones. The universal color scheme easily adapts to the designer’s requirements and suits the restrained classic version, palace baroque, laconic minimalism and hi-tech. Coffee and dark chocolate furniture sets will elegantly fit into the conservative classics of the living room. A designer working in country style cannot do without it, because the rustic style prefers objects made of wood. Cream undertones will be an ideal complement to natural materials.

The originality of Art Nouveau with its smooth and soft lines will be complemented by shades of beige and brown. Similar to the country style, this trend is also characterized by wood tones and cream color.

Modern minimalism allows brown tones into its space to give it homely warmth, slightly displacing metal fittings, mirrored furniture and chrome decor. Parquet floors or their high-quality imitation do not contradict the restrained style; against their background, functional furniture looks even more magnificent.

Popular combinations with other shades.

A room in coffee shades will not turn out gloomy and dull if properly combined with other tones that highlight its strengths:

• The combination of chocolate with a hint of ivory will add solemnity and nobility to the living room.
• The combination of cinnamon and milk tones looks cozy and cute.
• Bleached types of brown tones are harmoniously complemented by delicate pastels. The dark tones of mocha and cocoa go well with peach and pale pink, while becoming softer.



• Beige and white combined with coffee color will help create an accent finish on one wall.
• Chocolate and green also make a friendly combination. Just choose calm grassy or marshy shades that are more suitable for the overall concept of the space.
• The combination of black and coffee has every chance of filling the room with the aroma of wealth. Dark colors will favorably accept golden decor and bright lighting.
• Brown plus blue or turquoise - this combination can be called bold, but harmonious from the point of view of designers. Contrast will refresh the interior composition and eliminate excessive severity.

Using bright accents

A monochrome room looks rather boring.
To correct the situation and create a rosy mood, you need to install bright accents. So, if cream wallpaper was used to decorate the bedroom, then you can decorate the interior with yellow, blue or turquoise. Related article: Choosing a design for the bedroom: lightness and tranquility

The floor covering is also important. To do this, it is better to use yellow rugs that resemble sun rays. With the help of such elements you can create a rainbow mood in the room.

You can place accents using a blue tint, which is associated with the sky and bodies of water. Using this color will make the space somewhat larger and lighter.

Bright accents should fit into the interior as organically as possible. These can be paintings, textiles (decorative pillows, bedspreads) and other interior items.