Gothic Cool or Cold and Creepy?

 

 

It’s Hallowe’en,  and our thoughts turn to the spooky and the kooky.  Hence this living room. A new and surprisingly ‘fresh’ take on the dark side of decorating, it still manages to send a clear message about the taste and lifestyle of the residents of this apartment. 

Do we like it, does it work and if so – why?

It’s easy to go over the top with a robust theme like gothic or emo, but here the use of lighter colours and unexpected touches give a ‘Gothic Lite’ result.  Black is kept to a minimum, appearing in  all the usual places such as the lamp and the fireplace -  apart from perhaps the radiator – there we can see a choice has been made to paint the radiator black and make a quiet statement. 

The white walls, floors and ceiling are actually rather uplifting and act as a clean foil to allow the hero pieces make their statement.  Same goes for the furniture – clean and modern keeps the room fresh and functional – black walls and heavy handed, dark and ornate furniture would surely have turned the room into a frightful cliché.

Decorating with skulls can be dangerous and stray into the realms of game lodge or, worse, ghost train.  Here, three skull references are made in very proximity but a touch of whimsy remains with the addition of the Staffordshire china dogs on the mantle and touches of colour in the cushions and books lighten the load.

The bookshelves are a clever idea!  Let the covers of your statement books shine, act as pieces of art in their own right – and you don’t need anywhere near as many books when they are displayed this way!  An idea to steal.

What do you think of this room – could you be comfortable and relaxed here or would you want to make a quick exit? Most of all, who does it make you think of? Rock star, writer, artist, designer or just a quirky accountant with a taste for the twilight zone?!