Bright white on white interiors have started to fade and now it's time to embrace the dark side. We are starting to see a real trend change with inkier hues playing the main roll in interior styling, giving spaces weight, depth, and a surprisingly calming atmosphere.
Whether you try moody greys or mossy greens in your living spaces, dark colour palettes – even in larger spaces, can make a great backdrop for stylish furnishings. Fully embrace the moody look by pairing rich leather furniture with dark walls for example, to create indulgent and sophisticated spaces that feel cosy and inviting.
While dark colours can fit almost any décor style: Manhattan, Mid-century modern, Minimalist, or Industrial, creating a moody interior isn’t just about covering walls in dark paint. Getting a room to feel dark and moody while still keeping a sense of warmth and charm takes a careful eye.
To help you get it right, visit the Sovereign Hills Display Village on York Street where our builders have showcased countless ways to embrace this year's hottest style by creating dark and moody spaces that are more gorgeous than gloomy.
Manhattan luxe – full of dark elegance
If you're considering using rich, dark shades and want a sophisticated finish, you can't go past Adenbrook's Penn E design for inspiration. This home's masterfully styled dark and moody living spaces are sophisticated and unexpectedly welcoming.
When creating atmospheric rooms consider your style and choose your furniture to compliment your aesthetic. Balance lightly coloured walls with saturated shades in your furniture and accent pieces. To make your moody living room pop create a focal point with accent chairs that feature unique shapes and bold upholstery. Stylish opulence is the theme in the Penn E design. The beautiful balance and refined decadence of soft shadowy velvet coupled with crisp white marble and metallic brass finishes has created a truly eye-catching living room. The walls subtly fade into the background while the contrasting furnishings and accents set the mood.
Continue adding balance to your space with a little mix and match. Starting with inky black as an anchor in your palette, add interest into your scheme with another rich, complementary shade. The deep jade green accent colour found in Adenbrook's seductive master suite styling is perfectly paired with white faux fur throw pillows and art-deco style side tables and lamps adding to the homes rich, luxe feel.
To keep dark and moody styling throughout all areas of your home, try using black tiles over a smaller surface. Bold, glossy black metro tiles paired with gold fixtures and mirrors add heaps of glamour and is in keeping with that moodier vibe – this powder room by Adenbrook is a great example.
Chic minimalism – modern sophistication
Balanced black and white sophistication is the signature style of this McDonald Jones home. Displaying minimalist living, the Miami is a standout when it comes to dramatic styling. Dark colours don’t always mean gloomy shades on walls, they can be refined, chic and very relaxing. Layering and colour blocking opposite colours like black and white gives a room elegance and visual interest.
Simplicity is the key to a moody but modern minimal interior so aim to keep your styling clean. The Miami has the mix just right with the obsidian kitchen cabinets, doors and fixtures contrasted by stark white walls and white living room furnishings, yet the balance is retained by offsetting the white spaces with the black feature wall panelling and modern black table in the dining area. The inclusion of reflective surfaces seen in the mirror and glass accessories throughout help more light bounce around the room, tying it all together.
Creating stunning contrast is a great way to incorporate dark colours into your space. Choose key rooms to 'flip the script' in and go for rich dark charcoal walls or bold wallpaper with a limited colour palette as the focal point.
This atmospheric media room from McDonald Jones' Miami really makes a statement without a lot of effort. The bold feature wall is balanced with simple black and white furnishings and accessories, so the presence of minimal sophistication is still felt. This moody yet chic styling is seen throughout where each room compliments and balances the next, from dark moody bedrooms to striking bathrooms that feature rich stone top vanities with black basins.
Contemporary and cosy – a welcoming embrace
Sorensen and Caldon Builders have delivered a beautiful space featuring dark styling that feels cosy and embracing.
If you're looking to add depth and warmth that will soften a darker scheme, consider adding some warmer woody tones as featured throughout Sorensen and Caldon's Manhattan design.
Combine rich honey hued hardwood flooring that flows from room to room with black and charcoal, and you'll create a cosy nest with charm, all without giving up your lighter-coloured walls. A deeper coloured floor paired with white walls can also make a smaller area look much more spacious and open, which makes it a perfect choice for your home styling.
A dark scheme doesn't have to be flat, if used correctly, dark hues can add an interest to a room. An import element in keeping moody decor from feeling too heavy is to embrace and enhance the natural light in your home and give rooms a glow. Freshen up the palette by including a green accent – adding plants or foliage in each room to create a synergy in your styling.
This stunning bathroom cleverly combines all we love about dark and moody interiors with the use of natural light thanks to a skylight, gorgeous dark textured tiles, warm timber vanity and fresh greenery, creating a moody-yet-calming retreat.
Industrial statement – a striking balance
If you are partial to a more industrial aesthetic, it can still be styled with moody ambience — we adore the stark black and white with green accent in the styling of Rob Tate Homes’ Sanremo design.
Dark colours help create moody and relaxing atmospheres, so they're just perfect for bedrooms. It doesn't have to be a cave of black walls or completely saturated with heavy colour. If you’re leaning toward the dark side for better slumber but you aren't ready to dive headfirst into this trend, try painting a large accent wall a dark green or navy giving you the moody look without a huge makeover.
Rob Tate Homes has found the perfect balance of light and dark play by colour blocking a feature wall with forest green panelling and offsetting it beautifully against the contrast of clean white linen and curtains - proof that moody and white works really well together.
There is something dramatic about adding shadowy hues to a bright white space, just make sure there’s enough dark tones in large objects to keep it balanced.
To give an industrial styled living area a deep moody feel and really make a statement, position an oversized, dark chocolate sofa as a focal point. Then soften the mood of the space to create comfort and approachability by adding a soft textured throw, scatter cushions and floor rug.
Pair a white kitchen with black open shelving and fixtures like sink and tapware and your space will be filled with an edgy industrial vibe as seen in the Sanremo.
This latest design by Rob Tate Homes offers a bit of everything - moody colours, lots of natural light, white walls, beautiful wooden floors, sleek fixtures and industrial textures inside and out.
Moody and modern – stylishly intimate
Moody interiors create intimacy. If you want to dabble with the dark side but the thought of painting your walls in midnight hues is too much, go for a darker window treatment instead. Choose shutters or sheers in an on-trend charcoal shade to add muted drama and ramp up the mood in any space.
Add warmth to dark interiors by introducing earthy tones. This moody, relaxing, and comfortable bedroom featured in Perry Homes' Carlton design shows that dark interiors aren’t all about blacks, greys, or greens. Try combining cheerful pops of deep rusty oranges and reds mixed with natural textures to re-create this cosy look.
This simple monochrome table setting is a great example of how to use dark and moody styling to transform your next meal into a contemporary dining experience. Mixing moody grey plates and warm natural timber tones in placemats and cutlery creates visual interest and immediately sets the mood for a modern meal any foodie would envy.
Follow this contemporary theme into your kitchen with liquorice-coloured splashbacks. If you're concerned black will be too stark, simply add interest and break up the surface with pattern. It can be as simple as selecting a small geometric shaped tile and setting them in a contrasting white grout to make your kitchen stand out.
Perry Homes' styling is on point when it comes to dark and moody, be sure to check it out and be inspired.
Must-haves to create a dark and moody ambience in your new home
Colour
Exploring dark tones doesn’t mean sombre or dull rooms. If you are ready to embrace the dark side, you don’t have to think just in monochrome. Nearly all colours are on the table – blues, greens, browns and greys. Contrast with an accent colour to spotlight details, some richer warm shades of rust and ochre will help create more moody drama.
Balance
The trick is to balance saturated tones with crisp lighter hues to emphasise the room’s depth and prevent the space from becoming too heavy, leaving it feeling gloomy. Don’t be afraid to add pops of contrast via your accessories. A bright green cushion and contrasting texture plus a glint of metallic gold or silver can really bring a room together.
Pattern
Patterns should be kept to a minimum, so the space doesn't feel overwhelming and oppressive. If opting for a bold print wallpaper, keep the furnishing plain with a limited palette. Likewise, if a room uses dark block colour and paired back lines in furnishing feel free to add an animal print or geometric cushion or print.
Finishes
Keep finishes opulent and balance different textures – marble and stone, timber, leather, velvet, and faux fur. Add interest to walls with panelling. Metallics and glass help to bounce light around the space and look incredible against a dark background.
Lighting
Lighting a darkly styled room, means flat bright overhead lights should be avoided. Choose light shades that cast a warm light and layer with wall sconces and table lamps – keeping the light low and luxurious. Consider dimmer switches as this will enhance the moody, atmospheric feel.
Discover more at the Sovereign Hills Display Village - York Street, Port Macquarie. Open daily from 10am - 4pm.
