Black magic

A cosy, cocoon-like lounge offers extra room to be creative with a colour scheme.

The place to go for winding down, a quiet coffee with a friend or curling up in front of a movie, calls for a more daring décor setting than other parts of the house. So why not create an edgy, moody interior with dark, smouldering hues that evoke comfort and glamour?

When we think of chic, cool bars and restaurants we’re often drawn to those with a touch of night-time glamour, places that feel they’re a secret escape from the mainstream, oozing comfort and style. There’s no reason why you can’t create this at home using colour and furnishing.

There is something so captivating about a dark, brooding colour scheme; many bold colours have a complexity and moodiness that is hard to not be captivated by. They draw us into their comforting cocoon-like aesthetic, where it's cosy and protective. Sometimes it’s a nice change from a colour – we simply crave something bold and neutral. This couldn’t be more apt than in a lounge where we go to unwind, relax and reset.

Just as there is an array of whites out there, the same applies to blacks. Our hero colour in this lounge is Resene Boris, a dark tarmac grey, too soft to be black but, rather, sooty. Far from being severe, it has a softness that invites and envelopes, comforting within its setting. With a flat, matt finish, it adds to the intimacy of the room and enhances its cosiness. But that’s not to say you can’t bring it the blackest black to your setting and have fun incorporating it with Resene Boris. We brought in Resene Element, a warmly dark stone, on the fireplace and dado to bring drama and a contemporary edge. By allowing its glossy finish to shine through, Resene Element reflects light and brings a touch of life to the walls.

While the black walls and fireplace do the talking, the floor also makes its mark, embracing patterns and light colours for personality. We’ve used Resene Concrete, a frosted silver grey on the floor with a pattern in Resene Mountain Mist, a soft grey. To create the template for the pattern we cut out shapes from the sponge, achieving a deliberately non-perfect effect; an easy, cost-effective way to transform your painted surfaces and a room as a whole, plus a way to give a space a little extra something! Our pattern is repetitive orderly and balanced, so it doesn’t create a headache for those in the room.

Drawing on this pale palette, we’ve echoed this serene tone throughout the room, injecting similarly light hues by way of the vase in Resene Concrete and the pendant, candles and side table in an equally subtle colour range.

To achieve harmony throughout the lounge we brought in Resene Element on the large vase with handles, lowboy top (in gloss) and large vase on lowboy. Resene Boris also repeats itself for continuity, on the basket and bobbly vase on the lowboy.

The timelessness of black is its versatility and adaptability. While the union of black and white is effective in its simple pairing, black can resonate powerfully when paired with strong, warm brights. Resene Lonestar, a powerful deep red, helps draw attention and brings warmth and spicy energy to the setting. While it exists on the lowboy base and the wave candle longer, it’s also replicated in the red of the red chairs. It’s a perfect accent colour solution because when you’re ready for a change, the lowboy and red chairs can be swapped out for furniture in a different accent hue.

What adds to the visual comfort and softness of this room are the curved lines and organic shapes which invite us in. Be it the pendant, floor shapes, side table, large vase or chairs, a gentle rhythm of organically inspired shapes makes softness and comfort their priority. It’s a fitting contrast to the black colour scheme, and the balance is perfect. This lounge embraces round silhouettes as opposed to rigid lines, glamorous curves over angled harshness and a relaxed softness over hard edges.

While it may seem that black isn’t for the fainthearted, a comforting, inviting interior can easily be achieved using this dark palette. Our final touches for this black lounge are soft lighting that provides a wash of gentle glow; such illumination will simply add to the comfort and cosiness of the room.

What better place could you turn to to find sanctuary and a peaceful retreat, curling up on a cosy armchair surrounded by cocoon-like walls? Of course, this colour doesn’t hold back from making a statement, but it will hold its own when it comes to providing a nurturing, intimate for all of those who cross to the dark side.

Colours mentioned in this article

Styling by Melle Van Sambeek. Photography by Bryce Carleton. 2024