Dark and Stormy is not an official design term but I think it clearly describes the style I’m referring to today. I absolutely love this look, but there are definitely some things to consider before you go painting your house entirely black!
Firstly, a pure black may not be the right colour to paint your whole house exterior. Perhaps a charcoal grey could take the edge off and make it just that little bit less intimidating.
If you do choose a dark and stormy theme for your renovation, be mindful of giving it some ‘lift’ in other ways – otherwise it can feel like a big black prison block. My preference when renovating in a dark colour scheme is to use interesting textures (slats, dark stone etc) to give the house some depth.
In my role as an exterior designer of house facades I always recommend at least one contrasting colour or material. In the example here, I added a timber feature (hidden near the bottom in this image) and also some vines to soften the overall effect.
The trick is to make it look interesting without introducing lots of colours, so timber and landscaping work wonders here. Even if your home is not of a contemporary shape (eg a 70’s brick home), you can still use the same concept of introducing the darker colours and adding accent areas to complement them.
Another factor to think about is the heat. If you live in far north Queensland, then a black house is probably not a great choice. But if your climate is cooler, these colours could help reduce your power bill. Also, did you know that dark paint is more expensive than light paint (generally)?, so make sure you factor that in to your budget before you get started!
If you’d like assistance with sprucing up your home’s facade (dark and stormy or otherwise!), you can get in touch with me here.
Jane Eyles-Bennett x