5 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD PAINT YOUR WALLS BLACK

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Lisa Gilmore Design | Seamus Payne Photography

In an era of bright and white instagramable spaces (yes, we swoon over those too!) - we are think you should paint your walls black. It’s no surprise that I am a fan of dark moody spaces. I try to slide in some saturated color into a project every. single chance I get. So here are our top reasons why you should say yes to that darkest color swatch on the paint color fan deck.

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1. MAKE IT COZY

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Lisa Gilmore Design | Seamus Payne Photography

A dark room (especially black) has the ability to wrap you in color and create a cozy inviting space that light colors simply can’t achieve. It’s almost like the room is opening its arms to you and pulling you in for a big bear hug.

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2. BENEFIT FROM CONTRASTS

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Lisa Gilmore Design | Native House Photography

Other colors will contrast and bounce off like you would’t believe, so the end result is actually bringing more life to the space.

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3. BLACK IS SEXY

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Lisa Gilmore Design | Seamus Payne Photography

Everyone looks sexy in a black room. A black interior is flatering. Your skin tone will thank you.

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4. YOUR ART WILL LOOK PHENOMENAL

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Lisa Gilmore Design | Seamus Payne Photography

Your art will look PHENOMENAL. It doesn’t matter if you are an avid fine art collector, pick up art from the thrift store, have only a few key pieces and a massive collection. Your art will sing on the dark moody backdrop.

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5. NO NEED TO FEAR

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Lisa Gilmore Design | Seamus Payne Photography

It will not feel small, we promise. Okay - so a few factors do come into play with this promise. One, your ceilings really can’t be lower than 8 ft, and if they are, make sure you balance that dark wall with some of the following: light or bright area rugs and drapery OR light and bright furniture, also varying wood tones add interest to a dark space. (really, any space.) Additionally, if you don’t have a lot of natural light in the space, be sure to add ambient lighting through chandeliers, floor lamps, table lamps and/or wall sconces

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Lisa Gilmore | Roohi Photography

GO AHEAD, PULL THE TRIGGER ON THE BLACK PAINT.

There you have it, I rest my case. Hopefully you are now dreaming up which room (or maybe you should just go for it and paint your whole place black!) that you will tackle with this amazing color. And if you get a little scared, don’t worry, we’ve got your back.

With love & design-y dreams,

Lisa Gilmore

DESIGN PROJECT:: COZY TRANSITIONAL LIVING

A HIDDEN GEM

Picture this!  A narrow dirt road  shaded by a canopy of overgrown trees, as you turn every corner another home appears more beautiful than the next resting on acres of land. When you think it just can't any better we approach a beautiful white carriage style home with a winding driveway which  charmingly states "Welcome Home."

With a growing family and renovation underway, our clients were eager to see the transformation come to life. For the family room, we paired a rich mocha leather sofa with hints of rust, and a  classic herringbone pattern for pillows. With so many windows surrounding the room we wanted to  allow for all the natural light to flow thru, but to soften the room we incorporated a cotton/linen drapery fabric. The drapery was one of our client's favorite with small scale sketches of birds in flight! If you ask me the pair of chairs upholstered in a grayscale peacock fabric stole the show. These two beauties sit perfectly together showing off their sleek and curvy profile!

Mixture of Pattern and Sunlight - Family Room by Lisa Gilmore Design 

Profile Details by Lisa Gilmore Design 

Birds a Plenty with Gorgeous Drapery Details

Oversized Round Wooden Coffee Table to Ground the Space by Lisa Gilmore Design

Designing for the master bedroom came with one request from our client- "must have the softest carpet!"  With this simple request we were given free reign to create this moody yet refreshing space! Using this amazing  wallpaper mural which resembled a storm rolling in on the ocean, we were able to incorporate other elements with drapery and lighting to help lighten the space. We placed abstract art throughout the room as well to help pull the moody hues throughout the space. In the corner of the room was the coziest plaid flannel chair I ever did  have the pleasure to lay in. Literally laid in... this thing was heaven! 

Master Bedroom Details  by Lisa Gilmore Designs

A Moody Wallpaper Mural to Set the Tone in this Master Bedroom by Lisa Gilmore Design

The Coziest Chair and a Half Upholstered in the Softest Plaid Fabric

Room Views with a special guest- Master Bedroom by Lisa Gilmore Design

For the master bathroom we kept the transitional style of the rest of the home and introduced a industrial with a bit of glam flair . Since there was  great variation from piece to piece  we were able to use  the same porcelain tile throughout the shower, vanity walls and floor, but changed the shape and or direction of the tile. The brass hardware and fixtures looked like beautiful jewelry on the espresso cabinetry, and paired lovely with the large sconces flanking the custom mirrors made at our local frame shop! 

Elements of Brick, Hex, and Brass  for this Master Bathroom designed by Lisa Gilmore Design 

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Original concept sketch for master bathroom. 

Details of Hex Porcelain Floor. The worn embossed pattern makes this bathroom timeless and classic

This project will always be a near and dear one to my heart, and I hope you love the final outcome as much as I do!

Till next time!