Gone are the days of playing it safe and keeping rooms white and beige. Darker colours have become a popular decorating trend for good reason; supplying a dramatic, cocooning feel that looks fantastic in offices, bedrooms, and even small hallways.
Before you paint your ceilings, the easiest way to achieve this look is by investing in some statement dark furniture.
Dark Furniture That Makes a Statement
Dark or even black furniture can create a modern, contemporary aesthetic in your home if done right. It’s bold and striking but admittedly, not always easy to style. If done wrong, dark furniture can make a room look smaller, so here are our top tips and tricks to achieve a beautifully styled space with dark shelving and storage.
Contrast Colours
Make your dark furniture the centerpiece of your space by pairing it with light walls and floors to create a striking contrast. AKA: it doesn’t all have to match.
First pick which darks you’re going to pair with lighter colours – dark grey, red, blue, green or pure black will all look great, but it’s best to stick to one to make sure things don’t become overbearing. Keeping to a theme but not the same shade will ensure the contrasting colours work together.
A pair of statement black bookshelves surrounded by white walls attracts the eye and provides an easy centerpiece. Use this to your advantage by picking the side of your room that you want to stand out. If black is a little too dark for you, our dark shelving comes in graphite and anthracite to keep up the dark academia vibe without forcing you to commit to jet black furniture.
We recommend going against tradition and picking a wall that doesn’t get direct sunlight, as this can make dark furniture stand out a little too much and gives the appearance that you’re trying to brighten it up, rather than leaning into the dark academia aesthetic.
Layer Textures
It’s not just colours you can contrast with, but textures. Pairing dark furniture with wooden tones is a fantastic way to soften the look and add warmth to a room. Glass is also a fantastic choice to layer with dark furniture, even better if you can fit both into the same piece, like our graphite and glass shelving.
Mix and match different textures, using rugs to add warmth and break up the dark surfaces of your furniture. This is especially important if your floor is also a dark shade to add a bit of needed contrast.
Dress Black Furniture With Greenery
Black furniture is bold, it is not a subtle choice. If you want to tone things down a little, incorporating greenery will add life to the space, pairing beautifully with black furniture and adding a refreshing natural element.
Statement Lighting
If you’re reading this and thinking, hang on, I’m not trying to make my dark furniture subtle – then don’t worry! Go all out and make black the base colour for your room. That means walls and furniture need to match, but it doesn’t mean they have to be the same. Dark blues and greens look excellent on walls and pair beautifully with dark shelving.
The key to getting away with this is lighting. Lighting has to be considered when considering dark interior design. If you don’t have a naturally light room, black furniture will only make this more obvious. In that case, opt for warm lighting.
Final Thoughts
No matter how you decide to decorate with dark shelving and furniture, the main goal is to create a space you enjoy, even if it breaks the typical interior designer rules. Layering textures, perfecting lighting, and finding the perfect space come second to choosing a piece of furniture you enjoy and want in your home.
Discover our collection of dark shelving here, available in graphite and anthracite, and find the perfect match online.
