This post was sponsored by KILZ® Complete Coat™ Paint as part of an Ambassador program for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
You guysss!!! I am seriously so excited to show you this big BOLD new update to our bonus room! Remember a little while ago I was chatting about how I was ready to take the plunge and really start to decorate our multi-purpose room? Annnnd how I was itching to take a huge risk and paint it a dark color? Well, it’s done! I took a leap of faith and chose Rebel (in flat sheen) by KILZ® Complete Coat™ Paint. It’s dark, bold, moody and it completely changed the look of this space.
Painting your room a dark color like this can be really overwhelming and scary, so I want to talk a little bit about working with a dark paint color and my experience. Ready?
Dark Moody Room
Do you need to be reminded with what we started with?
Before Room
Here is the before picture. There really isn’t anything wrong with the space, but it was never fully finished and I wanted to change the look and take it to a whole new level. And I think I accomplished that!
Paint Refresh
Why I went with dark walls
It is actually hard for me to believe that this is the same space that I started with. In my inspiration post, I shared a few before pictures of this space along with a few ideas of what I had in mind. I knew I wanted to use a dark paint color in here. Many people have asked why I decided to take just a huge risk, other people told me I was super brave for doing it. So let me start this post by answering a few questions about why I went with this color.
- Our ENTIRE house is the same shade of ‘greige’, and after THREE YEARS I decided I was finally ready to start painting a few walls in our house and wanted something completely different than what we have.
- This room is a mix between a playroom and movie room, so it seemed like the perfect place to bring in a bold color. Nothing cozier than watching a good movie in a dark room!
- Dark walls are also making a comeback in the design world and I am all about the dark and moody look right now. So why not try it myself!?
- It’s just paint! I think the biggest thing to remember when painting your room a different color is that it’s just paint. It can be painted over in a matter of seconds so why not take a risk and try out a new color to freshen things up.
Rustic Modern Bonus Room Makeover
I choose the color ‘Rebel’ by KILZ Complete Coat Paint, based off the color I saw on Walmart. I will caution and say that the color online is a little different than the color in the can. I was expecting more of a Charcoal Gray and it turned out to be as close to black as you can get. I actually hesitated at first but decided to keep moving forward. I knew I wanted a ‘moody’ look for this room, so I just changed my vision a little bit and went with it. Sometimes you have to take a risk to get big results and I think it worked AMAZING!
The sample photos on Walmart are what actually sparked my inspiration for this project. I loved seeing the addition of wood detail on top the dark walls. The is what inspired my idea of using the vertical molding across the wall. Using a dark color is definitely a very bold move and it can overtake the room if not done right. I think the usage of the tone on tone gives it an added texture and dimension and makes it a lot cozier and more interesting.
I’ve used KILZ primer for years, but this was the first time I used the KILZ Complete Coat Paint and I really liked it. I used a small roller for the overall coverage on my walls and it went on really smooth. This being such a dark color, I was really impressed with the coverage after one coat. I did need two coats, but that’s all it took and look how dark this is!!! The other thing I noticed about the paint was how quickly it dries. I was super impressed with how fast the paint was to touch and how smooth it looks.
To go along with the moody look of the room, I wanted to stick with my usual rustic modern style but also add in a hint of boho. I love love mixing different textures and all the fringe and woven pieces have my heart. I picked accessories that were lighter in color so they would pop against the dark walls.
For the focal point of the room, I choose this print of my three kiddos that we just had taken by Shaylynne Marie Photography. She is amazing, and really captured the spirit of our family. I love this picture of my kids, it shows them looking out at the horses down the street from us. They love standing at the fence watching them graze and trying to get their attention. It’s a beautiful picture that also captures a moment in our every day lives.
And I’m so glad I switched out the coffee table for these poufs because they are so comfy!!
ROOM OVER TIME
If you are like me, you love a good before/after makeover. So let’s take a look back in time at how this room as progressed. It is seriously AMAZING to me how paint can completely change the room. Ok ready.
Here is what the room looked like originally. It wasn’t necessarily awful, it was just lacking a wow factor.
Here is the in-between stage when I started to change out some of the decor to change the look.
And now, with a whole new paint color. WOW. I still can’t believe this is my house!
If you haven’t gathered this already, I’m so happy that I took a risk and went with a dark paint color. I think it totally paid off and I got the dark moody modern boho look that I wanted. Is there a room in your house you are hoping to paint soon? Will you be going bold?
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About Taryn Whiteaker
Hi! I’m Taryn! The voice behind Taryn Whiteaker Designs. I launched this brand over 11 years ago when I became a stay-at-home mom. What started as a small craft and mom blog eventually grew into a full time design and DIY site. My goal has always been to inspire others (especially women!) with design ideas, DIY tutorials, entertaining ideas and give you the tools you need to complete them yourself!
Hi Taryn, you made a great choice with this dark color. It raises the bar of decor in this room to a new level. Cheers, Ardith
Oh thank you so much Ardith! I appreciate that!
It would look more finished if you camouflaged the cords inside trim painted same as wall color.
Cords are a pet peeve for me. Looks cozy.
Thanks for the suggestion! Cords are typically a pet peeve of mine too, but in this case I actually preferred the more industrial look of them. But how knows that could change :)
What if you wrapped them in jute or burlap or something? Just a thought. I usually can’t stand cords either but sometimes wrapping them adds a nice subtle touch like you said. This space is amazing. I’ve wanted to go dark on a couple walls for about 5 years, but keep wimping out because people think I’m crazy. Gonna have to get brave and do it though, super inspired now!
Absolutely adore this paint color with the molding give great dimension to room. Without molding would just be paint color, great call.. Kept going back and forth looking at photos, finally realized the molding made such a difference with the darker color.
There are so many things I would do in our home but Mr.Furry just isn’t going for it, bummer. Could make such a difference but he just can’t visualize it. To me would make our home something besides a mfg. home fixed up to a home that’s had vision and risk implemented. Be glad your Mr. listens and trusts your instincts.
Part of our problem and Mr. Furry’s caution is lack of funds, trying to live on SS isn’t simple here and I have lots of medical bills. Am more of person to go for it and Mr.Furry is definitely not. Am not a planner and he is. Sometimes I wonder how we’ve made it to 49 yrs together. end of next month.
I applaud any chances you’ve taken, takes vision and willing to take a chance. So enjoy what you’ve accomplished so well, you have a beautiful home that shows great ideas.
Enjoy the week.
This is so gorgeous!! Absolutely one of my favorite colors. It makes the room cosy and grown up at the same time. What do you think about dark color on one wall for those of us not quite brave enough?
Thank you! It is definitely a big change! I think one wall would work great, I would just recommend doing some type of wood detail on it so it’s not just paint. Like the vertical molding like I did or squares or board and batten. So many different options!
Hi Taryn,
Can I ask how far apart you placed your wooden strips? This may be exactly what my bedroom wall needs for a focal point.
Love your room!
I am obsessed with this moody dark room! It is so amazing. Love the colors and can imagine snuggling up there!
Oh thank you so so much Sara! That means so much coming from you!
Wow. Way to go, it looks incredible. Good for you for following your heart. Like you said, it’s only Paint!
Love how it turned out Taryn!!!
This room looks beautiful!! I love the dark paint and i didn’t think I would like dark colors. I also love those floor poufs!! Can I ask where to purchase them please? Thank you!!
Thank you so much! Here is a link to the poufs http://bit.ly/2tZFZww
I ABSOLUTELY love it! I just took the same “risk” and painted my dining room that same color and I love it!! I can’t imagine it any different! I had lots of questions about why on earth would I ever do that… but I trusted my “gut” and not everyone else’s and am so glad I did! I love your blog! Such great inspiration!
This room is beautiful. I love how the light accents pop against the dark wall color. And, the textures in the pillows and poufs are wonderful. I love it all!
Thank you so much for your nice comment! I appreciate it!
Love the room! Where did you purchase the rug?
Hi! It’s actually from Hobby Lobby, it is three rugs put together!
Love those poufs so much! We ditched the coffee table too, we need poufs! The darker color does make a bold statement. Your room looks really cozy. Thanks for sharing with us at Merry Monday. Love the inspiration.
Love this couch!! Where did you get this?!
Thanks! It’s from Macy’s and it was such a great deal for it. It’s honestly been an awesome couch especially for the price. Here is the link, I think they may have discontinued this specific gray but her is the couch. http://bit.ly/2FEm6kr
Thank you!! Do you know what color you got it in?!
I got it in the Charcoal! It looks like they are still selling the color after all :)
Love love love this room!! Where did you get the focal pillow with the blue?
It’s from World Market, Here you go! http://bit.ly/2Icnyjv
I love this room! Where did you get the brown pillows? They are such a great touch!
Thank you so much! Here is a link to the pillows, it says they are currently unavailable but maybe you can find them somewhere else? https://amzn.to/2Jy7eKj
when you said dark as in black I thought Oh my goodness! But it is gorgeous I love the way you have this room decorated!!
wow, I recently painted one wall in the master very dark and have not finished pulling the room together. I was starting to regret going that dark but you just gave me new hope the way you pulled your space together….PINNING! Christine from Little Brags
Keep going! I honestly thought I was going to repaint the whole thing, even right up to the whole wall being done. The trim really helped add texture and once the decor was in I LOVED it!
WOW now that’s a different look, very cozy for winter in Seattle would think. How does it feel for hot Summer in Seattle? Really do love it, goes great with your sectional,is that light gray or light blue like light denim/chambray? Love those rugs,the pattern is incredible in room. I too love the photo of your kids. Good for you being brave,not an easy thing to do,how does your husband like it?
Our living room is a very light gray due to how our house sets front facing east and back of house faces due west. Made such a difference after we painted. Lightened up our sofa and art/tables, also.
Now to get my .kitchen cabinets painted white. Not progressing well on that at all. Makes me crazy looking at them. Ah well it’s a short trip at this point in my life,lol.
Sorry have been absent lately,so many problems with our terrible and worst internet anywhere. I get so disgusted paying for something non existent too often. Get cut off from internet too often. Not much to pick from here.
Hope you’re having a great Summer there. It’s been quite hot here but then usually is. Too many times I go to hang laundry out and change my mind due to how hot it is. Sheesh. Feel like my brain being pickled out there. Time for shower and bed so will say goodnight. Have wonderful rest of week and great weekend.
Hi JaneEllen! It totally works in the summer because this is our movie/play room. So it’s not a room we are in every day. It makes it really cozy. The couch is more of a medium/dark gray with a little variance in color. Have a great rest of your summer!
Looks great!
So glad to have stumbled across this post. I’m planning to go dark on my living room and my husband is quietly freaking out. LOL! I can’t wait to get started (talkofthetown)
Oh good! Yes! It all comes down to the decor and how you style it. I was terrified at first.
I love this! It completely changes the look of the room!
Love it so much!!!! Where are the poufs from?
THank you! The poufs are from World Market :)
Oh my that is one beautiful transformation. The room looks so cozy now.
THank you so much!
Great makeover! I once painted a dark room and I loved it. Of course, repainting it was a bear, LOL! Where did you get the wall lights? We are looking for something just like that for our TV room. Visiting from Sweet Inspiration party.
Hi! The lights are from World Market!