Looking at your furniture and its colour , I say not a good idea .

May I ask why you are thinking black?

HI -- You know I think you could try ... it's only paint and it is a popular design thing to do right now . If you don't mind re-painting if it doesn't work out .

I recommend Glidden's Gripper primer when you repaint;)

I think that painting only one wall black would suffice for now ,live with it for a bit then decide on the rest but I still think that if you had lighter furniture like white,red , yellow and grey it would then work.

I have no issue with the black walls but I think that your furniture is too dark and heavy to make it work.

I love this inspiring photo of neo classical decorating, Let's analyse why it works. It has a theme and its sticking to it - the Romanesque bust in the corner, the sweeping curve of the ottoman legs with paw feet, sumptuous fabric on the furniture. All are earmarks of this theme. It sticks to a limited palate of Ivory and very dark. It is a black room but is also nearly 1/2 percent light. There is a highly reflective quality to the paint finish so it can bounce light rather than absorb. The ivory in the carpet, ceiling panels, ottomans, light shades, even book spines and animal print pattern strengthen the light value against the black by their very contrast.

Rules of proportion, again are crucial here. It takes a small, intimate space to pull off a bold colour like this. It doesn't use a high ceiling, to stretch the eye upwards at all. Rather the ceiling detail draws the attention downward, to where the eye is delighted with a beautifully coffered space as interesting as the walls. The furniture is minimal and arranged tightly, practically knee to knee. The dark surfaces are resplendent of architectural interest and quality craftsmanship. Keeping to a tightly controlled theme, even the cabinetry and storage is built in where everything is kept within the confines of a designated space.

It is a wonderfully inspiring style and I think you can have it all. You seem to have a huge space in your before picture. You could remodel your room to create a space to have something similar. Find a contractor or an interior decorator and change it up a bit. Its definitely worth it.

K

This could work in your large room.

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Black is not a good idea with your existing furniture, so unless you are planning on getting all new furniture/accessories I would recommend very dark chocolate brown instead.

I think painting walls black requires confidence in your choice. After reading your last comment about having the guts to do it, I probably would not do it for that reason alone. I would usually say "do it, it is only paint", but after just repainting my sons bedroom which was half black, I will tell you that you will need to use a good primer to cover when you do repaint it.

unless you are doing it fairly glossy, black walls dont really look black, they look like a black tshirt thats been worn and washed for a couple years... that is, dark grey.

i'd rather bring black in other ways.

First -- that's a really cozy, comfy looking room! What is that above your fireplace, is it tile? I love how it sets off the mirror. Second -- it looks like a somewhat dark(ish) color you have now. Maybe try to lighten it a bit; you could stick with the same color family, just a few shades lighter. I also think introducing some orange or golden/mustard yellow accents (like pillows, vases, other small accents) would liven it up.

Benjamin Moore's website has a simulator that is very helpful when trying to imagine color. See: http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/for-your-home/personal-color-viewer - I've used it several times with great results! http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/for-your-home/personal-color-viewer