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The colour of night skies, Resene Wallpaper Collection E395805 creates a Great Gatsby-esque look in this living space. Try pairing this wallpaper with velvet furnishings and gold or metallic pieces to complete the luxe look. You can repaint existing accessories in Resene Gold metallic paint to add a touch of luxe.
Richer, darker hues can feel luxurious, brimming with moody, timeworn comfort. A cocooning ambiance is synonymous with softness and calm. Floor stained in Resene Colorwood Dark Oak, walls in Resene Nocturnal, battens in Resene Half Tuna. Coffee and console tabletops in Resene Half Tuna, sculptural object in Resene Blue Smoke with plinth base in Resene Nocturnal, tealight holder in Resene Yucca, vase in Resene Nebula and textured vase in Resene Yucca. Sofa from King Living, mirror from Freedom, cushion cover from H&M Home, throw from Allium. Project by Vanessa Nouwens, image by Wendy Fenwick.
The owners of this Brisbane kitchen, a couple with young children, chose cabinetry painted in Resene Dark Knight to add elegance to their kitchen. Pair Resene Dark Knight with whites such as Resene Half Thorndon Cream or Resene Rice Cake to add contrast, lightness and balance.
This study space is jam-packed with charisma with a paint feature descending from the light (think UFOs, perfect for a night sky theme). Walls painted in Resene Astronaut and Resene Echo Blue, floor in Resene Oxygen and lightshades in Resene Alabaster. Project by Emily Somerville-Ryan, image by Bryce Carleton.
Resene Wallpaper Collection M3580 lifts this home office space from dull and ordinary to a room with maximum impact. Pair with trims in Resene Black White to add contrast and a pop of fresh colour.
Channel moodiness with dark night-inspired interiors
Give your home a dramatic touch with inky hues inspired by the night sky. Create a cosy and luxurious look this winter with on-trend colours like Resene Nocturnal and Resene Dark Knight. Dark and moody hues create sleek and timeless spaces, so why not reach for a darker paint colour and dare to be different?
Why dark interiors work
Darker shades, particularly black, have been iconic for decades (fashion-wise, think Chanel’s little black dress for women and the classic black suit for men). Black is chic and translates the same way in the interiors world. Combining black and other darker hues can create a very warm and welcoming space if you combine them with the right mood lighting and furnishings. Night sky shades can actually make your rooms look bigger, concealing the room’s contours creating more depth.
If you’ve seen photos of black or navy rooms but haven’t felt confident enough to try the look, let our collection of Resene night sky looks offer some moody inspiration to you.
Create luxury
The colour of night skies, Resene Wallpaper Collection E395805 creates a Great Gatsby-esque look in this living space. Try pairing this wallpaper with velvet furnishings and gold or metallic pieces to complete the luxe look. You can repaint existing accessories in Resene Gold metallic paint to add a touch of luxe.
Perhaps one of the greatest strengths of dark night shades is their ability to create a sense of luxury in a room. Resene Blue Night and Resene Bunting are deep navies that embody this sense of luxury. According to colour psychology, night sky navy blue represents trust and stability – it’s conservative and evokes feelings of tradition and convention. A dark colour palette can also evoke an atmosphere of glamorous parties in the roaring twenties. If that’s the mood you’re after, combine Resene Blue Night and Resene Bunting with gold mirrors, vases, candlesticks or even add a chandelier.
Consider adding texture to your space with sofas and throws too, as dark spaces really need softening. Natural accents are a huge asset to rooms with a dark night colour palette. Think about a wooden coffee table in a lounge, a headboard in a bedroom, or a handwoven addition like a jute rug in a hallway.
Top tip:Resene Super Gloss is perfect for creating luxury. Perhaps you’re just painting a door in a midnight blue or black shade. Gloss paints have a highly reflective smooth surface and will make your dark finish look sleeker. Higher gloss finished are also are easier to clean than paints with less surface smoothness.
Warm it up
Richer, darker hues can feel luxurious, brimming with moody, timeworn comfort. A cocooning ambiance is synonymous with softness and calm. Floor stained in Resene Colorwood Dark Oak, walls in Resene Nocturnal, battens in Resene Half Tuna. Coffee and console tabletops in Resene Half Tuna, sculptural object in Resene Blue Smoke with plinth base in Resene Nocturnal, tealight holder in Resene Yucca, vase in Resene Nebula and textured vase in Resene Yucca. Sofa from King Living, mirror from Freedom, cushion cover from H&M Home, throw from Allium. Project by Vanessa Nouwens, image by Wendy Fenwick.
Dark night inspired rooms can certainly emit warmth, it all comes down to your colour choices and clever pairings. We can tend to think of dark colours as being limited to cooler shades, like navy night skies and inky blacks. Keep in mind there are warmer parts of the colour wheel too – colours like deep greys can have warm undertones. You can still create a toasty winter look with night sky hues even if a deep blue isn’t what you’re after. Try warmer greys like Resene Ironsand and Resene Element.
You could even think about pairing hues like Resene Dark Knight and Resene Indian Ink with a deep plum, earthy burgundy or dark raspberry to spice up your interior. Try hues like Resene Burgundy, Resene Plum or Resene Virtuoso.
Top tip: Unless you opt for ultra-black (like Resene Black), your colour will have a cool or warm undertone. If you choose a cool undertone, be sure to add visually warming accents to your room too. Adding warm light sources is key also, especially when a room has little to no natural light.
Keep it balanced
The owners of this Brisbane kitchen, a couple with young children, chose cabinetry painted in Resene Dark Knight to add elegance to their kitchen. Pair Resene Dark Knight with whites such as Resene Half Thorndon Cream or Resene Rice Cake to add contrast, lightness and balance.
The key to a successful dark interior style is balance. You’ll want to add in different textures and mix in lighter tones to keep it from looking flat. Light-coloured décor will not only add contrast, but it adds depth, harmony and structure to your toom. For example, mix a dining space painted in hues like Resene Foundry or Resene Bokara Grey with soft furnishings like light linen chairs and mirrors. Or perhaps you can paint your kitchen in the stunning night blue hues Resene Jaguar or Resene Blue Night keeping your ceiling and trims crisp in Resene Black White, Resene Bianca or Resene Alabaster.
Maybe an all-out dark night room is a little intimidating. Why not start small? For an equally sophisticated and charismatic look, paint a room’s door and window trim, or bookcase and mantelpiece in a dark shade. Cover the walls with a lighter shade like Resene Black White.
Go big or small
This study space is jam-packed with charisma with a paint feature descending from the light (think UFOs, perfect for a night sky theme). Walls painted in Resene Astronaut and Resene Echo Blue, floor in Resene Oxygen and lightshades in Resene Alabaster. Project by Emily Somerville-Ryan, image by Bryce Carleton.
Dark colours can add a huge amount of character to a space, and actually can increase its size visually. Tiny rooms like studies, craft rooms and reading nooks can feel surprisingly spacious in darker tones like Resene Rhino, Resene High Tide, Resene All Black and Resene Nero. Deep tones blur the edges of walls, they can make rooms feel almost infinite. On the other hand, dark shades can create a very cosy atmosphere in bigger rooms like living spaces and media rooms.
You can create the illusion of infinite space by painting the ceiling and walls in the same dark hue. This will blur the line of where the ceiling begins and the wall ends. You’ll feel as if a soothing night sky is stretching out above you as you sleep. Or, to add cosiness to a space, paint your ceiling a few shades darker than your walls. A high contrast look creates quite the statement too.
Top tip: A dark night colour palette interior tip that stuns is to paint your walls and furniture the same colour. It can soften the focus from bulky pieces in a room like bookshelves and desks and make a space feel less cluttered. A uniform backdrop with furniture that blends seamlessly into a space is also ideal for drawing the eye to artwork, or the pop of a green houseplant.
The power of pattern
Resene Wallpaper Collection M3580 lifts this home office space from dull and ordinary to a room with maximum impact. Pair with trims in Resene Black White to add contrast and a pop of fresh colour.
Remember you can create a visually stunning and atmospheric dark night look with pattern. Trade dainty florals and finicky patterns for dramatic oversized ones in dark interior design. Deep-hued wallpaper backdrops allow large-scale patterns to really pop and make a room memorable. Wallpaper is a fantastic way to embrace a dark night theme, and also liven up a space. Opt for geometric patterns, big and bold florals or botanical murals in dark shades to really be on trend.
Adding some indoor plants is a great way to complement any motifs in your pattern from the Resene Wallpaper Collection. The contrast of bright greens against dark hues is perfect to inject life into any room. Whether your style is Scandi-chic, Japandi, French rustic or modern – it can work in dark hues. That’s the true beauty of a darker colour scheme.
Top tip: Adding paint or wallpaper to your walls in a darker shade goes beyond adding to a room’s ambiance. It’s can also be very practical helping to hide irregularities or surface imperfections, especially when you use a flat finish. Dark night shades are the perfect way to make any space seem grander than they are.
Inspired but need a little help putting together a dark night-inspired home interior? Your local Resene ColorShop is happy to help or use the free Ask a Resene Colour Expert service, www.resene.com/colourexpert.
Published: 24 Aug 2022
Do you have a home full of wonderful Resene paint and colour? Send us some snaps by emailing editor@habitatbyresene.co.nz.
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If you're stuck on what
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Ask a Colour Expert service.
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the look
If you're stuck on what
colour to use or need colour
advice, try out the Resene
Ask a Colour Expert service.
