Painting an intimate bedroom with dark, romantic shades

If we haven’t already convinced you to take the plunge into moody colour schemes but you are tempted to play with the idea, there is a simple solution that can be easily replicated for any living space. 

It’s important to remember the key to a successful non-typical colour palette is to strike a balance. In this case, if your bedroom happens to be on the smaller side but you are looking to introduce dark colours, look to the accent wall. The feature wall may be a controversial topic for interior designers, yet the true benefit of these colour-boosting solutions offer more benefits to small spaces than one would think. Here you can experiment with colour on your wall surfaces without ever having to fully commit to overhauling the foundations of the room. 

For this project, we chose the deep clay-grey tones of the L487 Mole shade from the Feel the Colour collection and mixed it with the sumptuous matt finish of Optiva Matt 5 for the interior wall paint. Carrying your chosen wall paint colour with complementary shades throughout your sleeping space will add pockets of highlights that will draw your eye; from an imposing armchair and a cane room divider to the considered artworks that hang on your accent wall. Think about the introduction of these colours through smaller-scale items like soft-touch cushions and heavy woollen blankets for the bedspread. By making the accent wall less of a feature and more of a detail that compliments the overall design direction you are taking your room in, your space will have a polished effect.  

To tie in with the main wall colour, we reused the L487 Mole shade with the water-based acrylic matt Helmi 10 Paint for the cane room divider. Reminiscent of well-loved, dark denim, we tinted our Helmi 10 Paint with N429 Denim to refresh the nightstand. Introducing colour-bursts through the addition of smaller pieces of furniture will help ensure your bedroom never feels sombre but continues to add depth to the colour scheme. 

Between your not-so-feature wall and the curation of furniture, you are creating an intimate bedroom that not only ticks interior design boxes but has a calming, cosy nest appeal that one can retreat to at the end of a long day. Even with a small space, the natural light is never compromised when the rest of the room remains open with the soft white walls and natural, reclaimed wood textures to balance the dark, moodier contrasts.

Putting the idea into practice

1. FIRST STEPS 

Begin by wiping the surface of the wall clean. If the surface requires a deeper clean, use Tikkurila Maalipesu cleaning agent to remove any unwanted dirt and leave to dry. Lay down dust sheets to protect the floorspace and cover mouldings and sockets with masking tape. 

2. PAINTING 

Stir the full-matt Optiva Matt 5 interior paint and apply 2 coats using a paint roller with an extension pole. Finish the surface with long upward strokes using a roller. Optiva Matt 5 can be recoated within a minimum of 4 hours of painting or may take longer depending on a low temperature or in conditions of increased humidity. Once completed, gently remove the masking tape before the paint has time to dry. 

Clean your tools with water and soap, or use Tikkurila Pensselipesu tool cleaner for deeper results. Make sure to follow the instructions on the label. 

Painting a cane room divider and nightstand 

1. CLEAN AND SAND 

Begin by cleaning the surface of the furniture using Tikkurila Maalipesu cleaning agent - ensure to read instructions thoroughly before use. After drying time, sand the previous paint surface until matt and remove the sanding dust with a dust brush or a dust-binding cloth. 

2. PRETREATMENT 

Once dry, apply a single coat of Otex Akva Primer, that has been tinted to the shade of the topcoat for the wall surface. 

3. PAINTING 

Finish with 2 coats of the matt Helmi 10 furniture paint, pre-mixed with your chosen colour, with a spray gun, a furniture paint roller, or a brush. Helmi 10 furniture paint can be recoated after 16 hours. If a different finish is required, opt for the glossy Helmi 80 or semi-matt Helmi 30.