Light and Airy homes versus Dark and Moody interiors

Home Type, Style

Are you a light, airy, and chill homeowner? Or do you prefer a dark, moody, and boldly coloured home? You don’t have to have a particular interior design style based on your personality, but many people do design their home interior around the things they like and the colours they prefer.

Here’s some inspiration for both the light and airy, and the dark and moody preferences for interior design styles.


Light and Airy

The bright and airy interior design style features lots of white, and other light colours, cosy fabrics, pale timber, and friendly ‘feels’.

The lounge room of this Loft Hillview apartment is a perfect example of a light and airy interior design style with its white walls, neutral and light colours, a soft painting on the wall, sheer drapes and comfy cushions. In the bedroom of the apartment, the colours are even more muted, and combined with lots of natural materials. Continuing in the master bathroom of the apartment, the light and airy theme continues with pale marble highlighted with bright gold accessories and touches of pale timber.



Image Credit: DB Studio

You can also get the light and airy look by adding pops of bright colours like the yellow in this Telok Blangah apartment. In the dining room of this apartment, the use of white walls and pale timber combined with light aqua also creates a light and airy feel. In another room, the two colours - yellow and aqua - have been combined with pale blue and white for another version of the light and airy interior design style.



Image Credit: Starry Homestead

Lashings of white paint in this Bukit Batok apartment has been combined with pale timber to create a crisp version of the light and airy interior scheme. In the apartment's kitchen, the combination of white and pale timber continues, with the addition of clever lighting and a touch of darker tones in the backsplash to add definition. The use of white and pale timber is also used in the apartment's dining area to tie the whole light and airy scheme together.



Image Credit: Lemonfridge Studio

This Toa Payoh Apex apartment uses neutral tones with grey and pastel tones to make the most of the natural lighting to create a light and airy interior scheme. An arch between the main living area and the kitchen helps to soften the harder lines of the apartment, and give the space a more airy feel. In the bedroom, the colours are still natural and soft, but touches of deeper tones like with the curtains, gives a sense of coziness to the space.



Image Credit: Mr Shopper Studio

The addition of lots of indoor plants to this Treasure Crest apartment’s traditionally light and airy decor scheme of white, pale timber and light colours, gives it a fresh vibe. Thanks to the abundance of natural light, the entrance and dining area also sport pretty indoor plants and additional greenery for a light and airy home interior. While there are no indoor plants in the bedroom, the addition of a nature-focused painting combined with light colours and pale timber continues the light and airy interior design scheme.


Image Credit: Home Philosophy


Dark and Moody

The dark and moody interior design scheme is the visual opposite of the light and airy interior style. Darker colours, grey, black, or bold touches of colour mix with more industrial and luxury elements create the moody feel of this interior design scheme.

This apartment in The Interlace offers up dark grey walls, metal accents and darker timber to create a dark and moody interior design scheme. The bedroom in the apartment continues the dark and moody theme with a clever mix of grays, and layers of built-ins to ensure the sleeping area is nice and dark, perfect for sleep. Even the lighting and artwork in this apartment is on the darker and lower side, which adds to the overall dark and moody interior design theme.



Image Credit: Neu Konceptz

Darker timber, smokey mirrored surfaces and deep amber light has been used in this Bukit Batok apartment to create a dark and moody environment with a luxurious edge. The lighting in this apartment is particularly clever; the use of multiple light sources allow brightness in the space, but the darker, more golden yellow light creates a moodier space. Even the bathroom continues the dark and moody theme with dark marble tiles, dark timber on the vanity, and an amazing gold wash basin! The deep amber light continues as well, completely the overall dark and moody vibe.



Image Credit: Design 4 Space

This amazing Chai Chee apartment is the epitome of the dark and moody interior design style with its dark timber, black finishes, and textured metal trims. In the bedroom, the dark and moody theme continues with dark timber flooring, a dark-toned bed and the moody tones of deep green walls and ceiling. Touches of sheer white in bedding and curtains allows natural light into the space. Deep amber lights, dark timber blinds and a patterned rug in the living space continues the dark and mood theme in this apartment.



Image Credit: Aart Boxx Interior

You don’t need to go completely dark to get the moody interior design vibe in your home; this Botanique @ Bartley apartment uses various tones of grey to get a similar effect that is just a touch lighter in tone. The grey theme continues into the bedroom space, with the addition of darker, moody neutral tones. In the office space, the dark timber storage system continues the dark and moody theme, but is lightened with touches of colour from the fun collection on display.



Image Credit: Space Atelier

More tones of grey are used in this Kingsford apartment to create a soft version of a dark and moody interior design scheme. The soft furnishing contrast with the striking dark stone feature wall. In the bedroom, the use of dark timber as both a feature wall and for the wardrobe contract nicely with lighter, softer bedding and sheer curtains that let in some natural light. The dark and moody tones of grey are also used in the dining area; the solid dark timber feature wall is perfect as a contrast to the lighter grey marble table and velvet grey chairs.


Image Credit: Mr Shopper Studio

Looking for more interior design inspiration? Check out our Top Tips on How to Choose the Right Light for your Home, or discover 3 Ways to design a Muji-inspired home interior; and read about 7 Singapore homes that look like hotels and resorts


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