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The Pros and Cons of Painting Rooms With Dark Colors

Posted by Nolan Painting on March 22, 2018
dark interior walls

It’s easy to fall in love with a paint color. Maybe it’s something you’ve always loved, or maybe it works well with a piece of furniture or bedding you have in a certain room. However, just falling in love with a paint color doesn’t make it a good fit for your home. In fact, darker paint colors tend to be among the most problematic for a number of reasons.

That’s not to say you should forget about painting with dark colors on walls. You just need to be extra careful when using a dark paint color in a bedroom or when selecting dark walls for your living room. To help you make the best decisions for your home, here’s a look at the pros and cons of painting with dark colors.

The Pros of Painting With Dark Colors

Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t consider painting with dark colors on walls. Here’s a look at some of the benefits of choosing dark colors:

  • Great for Small Spaces: Dark paint in a bedroom or another smaller space might make that room look even bigger. Why? Because dark bedroom walls help absorb the light that’s hiding along wall bases and dark corners, making the small space look larger than it is.
  • Create Dramatic Moods: Dark walls are great for dining rooms and powder rooms. They can make a space feel just a little bit fancier and dramatic, which isn’t great for every room — but it’s perfect for some.
  • Little Need for Décor: When deciding on painting rooms with dark colors, they don’t need much in the way of décor. That’s because dark walls act as their own décor to a certain degree.

The Cons of Painting With Dark Colors

Traditionally, most people have shied away from dark walls — and there are reasons for that. Here’s a look at some of the cons of painting with dark colors:

  • Limited Appeal: You may find that you get tired of a dark paint color more quickly than a lighter shade.
  • Lacking Timelessness: Dark colors tend to be just a little bit trendier, which means you run the risk of your dark color going out of style more quickly than other options.
  • Overwhelming: Perhaps the hardest part about dark paint is that it tends to overwhelm if the color is too bright, and it can also overwhelm architectural detail. For these reasons, you have to be especially careful when choosing a dark paint color for a certain room.
  • Imperfections and fingerprints: Fingerprints, scuff marks and other imperfections are way more noticeable on dark color painted walls.

Let Nolan Painting Help

At Nolan Painting, we help our clients choose paint colors each and every day. If you’re struggling to decide between darker and lighter paint colors, we can provide the expert guidance you need. We proudly serve clients throughout the greater Philadelphia area, including Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware, Chester, and Philadelphia counties.

Contact us today about painting rooms with dark colors.