The only way I would ever paint a wall black is if it was a feature wall in a child's bedroom and it would be special black board paint you could draw on with chalk as a novelty.

Wow what a great idea Hugh. I like it in the photo you have attached but I think you really need to nail the type of black you use.

As long as the walls are broken up with windows, doors, artwork - absolutely!

I did not like the idea of painting walls black simply to do with creepy crawlies and me not being able to see them! I am warming up to the idea of black though. I think it looks super in a really light filled room, so yeah, I would probably do that.

LOVE IT!

That looks awesome Jane!

Thanks PMG Design, we love it!

We have painted a feature wall not a dense black but definitely black, (behind the bedhead in the master suite), matches our beautiful matt black & gold ensuite tiles. All linen will be white including a gorgeous bronze studded white velvet headboard.

Love your artwork ruthfay

Thanks chrisandjanelle, amazing piece by local artist Luke Beazley.

I remember my dad painted the library/study walls and shelving black, and the floors red. There was one medium sized window in one wall and three smaller stained glass windows in another. It was bold for the times (1973) but suited the room perfectly.

Absolutely LOVE black, 40 years ago my husbands work was all night work, he had trouble sleeping during the day so I painted our bedroom walls black, dyed and lined large sheets black for the windows, we both loved it, black was definitely not in at the time, our friends were not too sure but eventually liked it as it was different. I have had black in each home since then, our ensuite right now is tiled floor to ceiling in black with a black double vanity, our main bedroom, kitchen, meals and family is black and cream with touches of burgundy, it is standout colouring, after nearly 9 years here we still get excellent comments on our colouring.

We have just painted our living room Resenes eternity. This is a dark black with a hint of green. It has lots of light with doors and windows which have natural wood frames. I am struggling to choose curtains to match though. Ideas?

Iiiiiiiiiiiiiii-delicate dusty pink with black in a large room would look good! ask the shopkeeper to give U a cut of a 1/2 metre and take it home!good luck

Sounds delish!

absolutely, suits all styles, love it

pic #4-kitchen I would only do 1 wall with that colour-the clock wall! both walls as it is enclose the kitchen too much even if it's large-this is my opinion!!

I painted one 10m long x 3m high wall in our office a dark grey with door trims in black gloss. The only natural light is through the double width glass front doors. The opposite wall is white, ceiling is white, and floor tiles grey. I would never have painted the wall grey but as it is a rental property I used the cheapest priced paint I could buy. The local Dulux shop were selling a mis-mixed 10L tin for just $30. It was a bold choice but looks great and "warms" the office. It is a feature wall now. So, yes, I would consider black now. Keep in mind that with the opposite wall and ceiling white, there is a lot of reflective light so the actual paint colour grades in intensity from the front door to the back door. You could have 50 shades of black!

Thanks Helendyjak. I was wondering if sort of terracotta orange would work too as I saw some velvet in that colour.

A splash of orange with black is pretty good.

I have had my kitchen walls painted very dark charcoal for the last 11 years. I am about to do major kitchen renovations and yes the walls will be exactly the same colour again. Luv it.

We stayed in a hotel 3 years ago, & all of the corridor walls, ceiling, carpets, doors & trims were black. The room was black & stainless steel/silver & the beds & pillows were like concrete. I'm sure they thought it was fabulous, but it most certainly wasn't

ljjjjjj-I call it "burnt orange"-good colour and it is in as well!!!

I love using dark colours in the right places and in truth, there really isn't a colour that is true black - that would be a none colour and one that can only be truly matched and equalled by its exact equal and opposite (white) for balance and a striking visual effect - like in this kitchen where plenty of natural light streamed in. When I design my colour palettes using "black" there is always an undertone of another colour to contrast or blend (like in the picture you featured here of the formal room at Rothesay). At Rothesay I used a prominent magenta and blue base amongst 8 other pigments which is why it appears to have a rich depth and acts to highlight the ornate ceiling that we painted in Aalto Gallery white. The trims give it contrast but the complexity of colour reflects and absorbs the red accents in the room. In Feng Shui "black" represents water and can be used in the South area of your home (on this side of the hemisphere) - this can be a particularly soothing effect. I used a near black with a brown/aubergine undertone in this bedroom that was once the place of non sleep and now definitely the opposite is in effect. I love using a base colour in my blacks to punctuate bright colours and jewel like tones - it feeds the soul! After all no adventure can be had by playing it safe - right?

One problem would be that it increases the contrast between the brightness of light from windows and the interior of the room. So, if glare was an issue before, you will make it much worse. It maybe that that problem could be overcome with tinting windows, but that would make the room darker. I agree that dark walls look fab in magazines, but I don't know how to do it in real life. I think that the solution is to do it in rooms that don't actually have much wall to paint.

apennameandthata - simple solution for glare is to hang soft white voile curtains or white venetian blinds on windows - the voile softens the light beautifully and blinds are directional, so when glare is at its strongest, close them. The blinds can be opened again when the sun moves off the window.