Ask Joshua - Beautiful Black

Hi Joshua,

I’m toying with the idea of painting black in my bedroom without feeling like it’s too dark. I know people say you can do it, but it still scares me a little because it’s so bold. Should I do it?

-Pamela, Toronto, Canada

Scandinavian style living room with black walls. Image created using AI via Canva

Hi Pamela,

I know painting a dark color can be intimidating and black is as dark as you can go. You can definitely be successful in using black on your walls, and even ceiling, as the above picture beautifully illustrates. Even with the black ceiling, this room doesn’t look or feel dark or cramped at all, but there’s some things to keep in mind when translating this to your own space and why it works here.

First, make sure you’ve got plenty of lighting in the space; natural lighting would be amazing. Second, notice the details on the walls and ceiling in the picture; there’s wainscoting, moulding and paneling on the ceiling. These details provide texture to the walls and help give it depth so there is reflected light that provides interest to your eye instead of a blank, flat, and oppressive black slab. If you don’t have this in your space, this is not hard to add, especially moulding or simple wainscoting.

Lastly, everything else in the space is light, natural, neutral tones. While there are little bits of blue, green, and a touch of orange here, you could add more pops of color if you wanted. Unless you really want to go crazy in your space, allow the walls themselves to be the statement in the room and keep everything else toned down, which is best if you’re going for a relaxing bedroom. Your eyes will be drawn to the lighter pieces anyway against the backdrop of the black walls.

I hope this advice helps you a little to gain the confidence to go bold with black. Good luck on your space and I’d love to see final pictures!

-Joshua Jones

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