We all want our home’s to have that wow-factor; a piece that speaks to our personality while also complementing the interior and architecture of the space. While many people turn to bright, vibrant accents (myself included), incorporating darker shades to your home’s accents and accessories is not only challenging but also unique.

Here are a few ways to add dark, moody, and mysteriously stunning accents to your home:

Bedrooms

While this bedroom has plenty of dark features, the real showstopper is the sleek shine of the black chair - which beautifully brings out the darker shades in the artwork and the rich hardwood floors. Although a simple touch, without the dark hued chair, the earthtone colors of the art would stand out and the floor would act as a contrast to the white and beige color palette around the fireplace. However, now this bedroom comes together cohesively with a darker, sophisticated look.

Image: Betty Wasserman Art & Interiors

When adding darker accents to your home, you don’t need to feel obliged to incorporating black. Betty Wasserman expertly uses cool blues to create a dramatic effect through various textiles and splashes of charcoal through the furnishings. The dark blue accents still offer a cool and soothing ambiance but with a refined and modern look to it.

Kitchens

Image: Moneca Kaiser Design Build

Bright, open-concept homes are a great place to show off your darker side and bringing attention to the room’s focal point with dark accents. Moneca Kaiser Design Build brought focus to this home’s kitchen with storm-painted cabinetry, which was then softened up and

modernized with wooden countertops and a metallic backsplash. An added punch was then given through the soft matte black chairs.

Image: CRT Interiors

Colorful appliances are widely growing as a trend so why not use this look to add a bit of mystique to your otherwise bright and cheerful kitchen. Randy Trainor decorates this home in cheerful whites and mint greens while adding a touch of luscious British racing green. Not only does this simple addition create a powerful statement, it embellishes the kitchen with a feeling of nature - which is definitely on-trend right now.

Dining Areas

With more and more homeowners and designers experimenting with tile trends, this is the perfect way to incorporate your favorite moody hue. Dark floor accents are a great way to accentuate light-colored items in your home - so if your place mainly showcases light wooden case goods, furniture, or decor - having those items contrast with a dark floor works as a chic and subtle way to further display your beautiful home furnishings.

Even rustic styles benefit from dark accents! While often paired with soft neutrals, crisp whites, and vibrant yet warm color tones, rustic-style elements pair wonderfully with dark statements, from throw pillows to darkly painted window frames, and so forth. As rustic interiors focus on natural beauty, using materials such as wood, stone, brick, and organic textiles will further enhance this warm and mesmerizing style- whether it’s an accent wall or ethnic patterned cushions.

Entryways

Show off your home’s architecture! Dark wooden accents in a modern or mostly white home will work as both an incredible, minimalist layering technique and shine light on your home’s architecture. In our Beverly Hills design project, we made the espresso wooden staircase stand out, which then brought attention to the crisp white columns, glass windows, and vibrant area rug (elements that would have otherwise blended in if the staircase was also white).

Not sure what to do with your odds and ends? Putting these pieces on display is one of my favorite tricks for adding a bit of contrast to a bare, white-walled space. It can be hard to know what to do with your smaller, dark-colored decor, and while beautiful on their own, when combined together, often create a beautiful, artistic design.

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Dark accents are anything but solemn and boring - they are mature, secretive, and dramatic. Don’t worry about having to go full monochromatic on your design; dark plums, blues, reds, greens all have the same, if not more, compelling effect. Remember, lowlights can be just as powerful as highlights!