How to Do Dark Decor in a Small Apartment
Do you love dark decor but aren’t sure if you can pull it off in a small apartment?
Here’s something that might surprise you: dark interior decor can actually benefit your small space!
In this video, I’m talking about what dark decor is, how to find interior design inspiration for it, and how to create the look with your small apartment decor. I’m also walking you through exactly how I do it in my 500 sq ft studio apartment, so you’ll see exactly how possible it is to get the moody decor vibe in a small apartment like mine!
If you love moody interior design, gravitate toward the witch aesthetic, and could use some small apartment or studio apartment decor ideas, watch this video for inspiration and start creating your dark dream space.
And this video is actually part 1 of a 3-part dark decor trilogy! Next week’s video will be about dark boho decor, and the week after that will cover dark academia. So stay tuned if you love all things dark decor.
Video Transcript ↓
So you like dark decor, but you live in a tiny apartment. Can you pull off this style or will it make your already small apartment feel like a dark cave - and not in, like, a cool metal way?
My answer to that is yes! You can totally pull off dark decor in a small apartment, and I would even venture to say that dark decor is ideal for small spaces.
In this video, I'm going to talk about:
What dark decor is
How to find inspiration for it
How to pull it off in a small apartment - without painting your walls black and potentially forfeiting your damage deposit.
And if you’re new to my channel, my name is Steffi and I’m the creator of the interior style blog Moda Misfit as well as the online course Small Apartment Styling School.
And you’re watching Living Pretty, the place for apartment styling tips! So if you want to get inspired with me every week, be sure to subscribe!
Also, have you downloaded my free Apartment Styling Handbook yet?
It's a bite-sized roadmap for decorating your apartment so that you can create a space you love - without feeling like you're stumbling alone in the dark. Because sometimes you just want someone to tell you what to do to decorate your apartment, right?
So download the FREE Apartment Styling Handbook for some extra help!
How Dark Decor Can Expand a Small Space
Like I mentioned earlier, darkness can actually benefit a small space. So let's talk about how and why!
It's understandable that you are not quite sure about embracing dark decor in a small space because a lot of people think that darkness can feel suffocating and heavy. And if done incorrectly, that can be the result!
But some well done dark decor choices can actually be really great for a small apartment.
Darkness is actually very expansive. Think about the night sky. Does that feel small? No! It is effing huge. Dark decor can have the same expansive effect.
And if you are able to paint your walls a dark shade like charcoal or black, then that actually can have the feeling of opening up your space and expanding it out, like the night sky.
But you can still get this effect without painting your walls black, which for us apartment dwellers is usually not an option... as much as I wish it was.
We're gonna talk about how to get that expansive effect from dark decor without painting your walls black in a sec. But I really wanna drive home the mindset shift for you that if you live in a small space, that doesn't exclude you from being able to do the dark decor style!
Not only can dark decor be expansive for a small space, but it also brings so much coziness in.
Dark decor can feel like a big old hug.
My 500 square foot studio apartment definitely has that dark moody vibe about it, and if anything, the dark furniture and accessories in here just enhance the coziness. It feels like a cozy fall day in here every day!
So dark decor doesn't have to feel oppressive. It doesn't have to feel cold. It doesn't have to feel menacing - unless you want it to. 😉
Dark decor can actually be very approachable, cozy, and like I said, expansive. All of which makes it great for a small apartment.
How to Do Dark Decor in a Small Apartment
Now let's talk about how you can actually do the dark decor style in your apartment without painting your walls black.
And I'm gonna use my apartment to demonstrate! So let's do a little walkthrough of my studio.
First of all, when you walk into this space, an immediate dark decor vibe is conveyed simply through dark furniture. My dark charcoal couch, my black Gothic console table - complete with my death note, manga and other little dark decor trinkets on top.
There's the repetition of black and white photography throughout my space, little touches of kind of dark witchy decor throughout the space (if you want some more inspiration on the witch aesthetic style, you can watch this video for exactly how I do that!)
There are so many ways that I convey the dark decor interior style in my space without painting the walls black. Really, more than anything, it's about conveying a mood, an attitude.
Dark decor isn't just about literal darkness. It really all comes down to attitude!
if you're just starting to dip your toes in the darkness, then compiling visual inspiration is a good place to start. Instagram, Pinterest... all those fun, pretty places that decor lovers like us love to frequent.
On Instagram, there are two hashtags I recommend you follow:
There are so many amazing, talented people on Instagram who have totally dedicated themselves to the dark decor style and post tons of pictures of their space to their Instagram accounts. And I would say they're all using these two hashtags, #deliciousdarkdecor and #styleitdark.
For Pinterest, honestly just simply type in “dark decor” and some amazing images will pop up.
You can also check out my dark decor board on Pinterest! I have collected some amazing pins to that board - we're talking, like, a feast for the eyes when it comes to dark decor. So definitely check that out!
Is Dark Decor Right for You?
One thing you might be wondering is, “Can I actually do the dark decor thing in my apartment? Is dark decor the right fit for me?”
I mean, it’s one thing to admire it from afar, but it's definitely another thing to commit to it as a style in your space.
And dark decor is not for everyone! Depending on your personality type, dark decor might feel oppressive. It might feel like a dark dungeon. For some of us, that's a good thing. But for a lot of people, it's not.
So really think about what kinds of visuals and feelings make you feel good. It's very simple, but we're definitely looking for that warm and fuzzy feeling when it comes to selecting a style for you.
And also, if you are wondering what style could be a good fit for you, you should watch this video, which is kind of a video quiz about which styles could be a good fit for you based on how you answer the questions that I ask in the video!
A very simple way to figure out if dark decor would be a good fit for you is actually kind of stupidly simple, but I'm gonna say it anyway: If dark things, dark tones, dark colors, dark subject matter... if these things light you up and they don't feel oppressive or sad to you (in fact, they act really put you in a good mood!), dark decor may be perfect for you!
My whole point is that the things you gravitate towards in real life that have nothing to do with interior decor can give you an idea of what kind of decor can be a good fit for you.
And especially when it comes to dark decor, I think a lot of us who love dark decor also have a lot in common in terms of interests. I've definitely discovered that from interacting with a lot of you on Instagram!
At the same time, you could have absolutely no interest in anything dark and moody, but dark decor could be a great for you!
There's really no science to this, but there are clues that you can follow when it comes to figuring out which styles could be a good fit for you.
There’s No “Right Way” to Do Dark Decor
Finally, let's talk about the fact that there are all kinds of dark decor. There isn't just one way to do this style.
There's dark boho, dark academia (which, like I said, I'm going to be covering both of those over the next couple weeks), there's witch aesthetic decor, there's more of a modern streamlined way of going about dark decor…
And there's plenty more! There are really no limits here.
At the end of the day, there's no right way to do dark decor. And if I asserted that there was one right way to do it, that would be pretty antithetical to what dark decor embodies.
Dark decor really is about freedom. The freedom to explore perhaps the darker sides of ourselves, the freedom to do something a little different.
If you're one of these dark souls like me, then embrace the fact that you love some of the darker things in life!
So that was my overview of the dark decor style!
If you’re still not sure how to create your dream apartment and you're wondering things like:
“How do I discover my personal style so that I can make these good choices for my decorating?”
“How do I become more confident in my interior styling choices?”
“How do I mix styles?”
“How do I actually arrange things in my apartment?”
Then I got you covered…
If you're wanting to dive deeper into learning about how to style your apartment step by step, that's where my online course Small Apartment Styling School comes in!
Small Apartment Styling School basically holds your hand through your styling process and tells you exactly what to do step-by-step, so by the end of the course you feel like you know your style, you know what to buy, and you know how to place it in your apartment with confidence.
Imagine living in an apartment that actually boosts your mood everyday and makes you feel welcome, and makes you feel a sense of belonging and being at home.
Just because you rent your space doesn't mean you can't own your style, and Small Apartment Styling School helps you do that!
My current students have been a raving about how helpful the course was for decorating their apartments and I am so proud of what they've achieved just after the couple months of being enrolled in the course!
Small Apartment Styling School will help you decorate your apartment step by step, including:
Figuring out your personal style
Choosing a color palette
Mixing different interior styles
Learning about the different interior styles that are out there and which ones might be a good fit for you
Arranging and accessorizing your apartment room by room - living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom.
All of this and more is in Small Apartment Styling School, so if you want to learn more and join the waitlist for the next time it opens for enrollment, click here!
For daily glimpses into my studio apartment life, you can follow me on Instagram @moda.misfit.
And for regular doses of apartment styling tips and small space decor inspiration, subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit the bell to be notified when a new video goes up every week.