An Interior Designer Uses Dark, Dramatic Colors in His Nashville Home Interior

Never one to shy away from dark and dramatic tones, Nashville designer Chad James covered the entire exterior of his Nashville home in black. Anytime you're choosing black for exterior spaces, test the paint samples at different times of day to make sure the hues remain consistently black. Certain undertones such as purple, brown or blue can be brought out, depending on the positioning of the sun and the shade of black chosen.

One of the biggest successes in keeping Chad's living room from feeling too dark was brightening up the fireplace facade with a shagreen application. Shagreen is the untanned skin of a horse, shark or ray, though more often nowadays is a man-made product made to look like that dappled, textured leather. The soft gray tones of the material help reflect light around the space while also highlighting this important architectural element and main focal point of the interior.

A great way to play with dark colors in a lighter, layered manner is to choose a tone-on-tone palette. This involves repeating different shades and tints of the same hue for a more collected look with visual depth. Here in Chad's den, rich gray-brown is used on the walls, ceiling and the upholstery. For a touch of personality and contrast, he brought in deep merlot tones with the area rug and the gilded arm chair.

If you're considering painting your own home's exterior black, never underestimate the power of each surface. To minimize the appearance of the simple trim, fascia and doors, Chad painted them all the same shade of black as the siding, but then brought attention to the oversized architectural windows with a touch of white for high contrast.