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Charcoal is a highly versatile color. Mixing grey with darker colors has become so popular that it's used for many purposes. Although charcoal grey is often mistaken for graphite or grey - it is a truly unique shade. Charcoal color is often used in home interiors, where it can act either as a background for various designs or a strong accent of the interior. It's perfect for walls, furniture, accessories and flooring. Charcoal color is a very popular color in 2022.
Charcoal - what color is it, exactly?
Charcoal color is sometimes called graphite or anthracite color. For some people it’s a dusky shade associated with coal made of wood or hard, mined coal and other sedimentary rocks. In HEX color code charcoal is known as #364135, in RAL - 7016. Charcoal is a unique mixture of grey and black.
Charcoal is a very intriguing color. Are you wondering why it is so popular? It is very close to black, however it is noticeably brighter - for this reason, the way it looks mostly depends on the lighting. That’s what makes it so special. Charcoal color gives you many options of use.
Charcoal – a suitable color for home decor?
Charcoal is a color that works perfectly in home interiors. This is the reason why this particular shade of gray gained so much popularity in the recent years. Nonetheless, it’s a difficult color to use. Combining charcoal with other home decor elements should be done very carefully and skillfully. It’s very easy to overwhelm the room with too much of this dark shade. Charcoal works best in spacious and well illuminated interiors. If the room is quite small, however, it does not mean that you should avoid the color. In this case it is better to use charcoal accessories rather than paint the walls.
If your home is spacious but you have no idea how to use charcoal - refer to the help of a specialist. Contact a competent person, explain them what exactly you expect and wait for a project fitted for your needs. This solution is becoming increasingly popular among those who want to use charcoal color in their homes.
What style works best with charcoal color?
As mentioned before, charcoal is quite a universal shade. For this reason it can be easily suited to basically any interior design. It fits modern styles, such as scandinavian, industrial and minimalistic. If combined well, charcoal can make a room look special and unique, accentuating particular elements.
Charcoal grey color in industrial style interiors
Charcoal grey is a perfect color for industrial style interiors. Hence, interior designers use it so often - both in domestic and office spaces. Charcoal grey is a perfect match for other typical industrial accessories like wood and metal elements. One can even say that it enhances the produced result.
If you decide to implement it in an industrial interior, you can use charcoal grey paint on the walls or add charcoal elements such as:
- furniture,
- wall decorations,
- textiles.
Charcoal grey color palette in Scandinavian style
It is generally accepted that the practical, but also very minimalist Scandinavian style uses mostly bright shades. But it’s not a rule you have to closely follow - especially if you want to create an interesting domestic space. You can break the minimalist Nordic routine using e.g. charcoal. A color like this, although quite cold, is very intriguing.
Charcoal grey is definitely not suitable as a dominating color palette in Scandinavian style. Therefore, using it on the walls is not recommended. Despite that, it’s perfect in form of accessories and decorations. If you like the idea of a Scandinavian bedroom, perhaps you could add charcoal grey bed linen or blankets. This way, you can enliven the bright interior.
Art Deco and charcoal grey - a perfect match
Art Deco is a perfect style for those who love elegance and sophistication. In this regard, one doesn’t have to be cautious about using dark, very characteristic colors like charcoal grey. They perfectly complement ornamental lighting or glass panels - other typical elements for this style.
An Art Deco interior can use charcoal grey color palette in many ways. It looks greys on walls, as well as furniture. It can be also combined with an equally elegant, but contrasting color such as gold or dusty pink. This way, the atmosphere of the interior becomes modern and stylish.
Charcoal walls - a good idea?
Charcoal is a color that looks perfect on walls - both in a house and in a small apartment. You can use it in a grey kitchen, living room, bedroom or bathroom. The only thing is to use it carefully and tastefully.
Charcoal was rarely used as a wall color in the past. The dark shade could have seemed not very interesting and too strong. If used well, however, charcoal can be perfect for any type of interior.
It’s a highly adaptable color, which can be used in any modern style rooms - in kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms and offices.
Charcoal works best as a wall colour in spacious and bright interiors. Such a room should be well illuminated with lots of natural light. The best rooms in which you can use charcoal paint are located on eastern, south-eastern and western side of a building. You shouldn’t color northern rooms with charcoal paint - they might look too dark and cold in such arrangements. In such cases it is better to combine the shade with brighter ones.
If the room is very small, you shouldn’t paint the walls charcoal. Such a dark shade would overwhelm the already small space. A better idea is to paint the walls in different, brighter color that makes the room look bigger. You can use charcoal accessories instead - as accent elements.
Charcoal walls - how to cover them to avoid surprises?
Thinking of charcoal color walls, you’re probably imagining a charcoal paint. If you decide to use such a product, choose a semi-gloss finish for the best results. Feeling anxious that the color could overwhelm the room? You can always decide to paint only one accent wall in the dark shade and the rest in a brighter color (e.g. white).
Although wallpapers still seem out-fashioned, you should consider choosing this type of product to cover your walls. Wallpapers are becoming trendy again and manufacturers offer a lot of interesting designs, also charcoal. A good product with a nice texture might be a nice decoration for your room.
Instead of using an ordinary paint, you could use a chalkboard paint in charcoal color. Thanks to this solution you can write on walls with chalk, which might be useful in places such as kitchen, office and children’s room.
Accessories for dark walls
If the walls are painted charcoal, it is best to choose furniture and decorations in contrasting colors. The safest complimentary colors are white, beige, and also strong black. Charcoal also works well with light brown - therefore it is good to choose accessories in the color of natural wood. It is a particularly good solution for an interior in scandinavian style, which favours natural textures.
A highly intriguing idea for a living room with charcoal walls is a sofa in a strong color, for instance blue or yellow. It makes the room look more vivid, and charcoal walls bring out the strong color of the sofa.
Charcoal as an accent on a bright wall
Charcoal is not always a suitable color for a wall. It does not mean that you have to abandon the idea of using it in your interior design. Luckily for you - charcoal is a perfect accent color.
If the interior is bright, choose dark charcoal gray accessories - for instance curtains and cushions. For small furniture pieces - pick charcoal chairs, coffee tables and lamps.
{:.distinction.distinction-information} Elements such as dark grey doors, radiators and windows are perfect for accentuating the room design. They make it look more vivid and give it a unique character.
Charcoal furniture - home decor trend of 2022
Charcoal furniture is one of the most popular interior design trends in 2022. If you are planning a renovation and looking for an inspiration - we might be able to help you.
If you think that covering your walls with charcoal paint is rather too much, you could decide to buy furniture in that color. They might be a great accent for an interior. Because charcoal grey is a strong color, you should choose furniture of simple, not very decorative design. Geometrical forms are the best in this case.
Charcoal furniture looks best on light, neutral backgrounds. Such an arrangement highlights the strong color, which is already a decorative element.
What are the rules when fitting charcoal furniture?
Although, as it has been said, charcoal is a universal color, there are some rules that one should refer to.
For the shared parts of a house you could choose a mid-century modern charcoal sofa. When choosing furniture, especially charcoal colored, pick smooth and simple textures. Consider matching contrasting colors, for instance a charcoal sofa and white armchairs. Charcoal grey is also a perfect color for modern kitchens. Dark grey cabinets matched with light accessories are always a good choice. You might also opt for dark tabletops contrasting with white cupboards.
Charcoal living room? Don’t shy away from bold solutions!
A charcoal living room, according to many experts in interior design, is a fantastic solution for everyone who is not scared of bold decisions.
A color like this works great in big spaces, and there are practically endless possibilities to use it. How to use charcoal in a living room? Find the most interesting solutions below!
Charcoal to accentuate sofa and armchairs
A focal point of a typical living room is the part where sofa or armchairs stand - or, in many cases, both. Those elements look fantastic in charcoal.
In this case choosing such a color may serve two purposes. First, it is introducing elegance and making the interior look more classy. The other function is simply keeping the furniture clean. It is much easier with a dark coloured sofa than with, for instance, a white one.
Charcoal grey coffee tables
Coffee tables are making a big comeback in our homes. They are becoming increasingly popular - especially the charcoal ones.
Not only classic, round coffee tables are getting attention. Furniture of unusual shapes is trending in recent months. A triangular table is one of the most interesting solutions - they look great in every living room, regardless of the style.
Apart from classic tables with wooden legs in natural color, metal (golden or silver colored) bases are gaining popularity. Such an accessory looks much better in a modern than a classic interior - you should keep that in mind when furnishing your home.
A cozy charcoal bedroom
You might wonder whether a charcoal bedroom is a good idea. One might think that a dark color is too dark for a space which main purpose is rest and relaxation. Similar to every other case - moderation and applying some rules are the most important. You don’t have to design the whole room in one color. Pick only individual elements.
Charcoal - perfect for an upholstered bed
Dreaming of an elegant, stylish bedroom? No problem - just pick a charcoal colored bed.
Upholstered furniture, similar to many other trends in 2022 - are coming back. Beds in this style can be found in almost every furniture shop. Furthermore, charcoal is the real top trend of the latest season, and probably will be for a few next ones. Do you want to accentuate the elegance of your bedroom even more? Try an upholstered headboard - your bedroom will look exceptionally classy.
Charcoal pillowcases and sheets
If you like strong colors but you do not want them to dominate your whole room, just pick the right accessories for your bedroom! You can, for instance, choose charcoal pillowcases or the whole charcoal bed sheet set, especially if your bedroom is bright-colored. Charcoal elements make the interior look more elegant and luxorious.
A charcoal colored bathroom
Charcoal grey is a perfect color for designing a modern bathroom. There are many uses for this shade - a good idea is to pick charcoal tiles. If your bathroom is small, you can add white tiles here and there to break the unified, dark color. Grey walls can be perfectly complemented with white elements, such as sink, toilet and bathtub.
Quite a contrary solution is choosing charcoal elements and white walls. Both of the mentioned solutions can be used to create a modern and elegant interior with a unique character.
A dark charcoal kitchen? A great idea!
Many homeowners might think that a charcoal kitchen is not a good idea. It is, however, a highly recommended solution, especially if you have a lot of free space.
What works best in a charcoal kitchen? Most of all - furniture. You do not necessarily have to choose dark cabinets. Charcoal accessories, such as chairs or lamps will be enough. They look perfect with white tiled walls - a stylish and trendy solution.
Charcoal grey for a children’s room? Only in a good combination!
Are you looking for ideas to furnish your child’s room? Although charcoal is very versatile, it is definitely not suitable for a toddler’s room. It is simply too dark and difficult to integrate into this type of interior. If you are not afraid of risks, choose delicate pastels and bright colors, and match them with charcoal accesories. You can ask a specialist to prepare a project based on your preferences.
What colors go with charcoal grey?
Although it is generally believed that charcoal grey is difficult, in fact, it is quite universal when combined with other colors. You can easily match it e.g. with white or light shades of grey. It looks quite good with beige as well. Such a color palette is typical for Scandinavian and industrial interiors.
It doesn’t mean, though, that charcoal grey (anthracite) cannot be combined with stronger or more characteristic colors. A cooler combination with various shades of blue is a good option. Charcoal grey goes well with:
- indigo,
- cobalt,
- light blue,
- dark blue,
- cornflower,
- cerulean,
- sapphire.
Some combinations of charcoal grey and blue are quite dark. Make sure to implement stronger lighting or light accents in the interior.
When it comes to versatility, charcoal grey looks perfect with canary yellow, fuchsia and delicate mint green. All of the suggested combinations can look really interesting - provided that the whole design is planned well.
Is charcoal grey a good choice for home interiors?
Charcoal is an increasingly popular color - not without a reason. You should consider using it in your home interior design. The fact that it is so dark and overwhelming might be discouraging. Nevertheless, if used skillfully, charcoal grey can be combined with other home decor elements to create a modern, stylish and original appearance. If, despite its popularity this shade is still not to your taste, check other trendy colours used in home interiors.
📍What color is charcoal?
Charcoal grey is a very dark shade of grey - almost black but still lighter. The name of the color comes from charcoal - material made of wood burnt in a high temperature with low access to oxygen.
📍What color goes with charcoal gray?
Charcoal grey works best with contrasting colors, such as white and bright grey. It can also be a background for strong colors, such as blue, yellow or green.
📍Charcoal grey - where to use it?
Charcoal is a color that works great in any home interior, and, in some cases, in an office. If you decide to use it in a small kitchen, bathroom or living room, remember about certain rules which will make your room look more consistent.
📍Charcoal grey - how to choose a charcoal paint?
Make sure to choose the right product designed for the surface you are going to paint. Water-based charcoal paint is recommended, for its satin finish. Satin charcoal walls look “lighter” and very elegant.
