The decision to go for either light or dark furniture has been a longstanding design question. Both light and dark furniture look great, however, the colours you select will influence the space and ambience of your interior.
Dark furniture
Dark furniture helps shrink a room, so it is a good choice when you have a large, spacious room that you want to make appear cosy and comfortable or more intimate and inviting.
Dark furniture can help create a distinguished, formal and sophisticated look.
Dark furniture can serve as a focal point.
Light furniture
Light coloured furniture helps create the illusion of space and make a room appear larger.
Light coloured furniture is versatile and goes well with most floor and wall colours.
It brightens up your space and evokes a feeling of cleanliness.
Design factors
Whether you go with light or dark colours for your furniture there are a few simple design rules to complement your colour choice.
A room furnished with darker tones may require more lighting and stronger lighting than one that features white or light-coloured tones.
As a general rule use your dominant colour for 60 percent of the room, a secondary colour for 30 percent and an accent colour for 10 percent.
Balance dark furniture with light coloured accessories such as cushions, lamps, rugs, curtains or blinds and vice versa with light furniture.
To achieve a cool ambience, select dark furniture with a light background and for a warm atmosphere, use light furniture with a dark background.