Dark & Moody Living Room Décor [+ Easy Fall Style Ideas]
Dark and moody décor? Count me in! Regardless of season, dark wood cabinetry and bookcase paneling gets me going year round. Good thing, since I designed our TV/media room in deep, luxurious blue-blacks with taupe almost 10 years ago, and it looks as fresh now as the day it was finished.
I gave my black bookcases a fall décor update. It wasn’t in bad shape before, but I really like the shelves now with the addition of natural materials and warm neutrals - they really pop against the dark paint. I’m so happy with this dark and moody fall look, I don’t think I’ll be doing much to change it when fall goes - it ‘s such a natural fit in here!
I’ll take you through some design tips for decorating with a dark and moody room, styling bookcases and shelves in general, and a putting together a natural fall look.
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Decorating a dark bookcase or cabinetry
The general design principles that apply to light backgrounds apply to dark backgrounds. However, I do have a few “dark and moody” pointers here:
Contrast with a dark & moody background
This isn’t surprising, but you’ll want more items on the lighter side of the spectrum than dark for visual contrast than you would with your typical white background.
Light-neutral colors contrast beautifully against dark bookshelf paneling or a wall. Incorporate texture and form for interest.
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Color & dark bookshelves
I prefer a more neutral look these days than I used to. Before, I had a healthy dose of red accents incorporated into this room. Red and orange can look great contrasted against a dark background, but don’t overdo it. Use them sparingly as accent colors.
Orange-y colors are perfect for your fall decor look too.
Silver tones can also look great, but I like them more as warm-pewters or mixed in with metallics like brass and gold to keep the space looking cozy not cold.
Metallics like the vintage brass midcentury candlesticks and warm neutrals like the woven pumpkin, sugar pinecones etc pop against the dark bookcase painted in Benjamin Moore’s Black Iron 2120-20.
Create a decor “base” that doesn’t need to change
I love changing things up, but the reality is that after a day of working and herding boys and cats, I’m really not motivated to make seasonal decor changes that basically mean a lot of extra work.
That’s just me, and I really do love seeing the ideas of others brought to life who go all out. What I’m getting at is that my decor changes need to be relatively simple and easy. And the likelihood of me wielding a glue gun in the name of seasonal decor is next to none.
If you feel the same, my recommendation is to create a “base” of decor items that can remain in place so you only have to make a few changes to create a seasonal look.
Put away summer’s blue sea-glass accessories, add in a few fall pieces (I have exactly two pumpkins and 3 gourds), and call it done. You’ve created a seasonal look without investing a lot of time.
Color - fall decor
A pared-down palette better suits my aesthetic these days - more neutral and subtle than colorful and overtly “seasonal.”
This fall inspired me to incorporate a neutral-russet color palette using lots of natural materials and no saturated color. These warm-neutral tones harmonize and pop against the dark painted wood and will look great year-round.
Think persimmon, russet, amber, teak, tobacco leather, warm browns, burnished brass and gold.
In case you’re interested, the paint color is Benjamin Moore’s Black Iron 2120-20. (The photos are picking up more blue than in real life - it actually looks deep charcoal.) The walls are painted in Benjamin Moore’s Taos Taupe 2111-40.
Again, the benefit of this is that my “fall” bookshelf can stay this way indefinitely, outside of whisking away the pumpkins, gourds, and maybe the pinecones.
This media room bookcase decor holds up year-round. A few pumpkins, gourds, and sugar pinecones, a throw pillow and blanket in autumnal colors, and the fall look is complete. The bookcase paint color is Benjamin Moore’s Black Iron 2120-20 and the walls are painted in Taos Taupe 2111-40. Photo | Greenhouse Studio
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If the thought of arranging a bookcase causes you to break out in hives though, seasonal or not, I have some styling tips to help you out.
Bookcase “shelfie” guidelines
Anchor the bottom shelves
Start by anchoring the heaviest items at the bottom of the shelf.
Call it intuitive fung-shui or whatever, but we naturally feel better seeing heavy items placed closer to the bottom of shelves.
You can see I’ve placed my two antique Thai storage urns on the bottom shelf. I know I feel uncomfortable when I see something really heavy up high or precariously perched (I may be extra sensitive though since we live in earthquake country.) It just feels off to me. Do you feel the same?
Next add any other large items elsewhere in the shelves. Create a focal point for each shelf and then work around it.
Place heaviest items on the bottom shelf - heavy Thai storage urns. Next place other large items to create focal points and design around them - the antique Aussie liquor jug creates a focal point on the shelf above. Photo | Greenhouse Studio
Arrange your books artfully
Books! A natural choice in a bookcase. However, consider editing your collection. I don’t personally go for keeping books out that are purely for display - they do have meaning, but I also edit.
One suggestion is to remove shiny and sometimes rumpled or torn dust-jackets. The cloth covers are more neutral and blend better.
If you want a really cohesive, neutral look, you can turn the spines to the wall with the pages facing outward on display. Although finding the right book when you need it presents a challenge.
Alternate books horizontally and vertically
Stack some books in 3s with a beautiful or meaningful object placed on top. Arrange others vertically anchored by a bookend of some kind.
Design diagonals of color and texture
Now it’s time to fill in with decorative objects and accessories. Aim for diagonals of color and texture rather than a lot of horizontal or vertical “color blocks” with your objects.
The white/light colored objects are arranged roughly diagonal to each other on the shelves (but not perfectly so), same with the russet-brown decor. The books are arranged both horizontally and vertically for visual interest. Photo | Greenhouse Studio
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The bookcase design guidelines are meant to be helpful in providing direction for the styling process so no one is left starting at blank shelves and a pile of books and objects with no idea how to go about it.
That being said, styling a bookshelf is of course much more art than science, and I’m not dogmatic about any of the “rules” here. (My horizontal and vertical books aren’t well mixed, I’ve placed the rather heavy antique spindle in the upper middle, and my colors are not strictly on diagonal.) I do use them for a lot of the organizing, but the rest of it I go with ”good enough” and let it fall into place.
A focal point is created by the antique mounted spindle scored from DIY Network’s Salvage Dawgs store last summer when taking my son to college. Photo | Greenhouse Studio
I was happy with how my easy fall look came together against the dark bookcase, especially since the only items I purchased were the two pumpkins. I’m even happier knowing I can leave it this way indefinitely instead of seeing a bookcase that shouts “fall seasonal display,” which would put pressure on me to take time to change it out the day after Thanksgiving.
I hope this was a helpful low pressure approach to seasonal decorating, no matter what your space is like.
In a nutshell:
Create a base of decor that stays year round.
Swap in a few seasonal items, and call it done.
All the seasonal feels without all the fuss!
What have you been working on for fall? Let me know in the comments below.
[Want more design inspo and helpful plant tips? Let's hang out on Instagram!]
Other posts you’ll love:
Easy Fall Seasonal Decor [Shopping Your Own Home & Using Natural Materials]
Fall Decor & Design Ideas - Fireplace Mantel
How To Bring The Outside Inside [Natural Interior Styling In 6 Simple Steps]
How To Design A Room (A Home Decorating Step By Step Guide)
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