dark the side Brooding and powerful – today’s darks are packed with personality There’s a certain wild beauty about today’s dark paint colours. We’ve moved away from plain blacks and charcoals to colours with more depth and interest. These are stormy, twisted colours that on the one hand can be brooding and torrid, but on the other hand can be comforting and enclosing. Think sooty faded black, brackish green, bruised grey, bitter brown and briny blue. These evocative colours can be used for different effects. One way is to really commit to one shade. If you can match your couch and armchairs to the shade of your walls, and add tonal elements, you’ll create an intriguing, comforting space. You can even paint the ceiling dark. The shadowy, bruised grey of these bedroom walls (right) anchor a tonal dusky purple scheme, enhanced by the relaxed shapes of rounded vases and wall hangings, and the crumpled linen bedding. Dark colours also work well with the trend for velvet furnishings. Or use a dark colour as a robust backdrop to allow bolder and brighter accent colours to shine. These kinds of colours need stronger shades to Left: Wall in Resene Coast, floor protected with Resene Concrete Wax, plant pots in Resene Ship Cove and stools in Resene All Black 4 |