Dark and Dramatic

Over the years, I have heard many clients say that they do not want to paint a space a dark color because they are afraid it will make it feel smaller. This fear is especially powerful for small rooms.

Yet, a dark color can actually make a room look larger. It seems counter-intuitive, I know, but Interior Design Mantra #6, seen at the right on this blog, is true: "Light colors advance, dark colors recede."

Think about it. It is the reason theaters hang black fabric around the perimeter of stage sets and in wings... it masks the entrances and backstage areas. Black makes those areas disappear. The dark color does not permit the eye to read any definition, any spatial markers, any dimensions. As far as an observer knows, that space could be 30 feet deep...there's no way to know.

With this idea, small spaces are actually ideal candidates for black or dark colors on the walls... there is simply much less visual information for the brain to process the shape of the room.

Powder rooms seem to benefit the most from this optical illusion.

Butler pantries and narrow hallways are also logical places to employ this color trick...it makes these spaces seem not only larger but more elegant and intriguing.

But larger rooms look fantastic in darker colors as well...

The home of London designer Abigail Ahern is a spectacular example of the power of dark colors in every room...

If you'd like to add some dark drama to your home, give me a call!

Happy designing!

Why Not: Stripes!

Bold. Interesting. Stripes can make a statement in a space unlike anything else. On the floor or on the walls or even ceiling...

And stripes can go anywhere. The bathroom above is in the Roman home of architect Achilles Salvagni but the striped floor continues into the kitchen seen below!

This incredible entry below at the home of Lara and Jeff Sanderson by Kelly Wearstler features a double dose of stripes on the floor and the ceiling!

A riot of color erupts from the striped walls in the vivid home of Muriel Brandolini.

In the home of Todd Hase, stripes in a tower bedroom give the appearance of being in a tent!

Paula Caravelli of Paula + Martha used large scale, graphic brown stripes to great effect in the butler's pantry of her home.

Red stripes in an entry by Kristina Ratia are a fun way to say hello and announce your personality to visitors!

Designer Bruno Caumont used hand-painted lilac and cream stripes as a classical background for a salon-grouping of art pieces.

If you're ready to give stripes a try, whether with tile in a bathroom, or with wallcovering or paint on your walls, give me a call!

Happy designing!