This article has been written by Miljana Drincic – a professional architect and interior designer – to ensure the content is unique and insightful.
A dark accent wall can create a bold focal point that can add character and depth to your bedroom.
However, if a dark accent wall is combined with the wrong furniture, the wrong lighting, or the wrong color palette the bedroom can feel gloomy and confined.
So how do you use a dark accent wall correctly in a bedroom?
To implement a dark accent wall in a bedroom correctly, use warm lighting, focus on one key design element like a single focus piece of artwork, pick earthy tones, and choose oversized pieces of furniture to complement the dominance of the accent wall for balance.
The rest of this article unpacks these ideas in more detail to give you 10 actionable dark accent wall ideas that you can take inspiration from.
I have provided you with the hex values in bold under each design so that you can put the values into a color wheel to come up with your own palettes.
The designs are based on my own knowledge and insights gained from being a professional interior designer.
Related: see the best beds, furniture, and mattresses to go with your dark accent wall here.
10 Dark Accent Wall Bedroom Ideas
Below are 10 dark accent wall ideas for your bedroom that you can copy or adapt as required:
1: Dark Byzantine Blue with Golden Yellow – Calm and Soothing
Dark byzantine hex value: #2A2F4D
Dark byzantine blue has a calming effect and therefore makes it an excellent choice to have as a dark accent wall behind your bed.
The yellow detailing adds interest and richness.
The impression of the night sky that this combination evokes is naturally fitting for a bedroom space.
I recommend using warm white lighting with this combination to make the yellow details more vivid and raise the feeling of comfort while muting the dark tone of the wall.
Wooden floors are great for adding the impression of warmth.
I personally like to use wood with lower color saturation; aiming towards lighter, or even grayish tones – since they have a tendency to blend in nicely.
This leaves more freedom when picking the color palette for the furniture and walls.
The furniture in this example is made of metal – since metal neutralizes the environment and goes nicely with the yellow elements.
Transparent curtains enhance the relationship between these two colors.
Another thing to keep in mind when using dark walls in bedrooms is the daylight – it is best to have the dark wall facing the east or south, so its natural tone will brighten the space.
How to Copy this Design:
Use furniture with a simple design to make the space look elegant.
Combine this simplicity with a bright color palette to avoid a cluttered appearance.
Small details in yellow tones – such as the hanging chandelier and golden picture frames in the example above – make the dark blue wall stand out.
In my experience, dark walls generally work well with another detail of the same color – such as the rug in this example – making the room come together.
Feel free to introduce subtle patterns within the palette as you see fit.
Details such as picture frames and bookshelves are also a simple addition.
Try these 15 creative ways to decorate your bookshelves.
2: Dark Artichoke Green with Wood – Peaceful Indoor Oasis
Dark artichoke hex value: #4B6F44
A green palette reminds us of nature and artichoke green – when combined with wooden furniture – resembles a peaceful indoor oasis and creates a wonderful feeling of tranquility.
I personally like to combine artichoke green with wooden elements – the tones of various types of wood will make the resemblance of the outdoors stronger.
Orange details, like the lamp and the curtain in this example, add to the briskness of the room – and orange is within the scope of earthy colors, so it won’t look artificial with this combination.
To add to the outdoor look, use plants of various kinds and details made of bamboo or hemp.
I personally like to incorporate a light chandelier and some hanging plants.
Green plants emerging from a dark green wall improve the dynamics of the environment.
Another great way to contribute to the depth of the room is by arranging your plants perpendicular to the door – this way, the room looks larger when you enter it.
Ideally, the facing wall should be the dark artichoke accent, and finer details – such as floor cushions and nature-themed décor – should be your finishing touches in this design.
How to Copy this Design:
Choose primarily wooden furniture with a variety of shades and textures to add interest.
Details made of natural materials – such as bamboo or hemp – enhance the feeling of the outdoors.
Weaving is one of my personal favorites because it adds detail and goes well with the green.
Introduce orange to bring briskness to the space, and include hanging plants, nature-themed décor, and simple shelves for further decoration.
These don’t need to be light-colored pieces, since plants and other brighter elements already stand out.
Try these 9 oak bedroom furniture ideas.
3: Burnt Brick with Monochrome – Muted and Classy
Burnt brick hex value: #A14D3A
The combination of monochrome colors with red tones is one of the palettes most frequently used by designers.
Burnt brick is a perfect red tone for bedrooms because of its lower saturation.
A natural feature of red is its high visibility, whilst black and white provide some slight distraction from its energetic character.
When combining this red with the monochrome palette, it’s important to let the whites dominate.
The white elements should be more numerous, whilst the black elements should have a linear, minimalist appearance.
A warm white light source will work well with the red tone.
The presence of black and white already tones down the dark accent wall, so there is no need to emphasize their presence.
Warming up the burnt brick is the goal here, so painting the rest of the room white or beige is a great choice.
Putting up black bookshelves or coat racks distributes the theme further throughout the space.
How to Copy this Design:
Choose pieces of furniture that are predominantly white with black details.
In this example, the more linear parts of the furniture are mostly black, while the body of the armchair and the lampshades are white.
Include an element of decoration in a color similar to burnt brick to make a visual connection with the wall – as with the red vase in this example.
A nice white or beige carpet will prevent the industrial feel that burnt brick can sometimes create – this can be small, as its texture will evoke the desired effect.
The warm light source will make both the white and the red warmer.
This is especially important since the red and monochrome palette is often associated with an industrial look.
Multiple warm light sources, including candles, will eliminate the possibility of it looking artificial.
Shelves, picture frames, and even bedsheets in the monochrome spectrum are absolutely crucial for the success of this design.
Burnt brick is perceived as classy, and with minimalistic monochrome, it is a powerful combination.
These 10 colors go with black bedroom furniture perfectly.
4: Charcoal Gray with Turquoise – Stability and Harmony
Charcoal gray hex value: #36454F
Charcoal gray has a monolithic quality that also leans toward the blue color palette, which is why combining it with turquoise makes a good match.
The tones of the wooden floor will bring out the pinch of yellow that turquoise contains.
I would personally paint the surrounding walls beige and let the colors harmoniously blend without a large contrast between the walls and the floor.
The combination of furnishing materials is flexible – turquoise looks great on textiles, steel, or even plastic, and it feels cozy, as well as refreshing.
By adding coral pink, you will create the ambiance of a calming sea reef.
I have incorporated pink into this design, but if you keep turquoise as your only marker color, it will work just as well.
How to Copy this Design:
Search for interesting turquoise materials and textures.
In this example, a solid window screen on a pink rod already makes the room interesting.
You can add a shaggy carpet or cushions.
Choosing flower patterns on the bed sheets will provide a delicate look, along with the pictures on the charcoal wall and the decorative bed structure.
Storage boxes are an interesting asset to the environment.
You could get a few mirrors of attractive shapes and sizes, and arrange them together to make the surroundings feel more organic.
Wooden floors with yellow tones can brighten up the room.
The surrounding walls can be a lighter shade of yellow or beige in order to make a connection between the accent wall and the floor.
Follow these 7 steps to create a dark academia style bedroom.
5: Indigo with Orange and Yellow – Expressive and Insightful
Indigo hex value: #4B0082
Indigo is a tone that falls between blue and purple on the color spectrum.
Combining a dark indigo accent wall with yellow and orange accents throughout the room creates a playful feel that will match an extroverted personality.
White furniture will contrast well with the dark wall to add more interest.
My clients usually choose white or light wooden beds – I think this is a great choice for most bedroom designs that include such a dominant element as an accent wall.
Give the space more character by adding splashes of red detail – indigo has a small amount of red in its mixture, so it binds the space together while adding playfulness.
Notice how the orange bookshelf alongside the orange chair provides visual unity and depth.
How to Copy this Design:
White furniture will emphasize the dark indigo wall in the background – I like to use white lamps and chandeliers, as well as curtains that will let in plenty of sunlight.
Orange is the main warm color you’ll want to implement, since it lies between red and yellow, so the contrast is not too dramatic.
Indigo goes well with slender traces of black – typically implemented through black lampstands and table legs.
White or slightly yellow flooring will make the room look more spacious.
Try these 7 ways to warm up a north-facing bedroom.
6: Raisin Black with Yellow Accents – Revitalizing and Uplifting
Raisin black hex value: #242124
The most extreme example of a dark accent wall is surely black.
The advantage of using black is that it can be combined with any color and still appear tasteful.
However, when choosing a black accent wall, you will need to keep the color palette simple for the rest of the room.
I like to use lemon yellow since its citrus tone instantly creates a revitalizing effect.
It often happens that my clients ask for yellow in their bedrooms.
Yellow has a good impact on our psychological state, because it resembles warmth, and makes us feel awake – which can be ideal in the morning (dimming the lights in the evening can offset this for when you need to relax and calm down).
The lemon yellow tone easily uplifts the dark raisin black.
Use large, white furniture pieces to compete with the dark wall and make the overall composition of the room more appealing.
Placing the oversized white pieces close to the wall is the most effective way of joining these two elements.
How to Copy this Design:
Make sure to place one dominant piece of furniture in front of the dark accent wall – it should stand out by its size, as well as its shape.
This will become the main focus of the room, and the base for a well-balanced composition.
White elements – such as decorations, lamps, and curtains – will lower the weight of the raisin black tone.
You can also paint the window profiles white, like in this image, but it’s not a necessity.
Keep the rest of the details in one other dominant yellow tone, such as lemon.
You can include a thin bookshelf in the same color – I like this option because of the direct reaction between the two.
The curtains can be transparent or solid.
When choosing textiles, you’ll want to go with the yellow palette – rather than gray or white – or choose an interesting pattern.
In this example, the curtains and the bedsheets have subtle patterns and come together nicely.
Here are 18 small guest bedroom office combo ideas to try.
7: Dark Chocolate with Mint Green – Comfort and Safety
Dark chocolate hex value: #332421
Dark chocolate is connected to emotions of passion since a large percentage of red is present in its ratio.
Green is complementary to red, so mint green is a good secondary color choice here.
I would recommend using earthy colors for the rest of the design.
Beige, orange, and light brown tones remind us of the outdoors and next to dark chocolate and mint, they won’t dominate the space.
White light should generally be used with browns since it reduces red pigmentation.
In this example, the floor is mint green vinyl – the use of which increases each year in residential architecture, because it’s durable, warm, and easy to install.
The plants and Japanese screen contribute to feelings of comfort and safety.
How to Copy this Design:
A dark chocolate accent wall allows for the use of brown furniture in differing tones, so feel free to use a variety of wood types when it comes to the furniture.
House plants deepen the impression of the outdoors that instinctively comes to mind when surrounded by brown and green.
Mint green vinyl is an unusual, yet comfortable floor covering.
But a large mint-toned carpet or rug can do the trick if vinyl is not a suitable option for you.
With dominant browns, you’ll want to use warm light sources.
If you have visible installation pipes, painting them is an economically and visually effective solution to integrating mint green.
If not, don’t worry – carpets, pillows, lamps, and curtains are easy to add to the design.
Here are 10 colors that go with dark green bedroom walls.
8: Hunter Green with Pink – Reduces Stress
Hunter green hex value: #355E3B
Deriving its name from camouflage clothing, hunter green reminds us of nature, which makes it a nurturing tone, and it looks extremely stylish in an interior.
I prefer American or pastel pink with it – as they are bright but gentle, and contribute to the general appearance of fresh grass with flowers.
The key is to avoid rich, saturated pinks, as they won’t look as chic in this combination.
Patterned textiles are a solid choice for creating elegance, instead of the seriousness hunter green can evoke.
You can incorporate wooden furniture with ornamentation, for a more refined, classical look.
When the floor area is large compared to the area of the dark accent wall, I always recommend lighter colored wood – it’s the most convenient way to liven up your bedroom.
The surrounding walls should be painted from the lighter side of the earthy color palette, creating a subtle gradient between the dark wall and the light floor.
This will create an overall calming effect.
How to Copy this Design:
Choose the pink tone that appeals to you the most, and choose some decorative objects in this tone.
You can always ask someone to make you a poster using this color, which you could print out and frame for your wall.
Light wooden floors will make the room look sophisticated and alive.
To bring out the full potential of hunter green, I prefer pink elements – especially American or pastel – as they keep the room muted while enlivening it enough to raise the comfort level.
However, if the details are small, you could use richly saturated pink tones to awaken the space.
Choose patterns for textiles and the wooden parts of the furniture.
Flowers and natural motifs are a lovely asset to this design.
The strong presence of earthy tones in the rest of the room is pleasant – but don’t overdo it, or it will look incoherent.
The best choice is to use only one or two tones from the brown palette.
These 9 colors go very well with dark wood bedroom furniture.
9: Tyrian Purple with Light Green – Uplifting and Grounded
Tyrian purple hex value: #66023C
Tyrian Purple is sometimes referred to as “royal” – it is dark but pleasant, and when combined with light green and some glass furniture, it can turn the bedroom into a space where you feel motivated, centered, and content.
In this design, the glass shelving becomes the medium for the liveliness of the wall, and the glass gives this space a contemporary feeling.
Although it may seem unimportant, for certain designs the bedding plays a crucial role, and in this example, the silk sheets make an amazing combination with the glass shelf.
To improve the dynamics of the room, add a piece of art of a larger scale – I recommend a piece in black and white, as it is classic, yet it breaks the monotony.
How to Copy this Design:
Place an elegant glass shelving unit on the tyrian accent wall – the combination of glass and steel in this example is quite subtle and works well.
The larger pieces of furniture are light green.
I personally prefer textiles to improve the coziness of the space.
Use furniture consisting of lighter-colored wood – such as plywood – to neutralize the color palette.
Create an ambiance in the room by including a large piece of art, as seen in the reading area in this example.
A monochrome palette goes well with tyrian purple, and I would advise keeping the surrounding walls white so that the pictures and the background integrate easily.
Decorative details – such as vases, candles, and flowers – will help you to create a lovely, empowering space.
The art piece behind the bed seems like part of the structure and goes well with the silk bedclothes.
The mirror – although a different type of glass – carries the theme across and completes the look.
Try using differing shapes – such as a round mirror in a room with multiple rectangular objects.
These 10 colors go perfectly with gray bedroom furniture.
10: Merlot Red with Dark Wood – Sophisticated and Passionate
Merlot red hex value: #7F171F
Merlot is a passionate and graceful red that lies between the dark and light tones, which makes it appealing and easy to combine with a variety of materials.
The primary material used in this example is wood, which I personally use in most bedroom designs, because of its warm properties.
Merlot red is a great choice when you have darker wooden floors, like in the reference image.
When setting up a strong focal area, we need to bring the viewer’s attention to the surrounding areas without making the room feel confined.
To achieve this, I like to use glimpses of black, as per the lamp, pillow, and curtain rod in the above example.
Other pieces of furniture should be fairly inconspicuous in the room.
The surrounding walls can be slightly colored as well – preferably in a light, earthy tone.
You can also think in terms of multi-functionality and get creative when designing your room.
In this example, you can see the shelf that could serve as a reading area – as could the floor pillow next to the window.
Approaches like this give your room character.
How to Copy this Design:
Furnishing your room in light, earthy tones is the direction you’ll want to go in for this design.
Include some elements in black to gracefully disrupt the monotony.
Bookshelves and coat racks are not just decorations, but functional assets – use them as ambiance enhancers, like in the given example.
Light-colored wood is a great option for these pieces.
Some light blue can also enliven the red, as the poster in this image does.
I would advise including a red carpet/rug, as it will connect the wall to the floor without much contrast.
You can do this if your floor is a lighter tone, as well.
Create your final touches by placing a house plant in the room, and maybe even a floor cushion next to it, making it clear that this is not only a refined space but a space of peace and privacy, as well.
These are the 5 best bedroom colors for children with autism.
Conclusion: Focus on Lighting, Design, and Colors
A dark accent wall gives your bedroom a strong character.
However, if implemented incorrectly the room can look gloomy or too overpowering.
To avoid this, focus on using warm white light.
Multiple light sources in one room offer functionality, as well as appeal, but make sure that you’re using the same light color in each lamp.
Secondly, choose one design element, and tone down everything else.
In these examples, the surrounding walls are light, white, or earth-colored; whilst the floors are desaturated and often lean towards a light gray.
Thirdly, clearly define the color palette and materials of the furniture you intend to use; the pieces need to work together well, and not just look good by themselves.
It’s also good to use different scales of furnishings because it makes the space more dynamic and balanced.
Lastly, houseplants are integrated in only some of these suggestions, but it’s always favorable to have some in your room.
Have fun with the details and decorations, but keep in mind that each element contributes to the general look.
Up next: how to paint a small bedroom a dark color the right way.
Image Attribution and Licensing
Main image: ‘Grey bedroom with red accents’ by KatarzynaBialasiewicz (Getty Images Pro) – used with permission under the terms of Canva’s One Design Use License Agreement.
All other images custom made for Bedroom Style Reviews – copyright LiveWell Media LTD (all rights reserved).
Dan is the founder and head content creator at Bedroom Style Reviews.
He has been working as a professional online product reviewer since 2015 and was inspired to start this website when he ended up sleeping on a memory foam mattress that was too soft and gave him backache.
Through in-depth research and analysis, Dan’s goal with this website is to help others avoid such pitfalls by creating the best online resource for helping you find your ideal mattress, bedding, and bedroom furniture.
Dan is a qualified NVQ Level 2 Fitness Instructor with 6 years’ experience helping clients improve their health through diet, exercise, and proper sleep hygiene.
He also holds several college and university-level qualifications in health sciences, psychology, mathematics, art, and digital media creation – which helps him to publish well researched and informative product reviews as well as articles on sleep, health, wellbeing, and home decor.
Dan also has direct personal experience with insomnia, anxiety, misophonia (hypersensitivity to sounds), and pain from both acute and long-standing sporting injuries – he enjoys writing insightful articles around these subjects to help fellow sufferers of such conditions.
Learn more about Dan here.