by Marica Fick

You don’t have to pour over every single one of our blog posts to know that Marica loves loads of colour in a bright, white space. The white-on-white interior trend, inspired by those lovely bright Scandinavian spaces, has long been an industry darling. While a white backdrop will always be a popular go-to choice, the past year we have seen the winds changing.

People are starting to yearn for something a bit more substantial … darker, moody. If there was one home trend that seemed to eclipse the others this past year, it was the gradual shift towards dark and rich tones.

Even I, lover of white, have succumbed to the inky siren’s call. Maybe it is the approaching cold of winter that has me longing for a dark and cosy nest.

I think, however, the element that finally convinced me to move to the “dark side” was the deep jewel tones often paired with these inky interiors. The only thing I love more than a white backdrop is an array of bold jewel colours.

In fact, that is one thing that most trend predictors agreed on last year – the insurgence of vibrant jewel tones. The beauty of these gemstone colours is that they are bold, loud and impossible to ignore in a room. It instantly fills the room in with warmth and drama.

So, why has it taken so long for dark-on-dark hues to enter the interior sphere? Well, for most, dark shades are still quite menacing and overwhelming. They find it hard to incorporate such a perceived ominous element into their personal space.

I can understand this hesitation; however, to me a moody interior equals warmth, comfort, cosiness and even opulence.

U.K. designer, Abigail Ahern, has long been a proponent of these strong, reassuring and somewhat “intoxicating” darker tones. “I am obsessed with inky hues. Why? Because anything you put against these bottom-of-the-lake greens, browns, greys, blacks, and blues actually looks and feels grander than it really is” she said in a recent interview with My Domaine.

After noticing an overwhelming representation of dark and moody interiors at the Salone del Mobile expo in Italy last year, Eclectic Trends mentioned the following in regard to this trend’s runaway success:

“From a psychological point of view, black and dark shades create a protective barrier, and this can also be read as a beautiful metaphor for protecting our personal spaces. Dark shades are also connected to emotional safety – in challenging times like ours maybe one of the reasons for the popularity for moody interiors, driven by the impulse for more substance.”

So how about it – will you attempt a dark and moody interior? The trick, as Abigail Ahern rightly states, is not to be afraid…