Specifically used for rest and relaxation, bedroom design is often all about tranquility, calm, comfort, and a healthy dose of functionality. The goal is to feel completely at ease in your bedroom — nightstands should be within reach, lighting should be dim, bedding should be soft yet breathable, storage should be plentiful, and the color scheme should be soothing.

So when we found that the most-searched bedroom paint color of 2024 (so far) is none other than black — the most bold, dramatic color possible — we were a bit surprised (and admittedly intrigued). According to worldwide data from Google Trends, annual searches for “black bedroom” hit just shy of 400,000, beating out white, green, pink, and blue.

“It has been thought that dark bedroom wall colors can help facilitate a good night’s sleep, by reducing the amount of active energy in the room and the amount of light absorbed during the day,” reads the resulting report from Living Cozy. “2024 sees a rise in popularity of black bedrooms, including shades of charcoal and dark grey. Similar to white, gray is a popular neutral background that pairs well with a huge variety of colors, while also offering an injection of style to fit the desired mood of the room.”

While black may feel like a daunting choice for a bedroom (or any room, for that matter), this trend falls in line with the resurgence of maximalism and more traditional, color-drenched spaces — all-white-everything is no longer the design default. Plus, an all-black bedroom can lean cozy and enveloping, as opposed to dark and depressing, when done right.

How to pull off a black bedroom

From paint to bedding and accessories, there are endless ways to play with this bold hue in a bedroom. Here’s how to pull off a black bedroom in your home:

• Balance out bold black walls with ivory, tan, or camel textiles, including bedding, rugs, throws, curtains, and upholstery
• Bring in light oak wood tones for a touch of levity
• Consider leaving the ceilings white for a touch of contrast
• Paint wainscoting, trim, or doors only and leave the rest white or neutral
• Embrace black via throw pillows or blankets
• Add bold black with curtain hardware, lighting, and mirrors
• Go with a black accent wall instead of wall-to-wall
• Inject personality with shades of green, blue, rust, ochre, and dusty pink
• Create a glam look with brass or gold accents (looks great against black)
• Consider black or dark gray plaster for texture
• Add levity with classic patterns: stripes, florals, and botanical prints

All in all, we fully embrace bold black in bedrooms, especially if your space is small — sometimes, leaning into the limited square footage and creating a cozy, cocoon-like atmosphere is better than feigning spaciousness with a clean white. Like navy or dark green, black can help create a storied, library-inspired aesthetic that feels relaxing, a bit edgy, and believe it or not, timeless.

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