I am a big fan of dark-walled rooms. Especially for tv rooms and studies. And bedrooms. I think dark walls can help to make white or light coloured furniture and architectural details look so much better. Don’t these rooms give you that feeling of being enveloped?
White is usually the preferred wall colour in open-plan kitchen/living rooms just because there are so many walls to cover, and if you don’t like the darker colour it’s a hard mistake to reverse. But I love this room (above)! The dark grey/brown walls combined with the lighting, tall windows with sheers curtains, dark floors and accents of chrome make it really glamorous and sophisticated.
Darker textured wallpaper can have a similar effect (above). I think the white sofa and black side tables look so much better against the darker seagrass wallpaper than they would against plain white. It also helps to tie the cushions and the artwork together, creating a sort of textured, natural theme.
This moody dark brown is perfect for an elegant formal living room (above).
There is nothing more appealing in a house in my book than internal views through rooms to spaces beyond. The dark grey bookshelves in the distance make a beautiful focal point at the end of this hallway (above).
I’ve had this dining room saved for quite awhile- the style might be a little too ‘country’ for my tastes, but I just love the wall colour paired with linen upholstery and the timbers in this room. And I love round dining tables – so much friendlier than rectangular ones!






Race Day
A new colour fave: blue and green
Blue fabric and more blue
A little book confusion..?
The beauty of coloured boxes: enter Hermes
Been to Ikea lately?
More house hunting
Hamptons style in Australia
Grey and Green
It's all about stripes and blue and white
Painting the back of bookshelves
A yellow and grey living room
Wonderful Christmas House
Colour Love - Black and White
Work in progress
Some latest finds..
Naomi Stein's apartment
Magazine shoot at a recent project
Things I saw today that I liked
Beautiful French apartment




Hi Naomi, all the rooms are great, I love neutrals and the dark walls are looking really cosy. And the giant pressed flowers as wall art are amazing!
I too love your blog and style. Dark Neutrals/Light Neutrals love them all.
Hi Naomi
LOVE your blog.
I find so much inspiration from your site and like many of the same things that you do!
The images in this post are stunning – in the elegant formal living room you feature, there is a stunning lightshade hanging above the coffee table. I need this! Do you know where it is from?
L x
Hi L, I love that room – I’ve emailed you about the light! Naomi