Dark As Night

Photo by Derek Swalwell

A few weeks ago we took the plunge and painted two of our four bedroom wall with Benjamin Moore's "Soot", a deep dark gray/black with a hint of blue to it. You might recall that it was one of our house colors when we were doing exterior paint over the summer.  When we moved in, the entire interior of the house was painted in flat "Swiss Coffee" white, even the woodwork, and the windows were covered in almond hued metal blinds. I left it that way for months while we contemplated the scope of the remodel and spent our energy on the outside of the house, landscaping, deck. Well, I'm almost ready to show you what is step one in getting our room together (truthfully, I'm waiting for our drapes to arrive).  Before I do, hopefully later this week, here's the inspiration.

I love the flat dark walls, matte textiles and wood in the room pictured above. Our room is really exposed, located in the front of the house, it looks out into our cul de sac, and is cast by a soul-sucking amber street light when we sleep.  Darkening the space, which we only really use to retreat to sleep, is a top priority.  

I love the black meets white in this small-space bedroom.  Leaving a white wall allows natural light to bounce off during the day, but the black grounds the room, drawing the walls in. Deborah Gordon of Ollie & Seb's Haus.

This room, while so much grander in scale, got me thinking about layout and fixtures.  I don't think I'd want anything hanging over my head here in earthquake country, but I love the chandelier and wall mounted lighting.

Photo by Fastighetsbyrån

This room, unlike the others, has a lot of natural woods, a mixture of Danish modern and rustic farm pieces, with grayish wood flooring (which we plan to use throughout our house).  I also liked the brass task lighting and mix of textures.

Courtesy of Oh Happy Day

Flora, wood, textiles, and a hanging chair.  If only I had the bay windows, and the ceilings.  This is too black for my space, but you see how everything pops against it.  

Stay tuned...xo