Creating a Dark, Moody & Romantic Bedroom

From the very first house that we ever bought, I've always gravitated toward a moodier bedroom. I think they're just so romantic. But also, a dark, romantic bedroom feels more like a retreat space, and I think it's helped with sleep habits.

Shop Our Bedroom | Paint Color: Farrow & Ball London Clay

It's a lot easier to go bolder in the bedroom when you have a mix of luxurious elements and fabrics. Especially on the walls — we chose a color that's almost like a chameleon. Sometimes it reads like a dark brown, and sometimes it feels like it has some red and purple. My advice is to make sure your wall color has some longevity as it changes throughout the day.

Go Bold with Wall Color

Image sourced from @littlejoymarket

Go ahead and color drench the room. Paint the walls. Paint the trim. Paint the ceiling. Painting more surfaces doesn't raise the cost too dramatically, and paint is never going to break the bank.

There are some colors that feel more rich than others. I have a love of warm, darker tone. These hues just feel right for sleeping. In bedrooms, I've had brownish tones from Farrow & Ball London Clay (our current color) to Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray to a Martha Stewart Mushroom; these are what I gravitate toward. I did paint one bedroom a slate blue, but it just didn't feel as relaxing and I repainted the room just a few days later.

Add Drama with a Fancy Light

Chandelier | Floor Mirror | Curtains | Floor Lamp | Armchairs | Pedestal Table | Vase (similar)

There are very few places you would put a chandelier in your home — the bedroom is one of them! We added a crystal chandelier to our bedroom and it instantly evoked a boutique hotel. Such a romantic vibe in just one piece. These don't even have to be expensive. Ours is from Pottery Barn, but you can also source vintage pieces that have a lot of character.

So what if you live in the South and you're attached to your ceiling fan? My tip is to choose a fan color that will blend into your ceiling. This allows other areas of your room to take center stage.

Simplify Decor

I don't like a lot of stuff on my walls in the bedroom, so I often gravitate towards trim. Adding trim to your walls creates highlights and shadows and eliminates the need to hang a bunch of stuff on your walls.

It's also a great touch to bring in greenery. Simple stems offer a natural element that create some dynamic height. I also think you can up the romantic quotient by adding flowers or faux flowers to a bedroom. I got some really convincing faux peonies from Afloral, and they make every day feel special.

Bed (similar) | Bedding | Velvet Bench (similar) | Nightstands (similar) | Rug | Lamps (similar) | Picture Light | Art by Caleb Mahoney

Soften Up with Buttery Fabrics

I like mixing in textiles to create a more luxurious feeling in a room. Velvets go a long way in upping the luscious quality of a room. You can bring these in easily in drapes, or use velvet in your seating from a bench to a chair.

Leather is also a naturally dark material, but it has an organic texture that feels right at home in a moody bedroom. We have it on a chair in the bedroom, but you can also have a leather box on your nightstand, leather hardware, or the legs of a bench wrapped in leather.

Image sourced from @thegratzlife

Consider Contrast

I think it's really important to play up contrast in any room. Dark and moody can turn into a "mancave" feel if you don't add some lightness to the space. Consider light bedding with a dark faux fur throw at the base of the bed. We have a light area rug in our room that brings in that brightness that helps the room breathe.

You can also bring in something shiny, such as a mirror or metallic element to help reflect light. Next to our bedside, you're always going to have a ton of stuff like glasses, TV remotes, medications. To amplify the dark, moody feel, I have a romantic gold box on our table that glitters against the light, yet also stores some of the things I don't want lying out. I also just bought silver coasters from Pottery Barn that are perfect for the nightstand.

Image sourced from At Home with the Barkers

What do you think of the dark, moody bedroom look? It's one of the rooms that tends to grab people's attention within our home!