At the London Design Festival in September I was really inspired by the amount of designers and exhibition stands that were focusing on dark green this year.

After looking in awe at some of the dramatic dark moody interiors on Instagram, I was really inspired to create a moody mood board and show you how you can style the ‘dark side’.  As with choosing any deep colour, it can be quite a brave decision and you will have to decide if it’s right for your home.

Small rooms?

Many Interior Designers will say that it’s ok to do dark walls in a small room, and the reality is, yes, you can.  But, only if you want the room to feel cosy and you don’t want, or need, a feeling of space.  Dark colours will definitely draw the walls in.  So you will need to decide on the feel and atmosphere that you want to create for the room.

However, if you have large rooms, deep colours may be the answer to creating a more cosy, homely feel.  Especially with the beautiful high ceilings and large windows that you find in Victorian and Edwardian properties.

We are still seeing many Tropical and Botanical prints with wallpaper and fabrics and a fair few leopards creeping into the mix.  For my mood board, I have found a compromise, between the large leafy prints and the totally tropical.  This Balearic Palm wallpaper by Charlotte Jade combines botanical trends with dark inky hues in this lovely midnight teal design.  The colour pallet for this design gives it a real vintage elegance.

Charlotte Jade – Balearic Palm 

If you are loving dark Tropical prints here are other designs to inspire you from Angel&Boho, Woodchip&Magnolia and Timorous Beasties.

For even more tropical prints you can also check out our London Design Festival review 

What a great selection of green sofas there are around at the moment.  I was spoilt for choice.  But for this mood board the fabric definitely had to be velvet.  The beautiful rich tones that you can get with velvet just can’t be beaten.

I found this elegant sofa at Att Pynta.  The Blanca sofa is by Swedish designer Amelia Widell.  In Italian cotton velvet, it comes in three sizes from 2 – 4 seater options with matching cushions.

To create an elegant room setting for my Vintage green I have kept to a limited colour pallet.  The Black background of the wallpaper is echoed in the furniture and fireplace.

It’s great to mix classic and contemporary styles and I love the timeless design of this cabinet.  It’s elegant sculptural form is crafted in Ebonised Oak.  It’s a design named ‘Self Portrait’, by young designer Jan Waterston.  I was lucky to discover this unusual piece at the Celebration of Craftsmanship and Design Exhibition in Cheltenham this year.

The fabulous convex mirror is by Abigail Ahern.  At 127cm it’s rare that you can find a convex mirror this large.  But it’s worth going for size as it to really adds the wow factor to a room.

When you have a room with dark walls it’s essential to have good lighting.  Along with pendant lighting wall lights or table lights will create ambient light and add to the drama of the colour scheme.

Hand blown-glass looks pretty amazing and I think this Pear Drop pendant by Curiousa & Curiousa fits the colour pallet perfectly.  And, why have one pendant, when you can go for two?  The Pear drop design comes in three sizes and being hand-blown to order is available in 23 different shades of glass.

I could have gone a bit more fancy with the table light.  I did look at some wonderful fringed lamps at Beauvamp.  But decided on this understated Black and Gold lamp from Rockett St George which has an elegant design and slightly Art Deco feel.

This Damask design cushion from Timorous Beasties has great matching tones and it’s always a good idea to mix different prints within a room.  Most people will have a few cushions or accessories they already love – which is great to give an eclectic feel to the room.

I have kept the accessories quite minimal as it makes the mood board easier on the eye.  But with this kind of styling  you can go for full on Maximalism ( if that’s a real word).  Any vintage finds would fit right in and add to the period atmosphere of the room.

I found some ideal accessories at Oka with their Jardis range.  Distressed, antiqued, bronzed, ‘verdigris’ finish vases which are actually made from iron.

This delicate pair of cranes are in a dark aluminium Verdigris and from Ruby’s Garden.  For the fireplace, any vintage candles sticks or quirky ornaments will work well.  Take a visit to Portabella Road, Covent Garden Antique market or your local Junk shops or antique fairs to find some unique pieces.

When the walls are dark it’s quite a good idea to go for a lighter flooring to lift the room.  Most old houses have wooden floorboards that can be sanded down and finished with oil or wax.  If you need to lay a wooden floor – go for a light to medium Oak.  Reclaimed boards are great if you can find them or go for a slightly distressed finish on new boards to give them a vIntage feel.

I loved the finish on the ‘Louis De Poorter’e Medallion Rug at John Lewis.  The layers of woven cotton chenille yarns are distressed to give a real vintage feel.

If you have a lovely period property you may be lucky enough to have a wonderful character fireplace already and will want to retain it’s character.  But, if you want to create this look, a black iron fireplace will be stunning.  There are a large selection of cast iron fireplaces on line.  Or if you have the time to visit salvage yards and look for second hand, you may find something original and quite special.  The fireplace I have shown is the Carron Victorian in cast Iron from Cast Fire Places. 

Oh, and as for the gorgeous Dog – I would love to say ‘Stylist’s own’  – but sorry  to say that’s only wishful thinking.