Navy has always been my favourite colour – it’s just so chic. However, I’ve never really been bold enough to use too much of it in our home interiors. Before now, that is.
Because currently, my answer to every colour scheme/wall paint/furniture colour is “how about a dark blue?’. Yes, it’s a very dark colour, yes we nearly always have to turn the light on when in this room (it’s okay, we have a lovely light) but I love the cosy tones of a deep, rich blue – there’s an almost Dutch painting quality to our study and I love it.
After we painted this room, we made the decision to paint the hallway even darker, using ‘Railings’ for the bottom half (up to the dado rail) and then white upwards, and then our bedroom will be white with dark blue skirtings. I also love the idea of painting the doors of a light room…
The hints of blue are great for when you’re not too sure on how much to commit – our front bedroom gets so much light and I wanted to keep it airy, but after a pure white bedroom in our last flat I knew I wanted to integrate some darker tones. After staying in ‘Lokal’ in Philadelphia (THE best hotel for interiors style) I was truly inspired.
I’m also looking at Dulux’s range – ‘Sapphire Salute’ and ‘Breton Blue’ are both favourites, we’ll be trying Breton Blue in the ensuite – a small room but with natural light so think it will be able to take the darkness.
And I’m in good company, as when I put this post live, an email popped into my inbox from Farrow & Ball with almost the same concept (you can see their imagery here).
Brass and wood help to really compliment navy, and I love the pairing of modern light fittings with mid century furniture – here are a few things I’ve been looking at lately:
Oh that picture from Lola D on Etsy. Just perfect. My absolute taste. Thank you!!!
Lovely! I am embarking on decorating our new home (Victorian terrace) and was considering using dark blue and / or teal for some “wow” factor. This has confirmed it! x
Hi Alex have been following your blog for a while now -it’s great! You have such style. I love navy too and have just decorated our bedroom with farrow & ball Stiffkey blue and navy Cole & Son flamingoes wallpaper – I was a bit apprehensive but am delighted with the end result. I am looking forwards to seeing your new renovations
Love your posts on home decoration. Yours looks lovely!
We are into it as well, especially in Farrow&Ball paintings (it is even a kind of a madness, we are in the boutique every spare day! the colours, the quality,..) And strong by this experience, i totally agree that this blue, as well as other dark bold colours, give a lot of relief and personnality.
Bon courage for the rest of your renovation! and for new beginnings ??
Looks stunning. I’ve always wondered how well a dark colour would work in small rooms – doesn’t it make them feel even smaller?
I thought I would never wear navy blue again as it was the colour of my school uniform! However, like you, I now love it and wear it a lot. It’s much softer than black and seems to bring out the colour of my eyes too. So well done for being brave with the paint. I have always had a secret longing for dark blue walls but still working on that. Maybe a feature wall is the way forward for me? It all looks very stylish and I love the Oliver Bonas basket too. Very good value for this current trend.
And we actually have this one in our living room! x
All of those dark, Victorian colours really suit period housing xx
It’s so great when it all comes together – we’re thinking of doing our side gate in Stiffkey Blue (I’m just so excited, now we’re in a house, to have so many options of things to paint!!) x
I know, it gets addictive, doesn’t it? We love the chalky finish of Farrow & Ball (even husband agrees it goes on walls better!) x
This room isn’t large by any means but I think if you love it, it’ll look great to you no matter what….but could always do just one wall if you were more nervous x
It was my school uniform too! But weirdly I stayed loving it! We painted behind our bookshelves in our last flat (with white walls and it was a great hint of colour) https://the-frugality.com.gridhosted.co.uk/interiors-update-living-roo/
I read an article years ago about a tiny apartment in New York, the living room was painted dark brown. It seemed to make the corners disappear, making the room look larger. I seem to remember a lot of mirrors too, so that light was bounced around more.
What do you say Alex, do you get a feeling of more space than there really is?
I love your office, and the idea of dark doors.
I’ve seen a great guest toilet with a feature wall in dark patterned wallpaper, and the ceiling, other walls, door, skirting etc painted in the same shade. It looked so dramatic, and a good way to try out a dark room as you dont spend too long in a cloakroom!
I’ve been stalking blue interiors on Pinterest for ages now, not sure I’ll convince my OH though! I would love a feature blue wall in our bedroom, it would look great with our walnut furniture and vintage washstand , not to mention our bedding in shades of blue and red.
this is amazing
xx
https://www.closettostreet.com/
Just wondering where you sourced your parquet? Trying to find a suitable parquet for our living room that is vaguely affordable! Love the blue.
Alex, I love your interior updates! I’ve a regular 3 bed semi in Dublin. I’ve just painted my downstairs bathroom in Benjamin Moore Graphite I even did the ceiling! I finally bought my first Lola Donoghue canvas this month Pink Ladscape, her work is amazing, I think the canvases are super quality. And then get them stretched and put in a tray frame . Karen in Dublin x
So interesting about making the room appear larger – we painted the skirting boards to help show off the height of the room – and actually Kate from Mad About the House suggests mirrors, especially in a small dark room xx
Currently googling Benjamin Moore – love the colour! And yes, I have this Lola Donoghue stretched at home and it looks fantastic xxx
So the good news is you can buy reclaimed parquet online for cheaper than new solid wood flooring….but the bad news is the cost is in the laying and labour – as it’s a real skill x
Beautiful. I’ve always loved dark interiors, especially in smaller or darker spaces because I have an aversion to when people try to make a small/dark space ‘brighter’ by keeping the paint light – I’ve always felt it just makes it seem cold. I am loving the Dulux Breton blue – it would look so chic in an en suite. Benjamin Moore paint is gorgeous – the colours are so rich, flat and dense but I’ve never found a stockist this side of the Atlantic. Maybe I’m not looking hard enough!
Just googled Benjamin Moore UK and came straight back with a stockist! I haven’t been looking recently, but I tried for years to find their paint in the UK. There’s another evening down the rabbit hole…
Rather hilariously I’ve also had that bathroom photo with the black and white floor tiles, subway tiles and black door on my pintrest board for months! I loved it so much I used it as inspiration for our own bathroom renovation. We went for the black walls and door paired with the same Trouva (hideously overpriced but worth it) black triangle toilet roll holder and ring hand towel rail I saw you had in your bathroom! Love your style and eye for detail Alex.
Beautiful! I have gorgeous Navy Bed linen from LinenMe (https://www.linenme.com/bed-linen/linen-duvets/navy-blue-stone-washed-bed-linen-duvet) , which plays very nicely with citrine colour.
Aah yay! Yes the toilet roll holders were expensive but it’s those details that make the difference! x
I painted my bathroom in Stiffkey Blue last summer and was a bit scared at the time but looks like I needn’t have worried! It looks awesome and is really lovely and cocooning at bath time with lots of candles! Love your study and that bathroom inspiration picture is to die for!
We bought Stiffkey Blue for our side gate! Still haven’t got round to painting it though, been waiting for a warm day…..! Maybe summer!
I would have never even thought of using such a dark paint in my home, but this looks amazing. Added to the lighter details and natural light sources.. looks amazing. Very sophisticated but still homey.
Xoxo
http://www.altoamore.com