Dark Colors Aren't Just About Painting Walls Black

Two dark rooms juxtaposed for comparison. The left side is done poorly: all four walls are painted pure black flat latex paint, the ceiling remains white, and the furniture is its original light color; the result is that the walls become a depthless black hole, consuming the space, and the furniture floats in front as if pasted on, making the overall impression oppressive and cheap. The right side is done correctly: the walls are a deep color with a subtle hue—deep forest green or charcoal brown instead of pure black, with a textured surface that reflects a little light; the ceiling and woodwork are also painted in the same color family; the lightness of the furniture and textiles is also toned down. Thus, the dark color creates a complete environment rather than just a wall painted black.
Avoid: making the two look similar, using pure black flat paint in the correct version, keeping the ceiling white, changing the furniture arrangement of either.

Translated from Chinese by AI.

兩間深色房間的並置對照。左側是做壞的:四面牆漆成純黑的平光乳膠漆,天花仍是白的,家具是原本的淺色;結果牆變成一片沒有深度的黑洞,把空間吃掉,家具浮在前面像貼上去的,整體壓迫而廉價。右側是做對的:牆是帶著微妙色相的深色——深墨綠或炭褐而不是純黑,表面有質地會反光一點點;天花與木作也一起漆成同色系;家具與織品的明度跟著往下調。因此深色是一個完整的環境而不是一面被塗黑的牆。避免:讓兩者相似、在正確版本使用純黑的平光漆、讓天花保持白色、改變兩者的家具配置。