How to Achieve the Dark Academia Look in Your Home

Dark Academia is the latest design trend hitting social media. If centuries-old libraries with haphazardly stacked books or tweed suits and whispers of romantic poetry are your style, look no further than this moody aesthetic. Check out how to emulate this style in your own space.

By: Felicia Feaster and Katelyn Norwood

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A Cozy Traditional Library

Are you as enchanted by the Dark Academia trend as we are? If you are on Instagram or TikTok, it's hard to miss this stylish subculture obsessed with tweed and turtlenecks, gothic architecture, books and libraries, preppy nostalgia and the Ivy League. We have lots of suggestions for how to bring Dark Academia style into your home and your look. For inspiration, check out Instagram accounts like @dark.academia and @cosyfaerie. This cozy room checks all the DA boxes: tufted leather sofa, wood-paneled library, wood-burning fireplace and hardwood floors.

Looking for more social media-inspired trends? Find out how to get the Insta-craze Coastal Grandma look in your home.

From: Long & Foster® Real Estate, Inc. and Luxury Portfolio International®

The Dark Academia Look Onscreen

The rich wood tones, copious books, dim lighting and old world look that defines the 2019 hit mystery comedy Knives Out set pieces make it the perfect illustration of the Dark Academia aesthetic.

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How to Get the DA Look

A Dark Academia family portrait, the eccentric cast of the quirky whodunnit Knives Out have the tweedy, preppie, traditional look of this TikTok style craze.

The Preppy Look With a 21st Century Spin

Some have decried Dark Academia as too centered on traditional WASP (white, Anglo-Saxon and Protestant) style and traditions. But companies like Ralph Lauren have worked to make their version of preppy more inclusive as in their 2022 ad campaign featuring Black college students at Atlanta's prestigious Spelman and Morehouse colleges — also the company's first ever collaboration with a college. See their limited-edition capsule collection here.

Get This Look: 20 Designs That Capture Classic Ivy League Style

Old World Materials and Influences

All about the romance of all things intellectual, Dark Academia makes sense as a TikTok trend for a generation raised on Harry Potter books and movies. To recreate the feel of living at Hogwarts, add storage trunks to your room to hide clutter and add a duvet and lots of layers on your bed for an old-school cozy look and make your bed a book-reading sanctuary.

Keep It Dark

Rich, dark woods like mahogany, walnut and cherry are a must for any DA lover. This style is tailor made for vintage furniture and ornately carved wood that mimics the design of gothic cathedrals and monasteries. Here this 19th century William and Mary secretary has been turned into a Dark Academia-worthy bar, with a cut crystal decanter and whiskey glasses for some extra extravagance.

Collegiate Chic at Ralph Lauren

Students from two of the gems in the HBCU network, Spelman and Morehouse, pose for a 2022 Ralph Lauren ad, showing how the moneyed, prep-school look has evolved over time.

Embrace the Style

Dark leather tones, accessories and furniture are crucial to maintaining the Dark Academia aesthetic. For late-night study sessions by candlelight, a leather backpack full of classic poetry and vintage books will surely cement your DA cred. Incorporating vintage accessories and rich leathers into your home design is right on trend.

Dimly Lit Interiors

Candlesticks, particularly gold or bronze, are crucial to achieving the Old World-inspired DA look in your home. To create both a moody and cozy atmosphere in your space, scented candles, especially in classic white or gothic black, are the perfect touch.

Try This Out: How to Make Gold-Leafed Holiday Candlesticks

Dark Tones and Textures

A gorgeous forest green on the walls and a fireplace where you can gather for late night discussions or reading make this study ideal for intellectual pursuits. The brass chandelier, circular mirror and glossy patina on the piano add a luster to the rich surroundings. The green wall color and elegant leather ottoman also happen to be on trend in general in home interiors.

Find Inspiration: Evergreen: A Fresh Take on Forest Green

From: Vernich Interiors

Classic Design Concepts

Some say a spiral staircase represents mystery and a pleasant sense of disorientation. If so, this grand spiral staircase fits into the world of gothic architecture and candle-lit stairwells that make Dark Academia so appealing.

Stacks and Stacks of Books

Showcase your wealth of knowledge or your interest in lifelong learning by displaying books in your home. Earn extra Dark Academia credit for filling your bookshelves with classic and newer authors whose work centers on gothic tales and dark romance like Oscar Wilde, Lord Byron, Donna Tartt, Emily and Charlotte Bronte and Mary Shelley. These homeowners have gone the extra mile in painting their bookshelves a moody black and atmospherically draping them with plants.

Learn More: 30 Mantel and Bookshelf Decorating Tips

Gothic-Inspired Architecture

Dreaming of roaming the halls of an Ivy League college? Give your home a little touch of Harvard or Princeton by incorporating elements of gothic architecture into your space, like a refectory table in your dining room to mimic the long tables in an Ivy's library or food hall. Large heavy drapes and candelabra or Victorian lamps add layers of history. If you're gearing up for a renovation, opt for crown molding and arched doorways or windows to create DA style throughout your home.

Keep it Classy

For a touch of elegance, consider incorporating a chandelier into your home decor. Chiaroscuro — high contrast between light and dark — is a key concept in the oil painting of Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio and Peter Paul Rubens, and it's an effect you can bring into the home with well-executed lighting. High vaulted ceilings are given a dramatic DA look by hanging a chandelier from a short chain in your home to cast dramatic shadows.

Find Out More: Bedroom Chandelier Lighting

Incorporate Classic Patterns and Textures

Give your home a DA aesthetic by incorporating warm-toned palettes with earth tones, greens, deep blues and autumnal colors. Patterns like plaid and houndstooth are great for pillows like these to help foster a luxe, timeless environment. Leather, fur and fabrics like velvet are ideal Dark Academia textures.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Bell Jars Are Big

Great for highlighting your esoteric collectibles, bell jars and clouches are also part of the whole eggheady, science-centric vibe of Dark Academia.

Draw From Real Life

What better place to draw DA inspiration than from real history and architecture? Opened to the public in 1897 and filled with artwork by renowned American painters and sculptors, the detailed interior of the Library of Congress Great Hall in Washington, DC, celebrates classical traditions of learning. For the Dark Academica look, the closer your space looks to a centuries-old library or grand hall, the better. While your living room may not be as grand, adding gilt mirrors and dark antique furniture is a great start to completing the look.

Taxidermy

Real or fake, taxidermy is one way to give your home a cheeky Old World Dark Academia look.

Learn More: Tour a Museum-Like Loft Filled With Beautiful Things

Quirky Collectibles

Use the intrigue of far-off lands to infuse your eclectic collection of bric-a-brac. This trending look can be achieved by combining personal mementos with vintage and antique finds. Items that add instant DA personality to your space include hourglasses, globes, vases and Greek sculptures.

See More Ideas: 6 Tips for Displaying Collectibles

Antique Gold Frames

An eclectic gallery wall dominated by gold-framed artwork and quirky items of curiousity gives your home an eccentric, clever DA vibe.

A Color-Coordinated Home Library

If your home library needs to be a little less musty and a little more design forward, consider organizing your books by color. Whatever your aesthetic choices, to truly embrace the love of intellectualism that defines Dark Academia, a home library is a must-have.

Check this out: A Multimillion-Dollar Library