1. GREEN
Green is a versatile shade that can really have a positive effect in a dark, small room. It can help you feel grounded to nature when otherwise it might feel claustrophobic. It might make you feel calm when you want to create a cozy atmosphere. It can help bring a zesty color to a space that is otherwise dark and filled with shadow.
2. DARK BROWN
For a smaller bedroom or living room where you might want to embrace the size and create a feeling of coziness, a brown on the walls can work beautifully. Here, interior designers Benjamin Stelly and Tanya Selway of design studio Stelly Selway also used the brown on the door frame, giving it a monochromatic look that makes this room feel like a warm hug. This shade has grey tones, and really connects the paint color to nature, which is another way of adding comfort to the space. The space has been made extra cozy with two bedside glowing pendants.
3. DARK GREY
An enveloping dark grey also can work to create this feeling of depth and gives a smaller room a sultry and sophisticated feel. If you want to create a moody and atmospheric feel, dark colors work well in small spaces, creating depth and drama.
4. LIGHT, CHEERFUL PINK
Or go for something altogether different to a cozy, darker shade, and opt instead for decorating with a pale pink in your small, dark room, as seen in this beautiful bathroom from Romenek Design Studio.
5. TRY A SHADE OF DARK BLUE TO CALM THE SPACE
A dark, inky blue is a beautiful dark and glamorous color that can also bring calmness and sumptuousness to a smaller room, as seen in this beautiful blue bathroom from Mitchell + Corti Architects.
6. GO FOR A SPLASH OF SUNSHINE YELLOW FOR A POSITIVE SPACE
Yellow might feel like quite a vibrant color to choose, but it really works for a smaller room, in all its tones, from a pale, muted yellow that errs on neutral, to something zesty and vibrant. You might be quite wary of using a bright, bold yellow such as this yellow living room from Suzy Hoodless, but the sunshine tone really brightens the space, thus lightening and helping it feel bigger, more open and more friendly, instead of dark and moody.
7. MAXIMIZE NATURAL LIGHT IN WITH A SHADE OF WHITE
Ultimately, staying away from bright or pops of color altogether can be a clever way of painting the walls of a small, dark room. The best white paint isn't boring, and can act as a blank canvas to your room, also bringing an airiness and brightness to a space, no matter the size, and works in this windowless room from Ries Hayes. The white also matches the white of the ceiling, so you don't feel the ceiling closing in on you as you look up.
8. TRY A COZY DEEP PURPLE
Another cozy color that exudes a richness and depth to a small room is a deep plum or dark purple. This gives a luxurious feel to a small space, and instead of feeling dark and cold, the underlying red tones bring a warmth, whether it's a bathroom, as above, or a purple living room.