Dark Interiors... why not?

I guess, not many of us would immediately fall in love with an idea of painting a room... black! First I've been like this too... I may wear black occasionally and feel comfy, but  b l a c k  in a much greater proportion is usually perceived quite negatively. Yet, here and there images of smartly styled dark interiors kept coming my way, and the idea has finally grown on me.
I like the aura of mystery the black imparts to a space. It creates a feeling of power, stability and sophistication. Also,  b l a c k  results to be a beneficial background to display things.
So, for my today's post I've gathered up some eye-catching examples of all-black rooms which, thanks to a proper styling and colour balance, don't look that oppressive, as we might have expected. You're going to be surprised to see how comfortable and at times even cheery dark rooms may appear to be...

↑ on the left:  My favourite combination of black & cool tones of yellow! And, in love with the chair!...or, at least, its visible part:) Here you can also see my current obsession -- a collector's cabinet with a shade of light-yellow background!   ↑ And, the bedroom on the right  is my favourite kind of all-black interiors!  Rocky beaches in the foggy morning somewhere in Iceland... do you imagine the same when looking at this space? 

↑ These rooms are for those of us who still think that pure  b l a c k  is really too extreme. Smart decision  - lighter shades of black and grey colour palette. Here we have soft charcoal grades. The rooms seem to be enveloped by a gentle light! 

Use of muted gold, glass surfaces, bold ceramics in light tones and comfortable textiles -- all this makes for a cozy atmosphere and lightens up the spaces even more. 💙Mat glass pendant bubble lights, like a big cloud floating under the bed on the right is simply amazing!

on the left : The magnificent home of Swedish interior stylist Lotta Agaton | Photo by Pia Ulin for Residence Magazine

↑ Both rooms here posess more of a stern, masculine atmosphere. Large posters on the wall, white potted flowers are serving as indoor sources of "light..."

on the left: Great idea of bringing into a dark space architectural shapes, as an accent. Wood is always about bringing warmth into whatever kind of interior it may be. via interiorsbystudiom

on the right: Another idea of trying  b l a c k  in your house without going radical is... painting only one wall black or any of its lighter shades! Or you might like to experiment with a large built-in black bookcase and fill it with decor objects taking into account the key principles of interaction with the colour b la c k like e.g. those we're discussing today...

on the left: Photo by William Abranowicz.Art + Commerce : design by Mark Cunningham.
on the right: interior designer Dirk Jan Kinet.

↑Dominating  b l a c k  as on the right can also surprisingly make an old-world style interior dramatic and curious. Again, my fav juicy  y e l l o w  here completely satisfies the thirst for colour.

📍 Well, and finally, here you have my 5 tips on
HOW TO MAKE A BLACK SPACE STYLISH & COMFORTABLE...

🔼  Be flexible with DOMINANT COLOURS! Don't get stuck on just pure black as the dominant colour, but
use any of its lighter shades - e.g. charcoal, ebony, taupe, raisin black or onyx...
Check out wikipedia for more shades of black🖊...

🔼 SUBSIDIARY COLOURS: Use proper amount of w h i t e, also
making accents with one or two bright colours of your choice.
As I've already said, I love black paired with y e l l o w  -- acid yellow and cool lemon tones are the best. 
Anything  n e o n (that is to add playfulness to a space) --  e.g. green, pink and blue would look also just great glowing in the dark!

🔼 TRANSPARENCY & TRANSLUCENCY: clear, mat and smoked glass will lighten the heaviness of a dark ambience and make for the variety of textures. 
🔼 LIGHT, both natural and electrical, is very important in making dark interior look and feel comfortable.
Even an angle of light streaming in can be determining.

🔼 and lastly, the fun part of the game -- f i l l i n g  the space with QUIRCKY DECOR OBJECTS

A FEW BOOKS TO HELP US EXPERIMENT WITH BLACK & Co

⏩ SHADES OF GREY: Decorating with the most elegant of neutrals by Kate Watson-Smyth

⏩ ROCKETT St GEORGE: Extraordinary Interiors by Jane Rockett and Lucy St George
⏩ BLACK & WHITE (and a Bit in Between) by Celerie Kemble