Ever since the first house we bought, I’ve always gravitated towards a moodier bedroom. I think they are so romantic. But also, a dark, romantic bedroom is more of a retreat, and I think it helps her sleep.
Shop our bedroom | Paint color: Farrow & Ball London Clay
It’s much easier to be bolder in the bedroom when you have a mix of luxurious elements and fabrics. Especially on the walls — we chose a color that is almost like a chameleon. Sometimes it reads as dark brown, and sometimes it reads like it has some red and purple in it. My advice is to make sure your wall color is long lasting as it changes throughout the day.
Bold with the wall color
Go ahead and drench the room with color. Paint the walls. Paint the linings. Paint the ceiling. Painting multiple surfaces doesn’t increase costs too dramatically, and paint will never break the bank.
There are some colors that look richer than others. I like warm, darker tones. These shades are perfect for sleeping. In the bedrooms, I’ve had brownish tones from Farrow & Ball London Clay (our current color) to Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray to Martha Stewart Mushroom; this is what I gravitate towards. I did paint one bedroom blue, but it just wasn’t as relaxing and I repainted the room just a few days later.
Add drama with fancy lighting
Chandelier | Floor mirror | Curtains | Floor lamp | Armchairs | Stand | vase (similar)
There are very few places you would place a chandelier in your home – the bedroom is one of them! We added a crystal chandelier to our bedroom and it instantly evokes a boutique hotel feel. Such a romantic atmosphere in just one piece. These don’t even have to be expensive. Ours is from Pottery Barn, but you can also get vintage pieces that have a lot of character.
So what if you live in the south and are tied to your ceiling fan? My advice is to choose a fan color that will match your ceiling. This allows other parts of your room to take center stage.
Simplify the decor
I don’t like a lot of things on the walls in my bedroom, so I often gravitate towards decorations. Adding decorations to your walls creates accents and shadows and eliminates the need to hang a bunch of stuff on the walls.
It’s also a great touch to bring in some greenery. Simple stems offer a natural element that creates some dynamic height. I also think you can increase the romantic quotient by adding flowers or artificial flowers to the bedroom. I got really convincing artificial peonies from Afloral, and they make me feel special every day.
Bed (similar) | Bedding | Velvet bench (similar) | Nightstands (similar) | Carpet | Lamps (similar) | Image Light | art (original)
Soften with butter cloths
I love mixing textiles to create a more luxurious feel to a room. Velvets greatly enhance the luscious quality of a room. You can easily incorporate them into curtains or use velvet in seating from benches to chairs.
Leather is also a naturally dark material, but has an organic texture that feels right at home in a moody bedroom. We have it on the chair in the bedroom, but you can also have a leather box on the bedside table, leather fittings or bench legs wrapped in leather.
Image taken from @thegratzlife
Consider the contrast
I think it’s really important to play up the contrast in every room. Dark and moody can turn into a “Mankavian” feeling if you don’t add some light to the space. Consider light colored sheets with dark faux fur at the bottom of the bed. We have a light rug in our room that brings in that light that helps the room breathe.
You can also bring in something shiny, such as a mirror or metal element to help reflect the light. Next to our bed, you will always have a bunch of things like glasses, TV remotes, medicine. To add to the dark, moody feel, I have a romantic gold box on our table that glistens in the light and also holds some things I don’t want lying around. I also just bought some silver coasters from Pottery Barn that are perfect for the nightstand.
Image taken from At Home with the Barkers
What do you think of a dark, moody bedroom look? It’s one of the rooms that tends to get people’s attention in our home!