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You are here: Home / Interior Decorating / Before and after / Why dark walls look good in a room with little natural light

Why dark walls look good in a room with little natural light

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Before and after, How to decorate, Interior Decorating, The Victorian

Why would anyone paint a room with little natural light a dark color?  It seems weird.  And weird wouldn’t necessarily be out of character in this household.  But there is logic behind it!

Last week we painted our dining room dark blue.  The room is stuck in the middle of the floorplan, and doesn’t get much natural light, though it’s surrounded by rooms that are flooded with it.

dining room before and after paint

Last week, the dining room was still the same semi-gloss light yellow that it was when we bought the house.  The color, in itself, wasn’t bad, but here, it was really dreary.  See all the shadows in the “before” pictures that just make the room look drab?  The light color made it obvious that there was no natural light.  While the shadows on the dark walls just seem to add depth and richness.  So many shadows in a light painted room can make it feel cold, while shadows in a dark painted room make it feel warm.

dark-paint-in-dark-room

The dark walls have done two things for our room:

1. They give the room definition and clear boundaries and that makes it feel inviting and cozy.

This dining room has doorways in every direction (and the silly half-wall), which make it feel more like a hallway than a room.  But now that it’s painted in such a contrasting color from the other rooms, you can clearly see where the room begins and ends, which is another thing that gives it the warm, intimate feeling.

2. You no longer notice the lack of natural light.  Before, it was all I noticed, it felt like a cave, now it feels like an old fashioned library where you could curl up with a book and stay day.

Much like when driving and your lane is always the slowest, it seems to defy logic that a room without much natural light would feel drab when painted a light color.  It also seems to defy logic that a dark color would make it inviting and make you not realize there wasn’t much natural light.  It seems weird, but it works!  Would you ever try it?

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  1. [email protected]

    November 25, 2013 at 1:31 am

    It was a bold but great move and I like the cosiness of the room now.

    Reply
  2. Anita

    November 25, 2013 at 5:59 pm

    Love it! I didn’t know why it worked so well until you explained it, but it makes perfect sense now and looks beautiful, cozy, rich and chic all at the same time.

    Reply
    • Christina

      November 27, 2013 at 10:45 am

      Thanks, Anita! So glad I was able to make sense out of it. 🙂

  3. David Ryan

    November 26, 2013 at 3:38 am

    I like the dark painting than the light one. I agree. Your room looks even better with it.

    Reply
  4. Danielle @Storypiece

    November 27, 2013 at 12:32 am

    The dark walls make the space feel so inviting and elegant. Way to go with such rich tones when every blog out there is turning toward light and bright. I think it’s amazing and works so well in the space.

    Reply
    • Christina

      November 27, 2013 at 10:46 am

      Thank you, Danielle!

  5. Leena

    November 29, 2013 at 10:30 am

    good points! it is so cosy now

    Reply
  6. Christina

    January 22, 2014 at 8:41 am

    CommentLuv & Twitterlink test.

    Reply
  7. Manco Painting

    February 24, 2020 at 4:45 am

    Great transformation! I like the result!

    Reply
  8. Portella

    July 12, 2020 at 4:48 pm

    Awesome and informative as usual! Thanks for all the work you’ve been putting in.

    Reply
  9. Adam Smith

    July 30, 2020 at 1:33 am

    It’s a combination of day and night. Most of the people loves both colors. Thanks for your valuable advice.

    Reply

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Update: the MCM is officially sold! We did eventua Update: the MCM is officially sold! We did eventually finish most of our restoration/renovation projects. I'll share the updates in the coming months as we get settled in to our new place. 😁
House update! The realtor is still confused about House update! The realtor is still confused about why "it's such a popular house." When she arrived yesterday for a showing, there were 8 cars in the driveway. 😃

We had three offers the first day, one of whom hadn't even seen the house in person yet.
Surprise! The house is going on the market today. Surprise! The house is going on the market today. (Long story that I'll fill you in on when I have more than 2 seconds.)
.
But we're once again with a realtor that calls our house "unique" instead of calling it a Mid Century Modern. 🤦‍♀️
.
We can't count how many locals came into this house and mentioned that those windows should be removed and walled up and the beams cut off. And then it would be a "normal" house. 🤯
.
Still can't really identify with people in this area. 🤷‍♀️ SO happy to be going back home to the East coast TOMORROW!
Right? We're getting back into the house restorat Right? 
We're getting back into the house restoration and we'll be working on the powder room in the master bed. 
Guys. It's bad. Swipe to see.
And we're going to try to make it pretty with a super tiny budget of $100 in 4 weeks and we're joining the #100roomchallenge to keep us (me) motivated.
@little.victorian

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Update: the MCM is officially sold! We did eventua Update: the MCM is officially sold! We did eventually finish most of our restoration/renovation projects. I'll share the updates in the coming months as we get settled in to our new place. 😁
House update! The realtor is still confused about House update! The realtor is still confused about why "it's such a popular house." When she arrived yesterday for a showing, there were 8 cars in the driveway. 😃

We had three offers the first day, one of whom hadn't even seen the house in person yet.
Surprise! The house is going on the market today. Surprise! The house is going on the market today. (Long story that I'll fill you in on when I have more than 2 seconds.)
.
But we're once again with a realtor that calls our house "unique" instead of calling it a Mid Century Modern. 🤦‍♀️
.
We can't count how many locals came into this house and mentioned that those windows should be removed and walled up and the beams cut off. And then it would be a "normal" house. 🤯
.
Still can't really identify with people in this area. 🤷‍♀️ SO happy to be going back home to the East coast TOMORROW!
Right? We're getting back into the house restorat Right? 
We're getting back into the house restoration and we'll be working on the powder room in the master bed. 
Guys. It's bad. Swipe to see.
And we're going to try to make it pretty with a super tiny budget of $100 in 4 weeks and we're joining the #100roomchallenge to keep us (me) motivated.
The bedroom design is starting to come together th The bedroom design is starting to come together thanks to Craigslist and Goodwill. 
#OneRoomChallenge
Our poor aloe plant is so gnarly and gangly. But a Our poor aloe plant is so gnarly and gangly. But at least I haven't killed it in the last 4 years! Anyone know why it's growing so ugly? 
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Roscoe got his (pretty bad) spring haircut today. Roscoe got his (pretty bad) spring haircut today. Good thing he still has a gorgeous face. #baddogmom
When you try to comment on Instagram and your phon When you try to comment on Instagram and your phone is sure you meant excrement instead of excellent.... #Lovely #ThanksPhone This picture isn't too lovely either, but I'm sharing it anyway.  It's the still-in-progress dog bed we made this week during the #OneRoomChallenge Details about it are on the blog!
@little.victorian

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