Tips For Using Dark Paint Colours In Your Home

A lot of the time, when decorating, homeowners will opt for light colour schemes in all areas throughout their home. Generally speaking, neutrals and greys are incredibly popular and occasionally people will add a splash of colour, but almost everyone will avoid darker colours. Even though recent trends have made people consider shades like forest green and navy blue, many still shy away from these darker options.

Often, homeowners assume that dark paint colours will make their home look smaller and dingy, but this really isn’t the case. It also isn’t uncommon for people to worry about painting with darker colours too as they are known for being less forgiving than the lighter shades. Thankfully, with the right tips and tricks, you really don’t have to shy away from dark colours and you can explore the beautiful richer shades available. So, to help anyone who is interested in dark paint colours, here are some of our top tips.

Keep your floor and ceiling light

If you’re going to get some dark paint for your walls, you should pick up some light ceiling paint too and you may also want to think about your flooring colour as well. When your walls are dark, keeping both the ceiling and floor light will help to prevent the room for looking boxy and it will give the appearance of more space.

Choose the right finish for the paint

Many assume that dark colours hide imperfections, but if you choose the wrong finish, it will make them stand out even more than a light shade would. Whilst a gloss finish will be better for reflecting light, an eggshell/soft sheen finish will be better for hiding any bumps in your walls, so think carefully about the finish that you choose.

An extra tip; if you’re needing to keep things like dirty fingerprints off the walls, Dulux paint offers an Easycare collection that will help to make everyday maintenance so much easier.

Break up a dark wall with accessories

When painting all four walls dark, you can easily break up the colour by adding accessories to the walls, whether this is photo frames, mirrors, shelves or any other wall ornaments. You should always add some life to a dark wall the same way you would a white wall and it will help you bring the room to life. Get creative with the types of accessories you use.

Ensure you have enough artificial light

You will find that no matter how much natural light the room gets, you will still need lots of artificial light to prevent the room from looking gloomy. As well as having a central ceiling light, you should consider using wall lights or lamps elsewhere as well. If you hang mirrors or use chrome shiny accessories, these will help to bounce light around the space too.

Carefully think about colour choice

A lot of the time, when homeowners think of dark colours they automatically picture black, but you have so much more choice than this. As mentioned above greens and blues are very popular nowadays, but reds and purples can also be a brilliant choice when looking at paint for walls. Explore all of your options and think carefully about what will work best in your room.

Always have spare paint to hand

If you paint your walls a dark colour, we would always recommend having some spare paint to hand. As you may expect, if the paint chips or cracks, this will be much more visible than it would be with a lighter colour. Even if you opt for something like Dulux Easycare, you should still touch up any areas that need it regularly to keep the room looking flawless.

Purchasing dark paint for walls

All in all, it is fair to say that just because lots of homeowners overlook the darker colours available when redecorating doesn’t mean that you have to as well, and there are so many reasons why you should consider these richer shades. Whether you’re wanting to give your living room, kitchen or bedroom a new lease of life, you now know how to do so with dark paint, so be sure to explore all of the different colour options you have.

When searching for somewhere to purchase dark paint for walls, be sure to visit the Decor Express website. We have a huge range of different well-known paint brands for you to choose from, including Dulux, so you will easily be able to find something that is perfect for your home. We even offer a wall paint mixing service too and we will happily mix the perfect colour and finish for you. If you have any questions at all about dark paint for walls, feel free to get in touch with our team, we’re always happy to help.