before & after: dining room feature wall

I blame Bathurst Street for being the reason my kitchen is no longer white. Living on one of the busiest streets in Toronto makes having white walls (white anything, really) nearly impossible. You have no idea how much dust, grime and probably pollution billows in through those little Bathurst-facing windows, and it gets everywhere—except on my food. For obvious reasons, I like to think that my food is always clean. 

The kitchen wall I was set on dressing up is visible throughout the apartment. With the exception of standing in the bedroom or bathroom, you can see this wall upon entering the apartment and when seated in the living room—it feels prominent. I wanted something that would catch the eye and help to make my dusty white walls look like the brightest and cleanest white walls that ever existed.

I found my new wall colour while catching up on one of my favourite blogs, Making It Lovely. Nichole was in the middle of transforming her living room and was sampling some very dark and dramatic hues from Benjamin Moore. She wasn’t quite sure about any of the swatches she had painted—but that little two-inch square of Soot had caught my eye. Also, wouldn’t it be kind of ironic to paint my dusty wall Soot?

I did a quick google search on the colour ‘Soot’ and saw a few other rooms painted the same colour. They were lovely, and I was convinced that I had found my colour. I immediately called my dad and invited him over to paint.

Painting Dark Colours 101 
A few things worth mentioning when going with a dark colour:

Dark Colours are Dark 
Shocking, right? Just be aware that if you don’t have a ton of natural light, this could make your room feel small and gloomy.

Compliment with White Trim, Moldings or Features
My last apartment was a junior one bedroom on the first floor. I didn’t get a lot of natural light, but still opted to paint the place grey. It worked because the space had a dropped ceiling, lovely crown molding, and huge double doors leading into the bedroom—which were all painted a bright white. This helped to lighten the space and complimented the dark walls, making it feel a little more cheerful and brighter than it actually was. 

Tinted Primers 
This is especially handy if you are painting over a bright white wall. Prepping your wall with an inexpensive tinted primer will allow you to get that rich paint chip colour—it will also save a bit of money, since you likely won't need a second or third coat of paint.