Want to steer away from a classic white-walled room?
While many homeowners lean toward white for its flexibility, some of us want a space with a little more flavor. Add a touch of your personality and a plenty of drama to a space with carefully selected colors and bold accents.
Ways to Make Your New Home Dramatic or Moody
So, how exactly do you create an interesting, sophisticated space with an air of glamour, mystery and moodiness? Light and color are two great ways to add mood to any room in your new home. Whether it’s open and airy or theatrical and showy, light and color will have an instant impact on your emotions.
Fabrics, textures and even scents can also contribute to a room’s mood. Ana Cummings, a decorator and founder of ANA’s Interiors in Calgary, suggests “luxurious fabrics and textures” to give a room some moodiness.
Cummings recommends velvet pillows or throws for a decadent touch, faux fur at the foot of the bed and shag or high-pile area rugs for that “sumptuous feeling underfoot.” A mural, large artwork or distinctive piece of furniture can also contribute greatly to a room’s mood.
Using Lighting for Dramatic Effect
As far as lighting goes, Cummings says dimmers are critical, as they allow you to control the amount of light emitted and, therefore, the mood in a room. For a cozy, warm feeling in fall or winter, she also recommends using candles or firelight, whose flickers can be both sexy and relaxing.
To produce mood and drama year-round, Cummings suggests accent lighting, such as “under-cabinet lighting, toe-kick lighting or art lighting.” Alternatively, a large drum or artistic pendant lamp can serve as a dramatic statement piece in the dining room or kitchen.
Bold Colors for a Bold Space
Many of us immediately think of black or red when we imagine dramatic colors in the home. It’s true that these hues instantly give a room more depth and personality. There are plenty of dramatic colors beyond black, however. All the deeper shades of the color wheel will create a dramatic effect without looking overly gothic.
Cummings says sophisticated hues such as navy blue, dark teal, black and “shades of charcoal mixed with plums and purples” will do the trick.
Alice Silverman, designer and owner of Creative Interiors by Alice, serving New York and the surrounding areas, says an effortless way to make a statement is to “paint an accent wall or all the walls of your room a deep and luscious color.”
Silverman’s favorite color is Van Deusen Blue (HC 156) by Benjamin Moore. “It’s not quite navy and looks fabulous with stark white trim,” she says.
How to Go Dramatic Without Going Overboard
The key to doing the dramatic look right in your new home is balance. Counter your deep shades with lighter-colored furniture, accents and natural lighting to keep the room from feeling too heavy.
For a lighter balance against a deep jewel-toned wall, Silverman recommends you “paint your baseboards, crown moldings if you have them, window and door trim in a uniform semi-gloss white, such as Decorator’s White (CC-20).”
The juxtaposition will add a wonderful and inviting mood to your room, she says.
You can also hang gold or chrome picture frames on these walls to make the room “pop.”
To dip your toes into drama, why not start with a bold color for your ceiling, door or bathroom walls? Which bold color would you like to try in your new home? Let us know in the comment section below.
Rebecca Rosenberg is a freelance copywriter, digital media strategist and world traveler. After working in marketing for some of Austin’s most beloved brands, Rebecca started her own business and left Texas behind to travel the world. You can find her currently bumming around Europe. Often flying solo, she has visited over 35 countries and lived abroad in four. In addition to being a digital nomad, Rebecca is an avid hiker, design enthusiast and certified plant nerd. She speaks English, Spanish, German and Korean.
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