you're putting this video out at the right time! i follow lots of interior design youtubers and the topic of dark academia is really starting to pick up all of a sudden (maybe because home libraries are getting popular?) and you can tell none of the people tackling the topic had made enough research to even realise that originally da was really just a donna tartt fandom cosplaying as an aesthetic
Just paused the video a third of the way through to let you know that it's great. I've been thinking this as well. I've also subscribed, and look forward to watching your other content.
I would love to see a video on how to decorate within a Dark Academic Aesthetic for Craftsman Rather than for Victorian style homes and rooms. Here in the U.S., we have (relatively) so many Craftsman-style homes, and so few Victorians.
These "EXPERTS" confuse Maximalism with Dark Academia. My friend has Decorated his abode in Dark Academia because he has a degree in Library Science & works as archivist for Heritage Auctions in the Printed Antiques. His interpretation is natural lighting & natural wood stained with medium brown to rosewood brown much like you would see in University Library of old. But if your in a library studying/researching from dusk to well into the night, candles would be lit to give you light to study by, hence Dark Academia aesthetic. So I built his bookshelves based on the records library from a Seminary he often visited when he was in college. Shelves & bases were walnut with a dark grey wash, the trim are natural rosewood & gilded pinstripes to bring out the shape of the shelves & the labels were acid etched brass. I decorate in Maximalism because of my collection of various objects based on my travels & pursuit of varied interests. My opinion is Maximalism is object based & yes they do black but more often than not, the walls tend to vary from a crimson red to deep forest green. Sorry for the rant but I am annoyed as much as you these two distinct aesthetics keep being intertwined mindlessly by these, again, "EXPERT"
Living in the uk and having visited many stately homes, your interpretation on dark academia is definitely more accurate than the black on black. It’s about dark wood in the furniture not so much dark walls.
I have to agree with you; I’ve always thought Dark Academia was just about the stately English penchant for dark wood lined rooms with dark furniture and lots of books and other academic decor such as paintings, sculptures, dried plants, taxidermy, medical and navigational instruments, etc.. Before I had heard of DA I called my aesthetic Old English Natural History, but after seeing this video, I may go back to calling it that. I have spent years collecting and refining the decor in my home, but none of it has any kind of dark literary undertone as referred to in this video. Neither are my walls painted a dark colour; they’re actually buttercream. I think I’ll stop calling it Dark Academia and change the name of my style to Old English Academia/Natural History.
It is just one Academia. You either use light or dark colors for the walls and that is pretty much the difference, the important part is that indeed it uses medium/darker shades of furniture.@@gato-nero
I agree. Larger rooms can take dark coloured walls but I have never seen black. Dark reds mostly seem to be the norm. My son’s room has a blue black wall which is a classic colour but the rest is white and he has dark wood bookshelves and bed. It looks sort of classic even though there’s the addition of his games consoles in there as well, not mentioning his mess. Our dining room used to be a very dark red which I loved. However, our rooms aren’t really large enough to cope with it very well so we have gone much lighter. We still have dark wood though as it’s inherited so not going anywhere.
The problem with dark academia is that many people confuses this concept with old gothic style. It is not to make your house as Addams Family's house, it is just to make it like as a library or museum with a "british touch".
They do! I actually looked into this as well, there is an aesthetic called darkest Academia, another name for it being Gothic academia, but Gothic is referring to architecture not interior 🙈
Thank You! ❤ I have loved this style even before it had a name. I used to describe it as "Stately-old-money-manor-house-library." Or "Think Oxford or Cambridge"...all of the wood was dark, but nothing was painted black! There is comfort, and an elegance to it ...not creepy! An emphasis on education of the finer things in life, and surrounding oneself with all of those.... You've got it!
It was always called Academia or Librarian, if you will, but it wasn't done as an aesthetic but as a by product of academic people having a place to have their library and things related to academics. My father was an academic and this is how his room looked, back in 1970, definitely not as an aesthetic.
When I think of dark academia, I think of the offices of my religious studies professors filled with old books in Arabic, Greek, Hebrew, etc with light colored walls with deep wood tones and ornate decor. I also think of how I imagine the homes of the rich Ivy League kids coming from generational wealth would be decorated. Ornate, European style with a Victorian flair.
while your interpretation of dark academia is probably correct, i much prefer the black on black gothic look- it probably should not be given the dark academia label though- it is more gothic victorian.
Amen sister!!! I prefer antique white walls with deep dark decor. I feel the contrast allows the dark colors to be admired. Doing dark walls on dark walls it just blends and doesn’t have the pop I like to bring all my antique and vintage decor together!!!!
Exactly!! Dead poets society and kill Your darlings were the first two movies linked to the dark academia Aesthetic as well !! So you are on the right track!
this seems so fake anytime i hear the words "aesthetic" or "space" i know ive stumbled on imitation and therell be no authenticity to find. Academia as about learning and the LOOK comes from having the items )books, art, old rugs ) that are collected over a lifetime of actual discovery You cant fake it
My old school was opened in 1859, and decorated accordingly. Whenever I think dark academia I imagine my old headmistresses office. Huge bay windows, an overgrown but beautiful cottage garden outside. Although the windows were huge, the sun was filtered into beams through the trees, and it lit up the dust and cigarette smoke (it was the 80s). There were dark antique cabinets, the wing backed chair next to the maroon marble fireplace, ornate mirrors, and yes, the rug. Palms in dark wood galleried plant stands. The portrait of the school founder over the fireplace. I loved it then and I still love the vibe now. I hope it hasn’t changed.
I couldn’t agree more. Having worked in academia for 35 years, I don't remember a single case of a room with a black-on-black decor. Your tasteful suggestions reflect the Dark Academia mindset really well. Thank you.
I'm a retired academic too. This look was not at the institution I worked at or went to school in. Academic surroundings didn't really have a look. Tight budgets are part of real academics. To me the black on black is a spin off of Gothic.
In my opinion, Dark Academia is very "cultured old money" vibes. Dark wood, heirloom pieces, ornate pieces, vintage. And I completely agree that I'm seeing a lot of black rooms, which... Feels very modern to me. When my inspo is Oxford, Cambridge, old local royal institutions, none of them are ever black. I've heard ut said that often tapestry were darker to hide sooth stains from oil lamps, but I'm not sure. A black room can look stunning, but it feels modern to me, and as long as that's the intention that's great.
this seems so fake anytime i hear the words "aesthetic" or "space" i know ive stumbled on imitation and therell be no authenticity to find. Academia as about learning and the LOOK comes from having the items )books, art, old rugs ) that are collected over a lifetime of actual discovery You cant fake it
"black does not a dark academia room make" hahaha thank you! This is such a great video. I also agree with your point about "patience." It really is going to take time to accumulate the pieces in order to have that authentic feel. I mean, you could go out and buy a bunch of stuff at a thrift store one weekend... but it isn't going to be like, "these pieces speak to my soul and express who I am as a person," which is something that I'm personally looking for! I'm not sure I'd describe my interior style as "dark academia" but it is literature inspired and I have books everywhere... plus a penchant for vintage furniture... so yeah, it probably is pretty close! I never feel like it's "finished," though!
When I was little, my grandfather created a space that gives me the kind of vibes your talking about, but it wasn't for decor. My childhood home had an inglenook that nobody in the family ever used due to the fact that it wasn't close enough to the rest of the house, only got indirect light at best, and the fireplace hearth took up about a third of the space. Then my grandfather decided it would be perfect as his own personal study. He put in a simple small office desk under the window, then on the desk he had all the things he needed, desk lamp-the kind with a swivel arm, along with his calligraphy brushes, ink stones, ink sticks, other stationary he needed, along with the envelopes for air mail since he was always writing back home to relatives and old friends. He also had a wooden coat tree that had multiple hooks and could spin, just at the mouth of the nook along the wall. The walls themselves, he put up maps of all kinds- world, europe, asia, the US, local, also he taped up a few prints of a lovely landscape that originally from calendars. Instead of bookshelves, he used old wooden endtables since these were already in the garage and he kept all kinds of reference books and dictionaries and newspapers on them. An old beanbag chair wound up in the space and was put right infront of the fireplace, along with old blankets. Once he took it over, everyone just started to go into the space. Either to actually use the books, or to just hang out, everyone just naturally started using the space. He never said anything, but I think he was kind of annoyed because he made the nook into a study specifically because no one wanted to be there before.
Lol, my father use to readi in the basement, where he had hundreds of books on homemade bookshelves. It was dark, dusty, with a bunch of unusual items on display, blue prints he would make on his own..... I looked at some of those books when I got older. I then knew why he read there and not in the living room. My religious mother would have never approved at least half of them, lol.
Thank you so much for this, I so agree with everything you said. I've always felt like the black on black rooms give more of a witchy/gothic aesthetic rather than DA itself. Of course, with the right pieces it could still be "academia". But yeah, I'm happy you brought this up, hopefully a lot of people see it.
Yes! I'm an actual academic, of actual literature, who just spent a year at actual Cambridge University. I've been looking all over the web for someone who helps with actual academic decor. I'm so happy to have found you!
I couldn't agree more! Actually, I have always loved this style, even before I knew it has a name. My dad was a lawyer and he used to take me to work with him from a very young age. His office, and his colleagues' offices, were very "DA", and I find the style very comforting. His den at home had also the same style... and even our LR had touches of it, like piles of books everywhere! I'm decorating my home office/craft room/guest room in this style now and it feels very "homey" to me. I went with a beautiful, deep green on 3 of the walls. Thank you for a great video.
I agree as well. Whenever I look for DA inspiration, I ignore those designs because they do not resonate DA for me. You explained it perfectly. Plus the design tips you gave are great!
@@justlanchen I am 60 years old and have loved this style since I was a teenager! I was (and am) a bookworm and my father’s study (he was a pastor) was my happy place as a child. To see that turned into black on black broke my heart a little, so when I came across your channel in my recommended, I was so thrilled that someone in the younger generation actually understood the aesthetic! Thank you from the memory of my teenage soul reading murder mysteries and Poe in a proper study! BTW, that same furniture is now gracing my living room and not a black wall to be found! I have a very neutral lighter color (Balboa Mist) that gives cohesion to all of my antique frames and vintage photos, texture from my velvet seating and draperies and blankets that I still cozy up under to read.
There are very few black rooms in UK- You are correct! You have been doing this a very long time!!! You did one of the first really comprehensive explorations ever** thank you btw***
Your color palette just started describing the colors I've already chosen for my house. So happy to have a different perspective on the "Dark Academia" theme to draw inspiration from, because this is exactly what I've been looking for!
Fantastic video. I am moving house later this year and looking for good advise for DA style for my future apartment. Very helpful and good point about the over-emphasis on black on black - you really show how various color combinations can create beautiful DA spaces.
I have seen some amazing "standing candelabra" style lights done with combining the base of a standing lamp with the body of a chandelier. Thank you for this video!
Great video! It's lovely that you encourage people to break away from the high-end, glossy, cookie-cutter versions and to create their own style of DA. My interpretation of DA (and how I am currently in the process of decorating my library) is more like this video. I chose burgandy for carpets, one of which is an oriental design and with floor to ceiling length burgandy drapes held back by gold rope tassels, a burgandy leather chair as well as a smaller burgandy fabric swivel arm chair, and one or two burgandy lampshades. My second color is a dark olive green for two walls (the other two walls are cream), and an light olive green brocade wingback chair. Accent such as throw blankets and pillows are combinations of burgandy and olive green. Other accents are brass lamps and gold framed pictures and paintings on the walls and of course the required antiqued-look world globe. The other lamps have cream colored shades. There is also a small electric fireplace. All the oak bookcases are a light stain as well as a massive desk and a library table all of which I am currently considering staining a dark oak. I even bought the stain but have been procrastinating because of the size of the job. And because, where will all the books be stored until I'm done!? lol. The room is quite large so I have been pegging away at it for some time while I live my daily life. But it is so much fun to patiently go thrifting and slowly find exactly what I'm looking for. Nearly everything in my library is thrifted with the exeption of the draperies, one large reproduction painting (a medieval scene), a marble black and olive green chess set, the fireplace (which was a gift) and of course about half of the books. Since I didn't read Tartt's book or watch Harry Potter my idea of DA came from photos of J.R.R. Tolkin's and C.S.Lewis' rooms at Oxford with a few ideas garnered from other vintage photos of home libraries. Thank you for the video!
I really like the dark academia aesthetic the way you describe it, more recently, I've seen these black on black rooms and wondered "where is the academia in this dark academia room?"
@elizabethasphodel6020 Good for you! I worked in schools for years and I saw many kids who struggled with trying to be like everyone else and it really cause them some problems. It takes courage to be yourself. If you're "friends" are calling you weird you might want to look for some new like-minded friends.
I put low watt bulbs (appliance 15,25,40) in my lamps all over the house, even in the kitchen! It changed the atmosphere in the house. At first my husband objected to the low lights, but soon he began to like the cozy calming atmosphere too. Then we got a big dark buffet from a charity shop to go with our big dark thick legged dining table. We put two candelabras on the table. Last night was our first dinner with the low light lamps and candelabras. It was so special and memorable. We sat there for a long time enjoying the atmosphere when the candles started melting all over! You do have to watch those candles!!🙄
@celticfiddle7605 Yes, low soft lights in a home after sundown actually have health benefits too. I can't stand those dead white bulbs that make every room in a house feel like an operating room, lol. Wearing blue blocking glasses in a home after sundwn also has health benefits.
middle schooler here! im obsessed with dark academia and my friends call me weird for it but oh well! i’ve always had the corresponding “personality” for dark academia before i knew it existed! now that i have discovered it, it seems like a whole new world. one of my favorite youtubers here, i use you as an absolute guide. thank you very much.
This is THE video on dark academia!!! Thank you so much for making this! I have been thinking the same thing as you lately, that so many designers and interior decorators just don't understand what DA is about and I'm really glad you made this video!
Finally someone getting the decor on point. Thank you!!!! I totally agree with you....painting your entire home black with black accessories, bed , curtains etc...in my opinion is Gothic not dark academia!!
I intended on painting my bedroom black but when I put the paint on it had a deep plum undertone, I enjoy it. It is soothing and not too stark in color.
I think that the aesthetic has been disconnected from the deep meaning of the dark academia, as you said. Amd i think that's the reason why people defined the light coloured aesthetic as light academia. They base the definition on the colours, while in fact, it's based on the lifestyle (dark, murder, mistery, drama)... I think you are 100% right. I read in an article that dark walls were actually a way to camouflage the effetct of fumes from coal and wood burner in Victorian times
Reminds me of the same happening to Boho. Some people viewed a few pics on Instagram and now they think that is what Boho is, when in realty it is so much more.
Interesting...I just found this design concept recently and I love it! It's so cozy. I also saw something called Light Academia....I'd be interested to see a video from you on this style.
Thank you, Lanchen! I always decorated in the "academia" aesthetic before it was an internet aesthetic. I would get annoyed when I saw people do more of a Victorian-horror, or something similar (which is pretty though not historically accurate) and call it "dark academia". So, when I saw you made this video, I said out loud "Finally! Someone had to say it"!
i have pretty much always gravitated towards inspirations that could now be linked to dark academia, i started to feel a bit meh about the whole aesthetic lately (probably burn out from seeing it over and over again) but the description of the office reminded me of a visit i made in an orthodox church in romania where the outside of the building was simple subdued almost geometric and white and the inside was the most vivid and bright roar of colors i've experienced in a religious setting. The big celestial vault looming on the roof over us really stole my breath. I'm not religious, was raised catholic, but the visit of this church really made sense to me within my understanding of the dogma : be humble to the people around you don't strive in showing you worth because your true wealth is within you and if you let it speak it'll be much louder than anything you wear on the outside. I don't fully resonate with this part of the christian faith, but viisiting this church really helped it make sense
I’m in a DA room right now. Off-white walls, Edwardian and Victorian era artwork everywhere. A figural owl lamp. Brown furniture, including an 19th Century washstand with my great, great grandmother’s tatting on it. A collarbox with celluloid collars still in it. And books. Lots of books. Some of them very, very old (eg. “Good Manners,” copyright 1903) White walls, but Dark Academia.
Thank you so much for saying what I’ve been thinking for the past few years. I’m not sure when this aesthetic deviation started but I’m assuming maybe someone took the word “dark” and interpreted it literally. Dark academia for me was always about ambiance and sensory experiences. DA evokes a certain mood that other genres don’t because it encompasses the feeling of the passage of time and the culmination of many lifetimes merging into one.
I think it was indeed the result of commercial enterprises getting involved, like Lanchen mentioned--they have a fundamental misunderstanding of what makes DA, but they spoke with authority and the weight of their brand behind them, so people new to the aesthetic just assumed they were the correct ones...when their research likely amounted to nothing more than a 10 minute google search and a handful of AI-generated images.
I agree 100%. The Black on Black is just a black version of our modern Gray on Gray. I have spent my life in academic and educational settings. You are much closer to these aesthetics.
On the subject of bookcases if you’re lucky you’ll find barrister style bookcases that close. Found one thrifting last year and it’s a huge conversation piece that acts as a bar
Thank you for this! I love the super dark look of the typical DA pictures I see online but can’t live in a super dark place without feeling narcoleptic all the time. My bedroom is very dark and cozy so I find it difficult just to get up as is.
Fantastic video, I came to dark academia through researching lord of the rings earthy tones for my bedroom and stumbled on DA on Pinterest. I am working on a mix between luxury (CB2, marble flooring, wall molding), scandi, LOTR and DA all mixed together to have a cleaner yet moody bookish vibe. I really appreciate you putting together this compendium, thank you, it will help me fit DA to my specific architecture which I cannot really change without great effort.
This is probably the best DA video yet. The candle holder is called a chamber stick i think. I also like my bridge arm floor lamp for reading. You can get LED bulbs at home depot that have four or five settings from blue to orange light. I have a cat so no candles or expensive leather furniture for me. I have lots of books though :) Some day I’ll get the 4 poster bed.
My husband thanks you for your emphasis on not needing to blackout the walls of our game room! I can't find a purple I like so maybe just a light neutral, Wenge accent. Since it's for boardgames, I'm thinking of it like a dining room in terms of layout of feng shui. I can't believe how much of my vision you described after I did months of thinking and looking. I guess I'm basic :p
I’m planning on moving next year, and you really nailed this in the best way possible. I’ve been eyeing a burgundy velvet couch as my color focal point, along with a library space in the room. One step and idea at a time. I love my current Pinterest board. Lots of dark wood tones. 🫶🏽 LOVE the wall of words.
Great video! I've painted my office a lovely dark green and went onto TH-cam for some decor inspiration and yes, was met with all the black on black videos. This is very helpful on how to achieve that DA look but with pops of color and personal touches. Thank you!
Huzzah!!! I agree!!!! People are so tuned into the "Goth" aesthetic, they NEVER bother to learn about the literal meaning! The kilted Scotsman will often be wearing what is known as a sgian-dubh (Skene-duh) in their stocking. Also known a "Black Knife". Black, as in Blackmail, Back Knight... Black as in Sinister or Malevolent, not literally referring to color! Great work here! Thank you!
This is a great example of how other people conceptualize ideals of life but only know how to view them in a literary concept and not realistically. I enjoy how you are bringing it to an actual tangible reality and not basing it off of what would be considered “instagramable”.
We need to keep another thing in mind about dark academia, is how the objects and furniture came into existence in general. And why they take up space in a room. Remember, people who actually live this life are mostly on expeditions and acquire. Like a archeologist or an anthropologist… and so on. Maybe a rare book seller.
You're totally right with no black on black. Deep colors. Could live my life in velvet 😅. Books, shelves, candles, crystal, gold, marble, florals, I think haunted mansion. ❤
I fully agree with you on this! I always thought of the old English mansions and universities. They aren't black on black. And well maybe Northern France like normandy has that vibe going in their old mansions/ chateau's. I did feel the same about all those black on black DA aesthetic mood boards. Thank you for saying this!
I have to agree with you. The dark walls to me it gives it more like gothic vibe which I love, but I do like my walls on the lighter side. With the antique dark wood furniture, and wall decor I feel like every pice stands out better when there’s a contrast.
I totally agree about the modern looking rooms being pushed as DA. I've seen a few videos on those and thought they looked like hotel spaces. I wanted DA, but a personalized version. I live in an old home with dark woodwork and I chose a deep green to make the beautiful wood pop! My home is a mix of DA with eclectic maximalism. I love classic art, but I also love the unexpected piece here and there. Since my home is old, I wanted to bring it into the new millenia with tropical floral draperies. I'm also a tropical plant collector, so it reflects my personal interest. The curated look is definitely my style, I have things that were handed down in my family from the late 1800's to some Greek style Vestal Virgin lamps that were my parents. I've thrifted pieces and found things in consignment shops. My Grandpa was my inspiration for quirky DA. He had a passion for learning EVERYTHING! Old, new, taboo, he was interested in it all. A space you can get lost in all day long was my goal. I think in time it will be like Grandpa's study.
Given that I do not really want to be obsessed by murder, secret sex, lust, adultery, and topics that lead to deep suffering, and that I have deeply enjoyed classical literature (Dickens and C.S.Lewis, not E. A. Poe) and I actually do enjoy our two story library with it's dark woods... having cozy places to ponder surrounded with books, good lamps and saturated colors, velvets, leather, leopard, brass, silver and the like suit me well! I'm grateful for this "dark academic" style, a name that heretofore did not exist, and Ralph Lauren and other traditional styles don't really capture this vibe. Anyone can go mentally dark, but I've been there, done that, regretted it so much... Joy and freedom from all the suffering suits me now. Go ahead and let the deep colors and classic academia have their own name!
I think the interior designs with the black or super dark decor is more Gothic/Vampire style than Dark Academia. Somehow they seem to have been lumped together. I love the dark on dark, but my style leans toward that. I also believe that when you hear Academia you see scholarly things throughout like-insects in frames, books, maps, sketches, paintings, candles and heavy furniture. So i think people with dark taste just blended to ascetics together to come up with this new terminology. If this makes sense😊
My husband burn taper candles at night instead of lots of lighting if we are not doing close work or reading. Its so beautiful and we save on electricity.
Wow, I’ve never really been exposed to DA to know it had a interior design style & didn’t have any idea what the term even referred to, so randomly finding this video was quite enlightening in several ways. Knowing no more about DA than I got from your explanation here, I imagine someone asked a designer to create a DA aesthetic in their home & the designer, not wanting to admit they didn’t know what it was assumed the “dark” meant black & didn’t look into it any further than that. One copied another & here we are, lol. I do like the sound of what you are describing (except for the student dormitory example 😜), it sounds rich & warm & cozy but I need to look into it further to really understand it. Thanks for this introduction to DA for this total newby!
Thanks so much for this video! I bought my first home a few months ago and am now getting started on designing the DA home library of my dreams. I've liked this aesthetic my whole life and this has been really helpful in specifically identifying a lot of the types of items that I'm hoping to include in my library and throughout my home at large.
oh wow… what a video! 😮 i’m stunned! japandi guy here but the way you describe dark academia is like i usually thought of it and got confused with the black walls and stuff.. i’m glad that i wasn’t alone with my view 😂
Excellent video! I literally clicked on this from an Interior Designer expounding on her ‘Black on Black’ idea of Dark Academia. It was not in keeping with the DA aesthetic of Bernadette Banner (TH-cam Clothing Historian and Period Sewer) that I had previously admired. Thank you for sharing the real (and much more interesting) origins of this style.
I am obsessed! Thank you!!! Such a great video which gave me soooo many ideas. Full disclosure- when the video started I was thinking “hmmm she says DA isn’t black on black?” I had my doubts! But this is brilliant!
FINALLY someone mentions wallpaper! I don't understand why all these "influencers" keep making walls either white or a solid color but think it gets a pass because they have books everywhere and vintage items on the shelves. True vintage decor had lots of colors, textures, and patterns and it's so obvious when someone is just doing an aesthetic verses the real thing. They'll do a boring paint job on one "accent" wall (or more if your lucky), then they just slap a dark academia/maximalist label on it. Painting your room with one color doesn't make it maximalist! It stresses me out. It's like no one knows how to design rooms anymore. Use rugs! Use trims! Use tile! Use drapes, designs, and textures! Use proper lighting! Use anything but white, please! Be intentional
The majority of people like more than just one aesthetic. Dark academia attracts a lot of goths, so they take in academia traits into their gothic homes. I assume that's where the black on black look come from. It's so common I have heard some goths call it "gothic academia" or "Darker academia". I feel like it's simmilar to romantic goth and can mix well with it. Goth is a subculture and more than just a style, goths are usually really into reading old romantic litterature and gothic novels so a home that lookes like a moody library totally makes sense. (At least this is my theory for the black homes) Gothic academia and dark academia have ended up being quite different.
@justlanchen You should consider writing to Architectural Digest and these other publications and expressing your well reasoned opinion on this subject matter. I fully agree with you that their version of the DA aesthetic misses the mark by such a wide margin. They seem to have confused the DA concept with that of a modern interpretation of a dark gothic/victorian horror aesthetic. Your version of DA accurately reflects what the authors of "The Secret History," "Ninth House," and "Dead Poets Society" portrayed in their works. Whilst AD's version seems to be based on an idea dreamt up by Marilyn Manson's interior decorator.
@justlanchen I will happily forward it to the Architectural Digest TH-cam channel. Can you tag them in this so they automatically see it? I honestly don't know how any of that works.
Love the dark cozy rooms so popular today. Most are painted dark greens, burgundy not black. So puzzled by your criticism. Unless you go white which is what you bring to the table. Thanks for your insights👍🏻
Excellent video. I also use electronic taper candles - lots of wood panels and exposed beams in my house and I am very mindful about open flames. I love your Bryronesque outfit.
A color I've really been vibing with is called Emerging Taupe, by Sherwin-Williams. It looks like a pastel brown on the paint chip, which sounds a bit grody when you say it out loud; but on the wall, it's a moody lavender-leaning mauve that's both light and airy but calming and warm at the same time. I used it for my bedroom, and everything looks good with it! I've gone a more soft, romantic femme direction with pastels but the brown tones could also be taken in a more masculine direction with greens and blues. Overall just a lovely and versatile base color that acts as a neutral without being millennial beige or white. Highly recommend.
Some William Morris style wallpaper looks nice for that style. I use my steps as a bookshelf. mostly the paperbacks or smaller books. They stack on top of each other in rows on each step. the nicer hardbacks and really old ones go on my best shelves. I also love finding nests out on walks or dead bugs or feathers and putting them in bell jars. I have an old Victrola I thrifted (was VERY excited when I found that). An old velvet sofa that I thrifted, my boyfriends great grandmothers turn of the century piano. loads of antique teacups and pots.. almost all of my decor was thrifted. including butterfly collections, taxidermy. an old classroom skeleton. RUGS though....a good rug is much harder to find.. at least in my opinion.. I need more rugs! I like the led candle idea. I love sconces but dont want to deal with a drippy wax mess. Some of the stuff Ive had was newer to begin with, and I slowly replaced items with thrifted antiques and vintage finds over the last fifteen years. One last thing I would suggest, though probably someone has, would be old trunks and antique suitcases. look great as an end or coffee table and awesome storage. Ok, Ill stop now. :)
The room you are sitting in is great "Dark Academia". I have a room that's my library and "cabinet of curiosities". For me, both your room and mine are fantastic (though much different) versions of Dark Academia.
@@justlanchen Upon first watch, I was focused on the aesthetics, decor, and "FEEL" of DA in a literal sense (A+ with Honours!) On second watch, I noticed something amazing. 1:21-1:55 The words you used in these 30-something seconds perfectly reflects the images in video you used of someone falling out of control while still remaining in the overwhelming (sometimes desperately so) pile of academia. I love all of your vids, I really do. But those 34 seconds in this vid? THAT is art.
When I think of DA, I think of The Picture of Dorian Gray and This Side of Paradise and The Beautiful And The Damned. Like.... Dorian and Amory definitely lived Authenticity DA lives... Eta- and the Clue board game! 👏🏼 Your so spot on!! 🎉
I agree with you but I also think that black on black can sometimes be used beautifully to achieve the look, just not the way I've seen most people use it. It needs to be delicately balanced like you pointed out with the Harry Potter common room. I am a fan of the macabre and dark literature so I like black, but I also like colour. I think you nailed it :)
When we bought our house a few years ago part of the reason we chose it was for the built in bookshelves in one of the rooms, and because my wife knew I wanted a study (I was away for work and the market at the time dictated she make the decision without me). Now, I'm not particularly up on all the trends. I'm at a point where I just do what I like. I only learnt about this dark academia aesthetic by occasionally listening to some of the playlists labeled as such. While watching your video I was pleasantly surprised to find that I have achieved many of your suggestions organically and quite accidentally. I just wanted a room that fostered learning and was an escape from technology where I could put stuff I thought was cool, without imposing them on the rest of my family.
Wall colors for deeply bookish...look at the great libraries. Burgundy, dark green, possibly brown...but with dark bookshelves. If the floor is uncovered wood (could be) a dark stain on the wood. Any older rug of subtly related colors, softening the masses of dark. LOTS of books. Older books (modern books tend to have lighter bindings. Some, sure, but you cannot have academic "academic" without plenty of dark-backed older books. I have thousands, collected over a lifetime, many bought used, so the academic is not a put-on. I just reorganized my office this past year, not with any "dark academic" concern...I don't "decorate" because my main interest is utility. All four walls covered mostly with books. I did enjoy this post, but to me most intentional "decorating" looks like it's been done for show, not natural.
The only overhead lighting I like is a strip of tungsten bulbs (g30/g40) lining the corners of a room or space. It creates a soft light for a moody atmosphere which you can adjust by adding or removing bulbs.
Yes, this is it! I love Dark Academia but that whole black-on-black theme is usually far too Gothic or Victorian, which is NOT my vibe. Thanks for the clarification!
Love this video! It's always felt a bit of a low key 90's revival to me. There was a trend of neoromanticism back then, dark wood, eggshell walls, gilt frames, angelic/parochial imagery, and marble reproductions were the thing. Lots of antiques that would have felt western/prairie-ish in the 70s and 80s got a new life in the 90s. Makes some sense to me that Donna Tartt would like these things!
This was very helpful, thank you. I’m not a DA reader, but my personal style has tended towards what you call DA in the past and I noticed that people who used to refer to it my home as “MasterpieceTheatre” started calling it DA instead. (I use color but not black or very dark ones.). Currently I am reinventing my way to a new look that takes this style but mixes elements of others.
Comment if you agree and let’s get this video seen by the right people!
you're putting this video out at the right time! i follow lots of interior design youtubers and the topic of dark academia is really starting to pick up all of a sudden (maybe because home libraries are getting popular?) and you can tell none of the people tackling the topic had made enough research to even realise that originally da was really just a donna tartt fandom cosplaying as an aesthetic
Same as Light Academia, that is just Academia@@vandomka8464
Just paused the video a third of the way through to let you know that it's great. I've been thinking this as well. I've also subscribed, and look forward to watching your other content.
I would love to see a video on how to decorate within a Dark Academic Aesthetic for Craftsman Rather than for Victorian style homes and rooms. Here in the U.S., we have (relatively) so many Craftsman-style homes, and so few Victorians.
These "EXPERTS" confuse Maximalism with Dark Academia. My friend has Decorated his abode in Dark Academia because he has a degree in Library Science & works as archivist for Heritage Auctions in the Printed Antiques. His interpretation is natural lighting & natural wood stained with medium brown to rosewood brown much like you would see in University Library of old. But if your in a library studying/researching from dusk to well into the night, candles would be lit to give you light to study by, hence Dark Academia aesthetic. So I built his bookshelves based on the records library from a Seminary he often visited when he was in college. Shelves & bases were walnut with a dark grey wash, the trim are natural rosewood & gilded pinstripes to bring out the shape of the shelves & the labels were acid etched brass. I decorate in Maximalism because of my collection of various objects based on my travels & pursuit of varied interests. My opinion is Maximalism is object based & yes they do black but more often than not, the walls tend to vary from a crimson red to deep forest green. Sorry for the rant but I am annoyed as much as you these two distinct aesthetics keep being intertwined mindlessly by these, again, "EXPERT"
Living in the uk and having visited many stately homes, your interpretation on dark academia is definitely more accurate than the black on black. It’s about dark wood in the furniture not so much dark walls.
I am so happy you said that!!! I’ve been really worried about posting this video because I thought people would be mean 😅😅😅
I have to agree with you; I’ve always thought Dark Academia was just about the stately English penchant for dark wood lined rooms with dark furniture and lots of books and other academic decor such as paintings, sculptures, dried plants, taxidermy, medical and navigational instruments, etc.. Before I had heard of DA I called my aesthetic Old English Natural History, but after seeing this video, I may go back to calling it that. I have spent years collecting and refining the decor in my home, but none of it has any kind of dark literary undertone as referred to in this video. Neither are my walls painted a dark colour; they’re actually buttercream. I think I’ll stop calling it Dark Academia and change the name of my style to Old English Academia/Natural History.
@@gato-nero Light academia? 😊
It is just one Academia. You either use light or dark colors for the walls and that is pretty much the difference, the important part is that indeed it uses medium/darker shades of furniture.@@gato-nero
I agree. Larger rooms can take dark coloured walls but I have never seen black. Dark reds mostly seem to be the norm. My son’s room has a blue black wall which is a classic colour but the rest is white and he has dark wood bookshelves and bed. It looks sort of classic even though there’s the addition of his games consoles in there as well, not mentioning his mess. Our dining room used to be a very dark red which I loved. However, our rooms aren’t really large enough to cope with it very well so we have gone much lighter. We still have dark wood though as it’s inherited so not going anywhere.
The problem with dark academia is that many people confuses this concept with old gothic style.
It is not to make your house as Addams Family's house, it is just to make it like as a library or museum with a "british touch".
They do!
I actually looked into this as well, there is an aesthetic called darkest Academia, another name for it being Gothic academia, but Gothic is referring to architecture not interior 🙈
I’m so glad you understand
Some people like The Addams Family look.
@@LouciferFlump I like that too. It is very fancy, isn't?
None of those black pics look like the Addam’s house. The Addam’s have victorian red and pink walls and accents.
Thank You! ❤ I have loved this style even before it had a name. I used to describe it as "Stately-old-money-manor-house-library." Or "Think Oxford or Cambridge"...all of the wood was dark, but nothing was painted black! There is comfort, and an elegance to it ...not creepy! An emphasis on education of the finer things in life, and surrounding oneself with all of those....
You've got it!
Creepy decor can be elegant. 😊
It was always called Academia or Librarian, if you will, but it wasn't done as an aesthetic but as a by product of academic people having a place to have their library and things related to academics. My father was an academic and this is how his room looked, back in 1970, definitely not as an aesthetic.
It's really just Edwardian or Victorian in darker hues. "Dark Academia" is just the TikTok and influencer version of the classic style.😅
@@johnnyritenbaugh1214 Yeah pretty much
It only came into being in 2010 apparently 🙄
When I think of dark academia, I think of the offices of my religious studies professors filled with old books in Arabic, Greek, Hebrew, etc with light colored walls with deep wood tones and ornate decor. I also think of how I imagine the homes of the rich Ivy League kids coming from generational wealth would be decorated. Ornate, European style with a Victorian flair.
That’s just…. rich. academia. It already existed. Dark academia is a new aesthetic, separate from the book.
while your interpretation of dark academia is probably correct, i much prefer the black on black gothic look- it probably should not be given the dark academia label though- it is more gothic victorian.
Amen sister!!!
I prefer antique white walls with deep dark decor. I feel the contrast allows the dark colors to be admired. Doing dark walls on dark walls it just blends and doesn’t have the pop I like to bring all my antique and vintage decor together!!!!
I couldn’t agree more! Dead Poet’s Society is what comes to mind when I think of DA.
Exactly!! Dead poets society and kill Your darlings were the first two movies linked to the dark academia Aesthetic as well !! So you are on the right track!
Try His Dark Materials.@@justlanchen
this seems so fake
anytime i hear the words "aesthetic" or "space" i know ive stumbled on imitation and therell be no authenticity to find.
Academia as about learning and the LOOK comes from having the items )books, art, old rugs ) that are collected over a lifetime of actual discovery
You cant fake it
My boyfriend saw some vintage decor on fb marketplace and asked "love, is this that dark macadamia look you like?" 😂
😂😂😂😂
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
That's actually sweet 🥰 He's paying attention to what's important to you.
Dark macadamia! 😂😂😂
For me, dark academia is a particular blend of cozy and sophisticated. It's mysterious but also inviting.
Thank you!! Finally I have found someone who is real. Someone who agrees that spending $$ isn't what makes good design ❤
You are so welcome!🥹🥹🫶🫶
My old school was opened in 1859, and decorated accordingly. Whenever I think dark academia I imagine my old headmistresses office. Huge bay windows, an overgrown but beautiful cottage garden outside. Although the windows were huge, the sun was filtered into beams through the trees, and it lit up the dust and cigarette smoke (it was the 80s). There were dark antique cabinets, the wing backed chair next to the maroon marble fireplace, ornate mirrors, and yes, the rug. Palms in dark wood galleried plant stands. The portrait of the school founder over the fireplace. I loved it then and I still love the vibe now. I hope it hasn’t changed.
I couldn’t agree more. Having worked in academia for 35 years, I don't remember a single case of a room with a black-on-black decor. Your tasteful suggestions reflect the Dark Academia mindset really well. Thank you.
that is amazing! I'm so glad you liked what I had to say 🫶
Exactly, this is how I always saw Academia. To me it is not even dark or light.
I'm a retired academic too. This look was not at the institution I worked at or went to school in. Academic surroundings didn't really have a look. Tight budgets are part of real academics. To me the black on black is a spin off of Gothic.
In my opinion, Dark Academia is very "cultured old money" vibes. Dark wood, heirloom pieces, ornate pieces, vintage. And I completely agree that I'm seeing a lot of black rooms, which... Feels very modern to me. When my inspo is Oxford, Cambridge, old local royal institutions, none of them are ever black. I've heard ut said that often tapestry were darker to hide sooth stains from oil lamps, but I'm not sure. A black room can look stunning, but it feels modern to me, and as long as that's the intention that's great.
this seems so fake
anytime i hear the words "aesthetic" or "space" i know ive stumbled on imitation and therell be no authenticity to find.
Academia as about learning and the LOOK comes from having the items )books, art, old rugs ) that are collected over a lifetime of actual discovery
You cant fake it
"black does not a dark academia room make" hahaha thank you! This is such a great video.
I also agree with your point about "patience." It really is going to take time to accumulate the pieces in order to have that authentic feel. I mean, you could go out and buy a bunch of stuff at a thrift store one weekend... but it isn't going to be like, "these pieces speak to my soul and express who I am as a person," which is something that I'm personally looking for!
I'm not sure I'd describe my interior style as "dark academia" but it is literature inspired and I have books everywhere... plus a penchant for vintage furniture... so yeah, it probably is pretty close! I never feel like it's "finished," though!
When I was little, my grandfather created a space that gives me the kind of vibes your talking about, but it wasn't for decor.
My childhood home had an inglenook that nobody in the family ever used due to the fact that it wasn't close enough to the rest of the house, only got indirect light at best, and the fireplace hearth took up about a third of the space. Then my grandfather decided it would be perfect as his own personal study. He put in a simple small office desk under the window, then on the desk he had all the things he needed, desk lamp-the kind with a swivel arm, along with his calligraphy brushes, ink stones, ink sticks, other stationary he needed, along with the envelopes for air mail since he was always writing back home to relatives and old friends.
He also had a wooden coat tree that had multiple hooks and could spin, just at the mouth of the nook along the wall. The walls themselves, he put up maps of all kinds- world, europe, asia, the US, local, also he taped up a few prints of a lovely landscape that originally from calendars. Instead of bookshelves, he used old wooden endtables since these were already in the garage and he kept all kinds of reference books and dictionaries and newspapers on them. An old beanbag chair wound up in the space and was put right infront of the fireplace, along with old blankets.
Once he took it over, everyone just started to go into the space. Either to actually use the books, or to just hang out, everyone just naturally started using the space. He never said anything, but I think he was kind of annoyed because he made the nook into a study specifically because no one wanted to be there before.
That sounds wonderful.
Lol, my father use to readi in the basement, where he had hundreds of books on homemade bookshelves. It was dark, dusty, with a bunch of unusual items on display, blue prints he would make on his own.....
I looked at some of those books when I got older.
I then knew why he read there and not in the living room.
My religious mother would have never approved at least half of them, lol.
@susanruan3663 That sound so charming!
Thank you so much for this, I so agree with everything you said. I've always felt like the black on black rooms give more of a witchy/gothic aesthetic rather than DA itself. Of course, with the right pieces it could still be "academia". But yeah, I'm happy you brought this up, hopefully a lot of people see it.
I thought the same thing!
Yes! I'm an actual academic, of actual literature, who just spent a year at actual Cambridge University. I've been looking all over the web for someone who helps with actual academic decor. I'm so happy to have found you!
If you’re so familiar, you probably don’t need a TH-cam video.
I couldn't agree more! Actually, I have always loved this style, even before I knew it has a name. My dad was a lawyer and he used to take me to work with him from a very young age. His office, and his colleagues' offices, were very "DA", and I find the style very comforting. His den at home had also the same style... and even our LR had touches of it, like piles of books everywhere! I'm decorating my home office/craft room/guest room in this style now and it feels very "homey" to me. I went with a beautiful, deep green on 3 of the walls. Thank you for a great video.
Brilliant, stylish, and spot on. I absolutely love how you go to source of "The Secret History" for room descriptions.
Thank you kindly!🙏🏼
I agree as well. Whenever I look for DA inspiration, I ignore those designs because they do not resonate DA for me. You explained it perfectly. Plus the design tips you gave are great!
so happy you liked it!!
I couldn’t agree more ☕️🕯️📚 I have always loved this esthetic look before I even heard of dark academia.
Same here!
@@justlanchen I am 60 years old and have loved this style since I was a teenager! I was (and am) a bookworm and my father’s study (he was a pastor) was my happy place as a child. To see that turned into black on black broke my heart a little, so when I came across your channel in my recommended, I was so thrilled that someone in the younger generation actually understood the aesthetic! Thank you from the memory of my teenage soul reading murder mysteries and Poe in a proper study! BTW, that same furniture is now gracing my living room and not a black wall to be found! I have a very neutral lighter color (Balboa Mist) that gives cohesion to all of my antique frames and vintage photos, texture from my velvet seating and draperies and blankets that I still cozy up under to read.
There are very few black rooms in UK- You are correct! You have been doing this a very long time!!! You did one of the first really comprehensive explorations ever** thank you btw***
Thank you so much for saying that 🫶🫶 I was unsure anyone would agree with me but I’m happy I’m on the right track
Love love love
ALL your Dark Academia videos. Would love to see more D.A. diy projects either on a budget or using Dollar Tree items. ❤❤❤
Thank you!! yes I've shared many DA DIYs in my makeover videos 🥰
Great video! Of course, dark academia is an aesthetic, but it is, first and foremost, an attitude toward knowledge.
EXACTLY
Your color palette just started describing the colors I've already chosen for my house. So happy to have a different perspective on the "Dark Academia" theme to draw inspiration from, because this is exactly what I've been looking for!
I’m so happy to help 🫶🥰
Black walls are part of the darkest academia or gothic academia, you're right. As someone who's goth and loves reading i love both🖤
Yes! You are absolutely right!
Fantastic video. I am moving house later this year and looking for good advise for DA style for my future apartment. Very helpful and good point about the over-emphasis on black on black - you really show how various color combinations can create beautiful DA spaces.
Yay! I am so glad that you found this helpful! Good luck with your future Makeover🫶
You've made good points. And hats off for thinking for yourself and not merely following
Thank you!!!🫶🫶🫶🥹
FINALLY SOMEONE ADDRESSING THIS
I have seen some amazing "standing candelabra" style lights done with combining the base of a standing lamp with the body of a chandelier. Thank you for this video!
So many of these elements are things my grandma had in her home. No wonder I'm drawn to it.
Great video! It's lovely that you encourage people to break away from the high-end, glossy, cookie-cutter versions and to create their own style of DA. My interpretation of DA (and how I am currently in the process of decorating my library) is more like this video. I chose burgandy for carpets, one of which is an oriental design and with floor to ceiling length burgandy drapes held back by gold rope tassels, a burgandy leather chair as well as a smaller burgandy fabric swivel arm chair, and one or two burgandy lampshades. My second color is a dark olive green for two walls (the other two walls are cream), and an light olive green brocade wingback chair. Accent such as throw blankets and pillows are combinations of burgandy and olive green. Other accents are brass lamps and gold framed pictures and paintings on the walls and of course the required antiqued-look world globe. The other lamps have cream colored shades. There is also a small electric fireplace. All the oak bookcases are a light stain as well as a massive desk and a library table all of which I am currently considering staining a dark oak. I even bought the stain but have been procrastinating because of the size of the job. And because, where will all the books be stored until I'm done!? lol. The room is quite large so I have been pegging away at it for some time while I live my daily life. But it is so much fun to patiently go thrifting and slowly find exactly what I'm looking for. Nearly everything in my library is thrifted with the exeption of the draperies, one large reproduction painting (a medieval scene), a marble black and olive green chess set, the fireplace (which was a gift) and of course about half of the books. Since I didn't read Tartt's book or watch Harry Potter my idea of DA came from photos of J.R.R. Tolkin's and C.S.Lewis' rooms at Oxford with a few ideas garnered from other vintage photos of home libraries. Thank you for the video!
Awwww...🫠🕰📚🛋
I really like the dark academia aesthetic the way you describe it, more recently, I've seen these black on black rooms and wondered "where is the academia in this dark academia room?"
@elizabethasphodel6020 Good for you! I worked in schools for years and I saw many kids who struggled with trying to be like everyone else and it really cause them some problems. It takes courage to be yourself. If you're "friends" are calling you weird you might want to look for some new like-minded friends.
I put low watt bulbs (appliance 15,25,40) in my lamps all over the house, even in the kitchen! It changed the atmosphere in the house. At first my husband objected to the low lights, but soon he began to like the cozy calming atmosphere too. Then we got a big dark buffet from a charity shop to go with our big dark thick legged dining table. We put two candelabras on the table. Last night was our first dinner with the low light lamps and candelabras. It was so special and memorable. We sat there for a long time enjoying the atmosphere when the candles started melting all over! You do have to watch those candles!!🙄
@celticfiddle7605 Yes, low soft lights in a home after sundown actually have health benefits too. I can't stand those dead white bulbs that make every room in a house feel like an operating room, lol. Wearing blue blocking glasses in a home after sundwn also has health benefits.
middle schooler here! im obsessed with dark academia and my friends call me weird for it but oh well! i’ve always had the corresponding “personality” for dark academia before i knew it existed! now that i have discovered it, it seems like a whole new world. one of my favorite youtubers here, i use you as an absolute guide. thank you very much.
This is THE video on dark academia!!!
Thank you so much for making this! I have been thinking the same thing as you lately, that so many designers and interior decorators just don't understand what DA is about and I'm really glad you made this video!
Finally someone getting the decor on point. Thank you!!!! I totally agree with you....painting your entire home black with black accessories, bed , curtains etc...in my opinion is Gothic not dark academia!!
Thank you so much for saying this 😭😭🫶
I intended on painting my bedroom black but when I put the paint on it had a deep plum undertone, I enjoy it. It is soothing and not too stark in color.
I think that the aesthetic has been disconnected from the deep meaning of the dark academia, as you said. Amd i think that's the reason why people defined the light coloured aesthetic as light academia. They base the definition on the colours, while in fact, it's based on the lifestyle (dark, murder, mistery, drama)... I think you are 100% right. I read in an article that dark walls were actually a way to camouflage the effetct of fumes from coal and wood burner in Victorian times
Good catch on hiding the dirt. I have a log fire and it’s true. Ceilings especially get blackened quickly. I am always painting.
Reminds me of the same happening to Boho. Some people viewed a few pics on Instagram and now they think that is what Boho is, when in realty it is so much more.
Interesting...I just found this design concept recently and I love it! It's so cozy. I also saw something called Light Academia....I'd be interested to see a video from you on this style.
Thank you, Lanchen! I always decorated in the "academia" aesthetic before it was an internet aesthetic. I would get annoyed when I saw people do more of a Victorian-horror, or something similar (which is pretty though not historically accurate) and call it "dark academia". So, when I saw you made this video, I said out loud "Finally! Someone had to say it"!
THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY TO READ! thank you for saying this
i have pretty much always gravitated towards inspirations that could now be linked to dark academia, i started to feel a bit meh about the whole aesthetic lately (probably burn out from seeing it over and over again) but the description of the office reminded me of a visit i made in an orthodox church in romania where the outside of the building was simple subdued almost geometric and white and the inside was the most vivid and bright roar of colors i've experienced in a religious setting. The big celestial vault looming on the roof over us really stole my breath.
I'm not religious, was raised catholic, but the visit of this church really made sense to me within my understanding of the dogma : be humble to the people around you don't strive in showing you worth because your true wealth is within you and if you let it speak it'll be much louder than anything you wear on the outside. I don't fully resonate with this part of the christian faith, but viisiting this church really helped it make sense
I’m in a DA room right now. Off-white walls, Edwardian and Victorian era artwork everywhere. A figural owl lamp. Brown furniture, including an 19th Century washstand with my great, great grandmother’s tatting on it. A collarbox with celluloid collars still in it. And books. Lots of books. Some of them very, very old (eg. “Good Manners,” copyright 1903) White walls, but Dark Academia.
Thank you so much for saying what I’ve been thinking for the past few years. I’m not sure when this aesthetic deviation started but I’m assuming maybe someone took the word “dark” and interpreted it literally. Dark academia for me was always about ambiance and sensory experiences. DA evokes a certain mood that other genres don’t because it encompasses the feeling of the passage of time and the culmination of many lifetimes merging into one.
I think it was indeed the result of commercial enterprises getting involved, like Lanchen mentioned--they have a fundamental misunderstanding of what makes DA, but they spoke with authority and the weight of their brand behind them, so people new to the aesthetic just assumed they were the correct ones...when their research likely amounted to nothing more than a 10 minute google search and a handful of AI-generated images.
I bet it was someone on Instagram.
I have lived this style for years and years; never knew it was an actual thing I just thought I was a weirdo! Thank you
I agree 100%. The Black on Black is just a black version of our modern Gray on Gray.
I have spent my life in academic and educational settings. You are much closer to these aesthetics.
On the subject of bookcases if you’re lucky you’ll find barrister style bookcases that close.
Found one thrifting last year and it’s a huge conversation piece that acts as a bar
Thank you for this! I love the super dark look of the typical DA pictures I see online but can’t live in a super dark place without feeling narcoleptic all the time. My bedroom is very dark and cozy so I find it difficult just to get up as is.
🤗
Fantastic video, I came to dark academia through researching lord of the rings earthy tones for my bedroom and stumbled on DA on Pinterest. I am working on a mix between luxury (CB2, marble flooring, wall molding), scandi, LOTR and DA all mixed together to have a cleaner yet moody bookish vibe. I really appreciate you putting together this compendium, thank you, it will help me fit DA to my specific architecture which I cannot really change without great effort.
This is probably the best DA video yet. The candle holder is called a chamber stick i think. I also like my bridge arm floor lamp for reading. You can get LED bulbs at home depot that have four or five settings from blue to orange light. I have a cat so no candles or expensive leather furniture for me. I have lots of books though :) Some day I’ll get the 4 poster bed.
THAT IS THE BEAUTY OF DECOR ANYTHING GOES AS LONGEST IT LOOKS GOOD"
My husband thanks you for your emphasis on not needing to blackout the walls of our game room! I can't find a purple I like so maybe just a light neutral, Wenge accent. Since it's for boardgames, I'm thinking of it like a dining room in terms of layout of feng shui. I can't believe how much of my vision you described after I did months of thinking and looking. I guess I'm basic :p
I’m planning on moving next year, and you really nailed this in the best way possible. I’ve been eyeing a burgundy velvet couch as my color focal point, along with a library space in the room. One step and idea at a time. I love my current Pinterest board. Lots of dark wood tones. 🫶🏽
LOVE the wall of words.
Great video! I've painted my office a lovely dark green and went onto TH-cam for some decor inspiration and yes, was met with all the black on black videos. This is very helpful on how to achieve that DA look but with pops of color and personal touches. Thank you!
Nice job defining this style and helping people differentiate. 👏
Terms which once described niche styles have become blanket phrases.
Thank you so much for appreciating this video. I’m really trying to save the dark academia interiors over here if I can
Huzzah!!! I agree!!!! People are so tuned into the "Goth" aesthetic, they NEVER bother to learn about the literal meaning! The kilted Scotsman will often be wearing what is known as a sgian-dubh (Skene-duh) in their stocking. Also known a "Black Knife". Black, as in Blackmail, Back Knight... Black as in Sinister or Malevolent, not literally referring to color! Great work here! Thank you!
I’m so glad you appreciated this video. Thank you so much for watching 🫶🫶🫶
This is the best overview of the aesthetic I’ve heard. Thank You!!!!
A brilliant breakdown of the Dark Academia style. Thank you. 😀
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Been preparing renovating a room into a english victorian office and your videos both on DA and the victorian era have been very helpful.
This is a great example of how other people conceptualize ideals of life but only know how to view them in a literary concept and not realistically.
I enjoy how you are bringing it to an actual tangible reality and not basing it off of what would be considered “instagramable”.
Yes, it’s great to be an academic but we need to know how to apply it to real life.
We need to keep another thing in mind about dark academia, is how the objects and furniture came into existence in general. And why they take up space in a room. Remember, people who actually live this life are mostly on expeditions and acquire. Like a archeologist or an anthropologist… and so on. Maybe a rare book seller.
You're totally right with no black on black. Deep colors. Could live my life in velvet 😅. Books, shelves, candles, crystal, gold, marble, florals, I think haunted mansion. ❤
I fully agree with you on this! I always thought of the old English mansions and universities. They aren't black on black. And well maybe Northern France like normandy has that vibe going in their old mansions/ chateau's. I did feel the same about all those black on black DA aesthetic mood boards. Thank you for saying this!
I have to agree with you. The dark walls to me it gives it more like gothic vibe which I love, but I do like my walls on the lighter side. With the antique dark wood furniture, and wall decor I feel like every pice stands out better when there’s a contrast.
I love the dark academia style. I’ve been decorating my home in that style for years without realizing what it was called. 😅.
I totally agree about the modern looking rooms being pushed as DA. I've seen a few videos on those and thought they looked like hotel spaces. I wanted DA, but a personalized version. I live in an old home with dark woodwork and I chose a deep green to make the beautiful wood pop! My home is a mix of DA with eclectic maximalism. I love classic art, but I also love the unexpected piece here and there. Since my home is old, I wanted to bring it into the new millenia with tropical floral draperies. I'm also a tropical plant collector, so it reflects my personal interest. The curated look is definitely my style, I have things that were handed down in my family from the late 1800's to some Greek style Vestal Virgin lamps that were my parents. I've thrifted pieces and found things in consignment shops. My Grandpa was my inspiration for quirky DA. He had a passion for learning EVERYTHING! Old, new, taboo, he was interested in it all. A space you can get lost in all day long was my goal. I think in time it will be like Grandpa's study.
Think many people feel this way and a new aesthetic has been created to address this... Light Academia. ❤
Given that I do not really want to be obsessed by murder, secret sex, lust, adultery, and topics that lead to deep suffering, and that I have deeply enjoyed classical literature (Dickens and C.S.Lewis, not E. A. Poe) and I actually do enjoy our two story library with it's dark woods... having cozy places to ponder surrounded with books, good lamps and saturated colors, velvets, leather, leopard, brass, silver and the like suit me well! I'm grateful for this "dark academic" style, a name that heretofore did not exist, and Ralph Lauren and other traditional styles don't really capture this vibe. Anyone can go mentally dark, but I've been there, done that, regretted it so much... Joy and freedom from all the suffering suits me now. Go ahead and let the deep colors and classic academia have their own name!
Love" The Secret History", first read it in college in early 90's, and it has informed my aesthetic
Would you do a Green Academia decor video? The botanical, planty version of dark academia
Even though I'd never do that style for myself, I do love looking at what you're describing! I would totally watch a video on that 👏🏼
Hi there, you are so correct in what you say. Well done. From an owner of a victorian house. I have many things you list. Thank you.
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I think the interior designs with the black or super dark decor is more Gothic/Vampire style than Dark Academia. Somehow they seem to have been lumped together. I love the dark on dark, but my style leans toward that. I also believe that when you hear Academia you see scholarly things throughout like-insects in frames, books, maps, sketches, paintings, candles and heavy furniture. So i think people with dark taste just blended to ascetics together to come up with this new terminology. If this makes sense😊
i call it gothic academia which is my style preference
@@darkreverie7027 I like that term. Suits it perfectly
My husband burn taper candles at night instead of lots of lighting if we are not doing close work or reading. Its so beautiful and we save on electricity.
Wow, I’ve never really been exposed to DA to know it had a interior design style & didn’t have any idea what the term even referred to, so randomly finding this video was quite enlightening in several ways. Knowing no more about DA than I got from your explanation here, I imagine someone asked a designer to create a DA aesthetic in their home & the designer, not wanting to admit they didn’t know what it was assumed the “dark” meant black & didn’t look into it any further than that. One copied another & here we are, lol.
I do like the sound of what you are describing (except for the student dormitory example 😜), it sounds rich & warm & cozy but I need to look into it further to really understand it. Thanks for this introduction to DA for this total newby!
Thanks so much for this video! I bought my first home a few months ago and am now getting started on designing the DA home library of my dreams. I've liked this aesthetic my whole life and this has been really helpful in specifically identifying a lot of the types of items that I'm hoping to include in my library and throughout my home at large.
I adore the wallpaper behind you! Trying to find "that" design style eludes me. The closest I can come is English Traditional Cottage.
oh wow… what a video! 😮 i’m stunned! japandi guy here but the way you describe dark academia is like i usually thought of it and got confused with the black walls and stuff.. i’m glad that i wasn’t alone with my view 😂
Excellent video!
I literally clicked on this from an Interior Designer expounding on her ‘Black on Black’ idea of Dark Academia. It was not in keeping with the DA aesthetic of Bernadette Banner (TH-cam Clothing Historian and Period Sewer) that I had previously admired.
Thank you for sharing the real (and much more interesting) origins of this style.
I am obsessed! Thank you!!! Such a great video which gave me soooo many ideas.
Full disclosure- when the video started I was thinking “hmmm she says DA isn’t black on black?” I had my doubts!
But this is brilliant!
FINALLY someone mentions wallpaper! I don't understand why all these "influencers" keep making walls either white or a solid color but think it gets a pass because they have books everywhere and vintage items on the shelves. True vintage decor had lots of colors, textures, and patterns and it's so obvious when someone is just doing an aesthetic verses the real thing. They'll do a boring paint job on one "accent" wall (or more if your lucky), then they just slap a dark academia/maximalist label on it. Painting your room with one color doesn't make it maximalist! It stresses me out. It's like no one knows how to design rooms anymore. Use rugs! Use trims! Use tile! Use drapes, designs, and textures! Use proper lighting! Use anything but white, please! Be intentional
The majority of people like more than just one aesthetic. Dark academia attracts a lot of goths, so they take in academia traits into their gothic homes. I assume that's where the black on black look come from. It's so common I have heard some goths call it "gothic academia" or "Darker academia". I feel like it's simmilar to romantic goth and can mix well with it. Goth is a subculture and more than just a style, goths are usually really into reading old romantic litterature and gothic novels so a home that lookes like a moody library totally makes sense. (At least this is my theory for the black homes) Gothic academia and dark academia have ended up being quite different.
finally!! this is exactly what I keep trying to search for and I keep finding the black on black gothic decor instead
@justlanchen You should consider writing to Architectural Digest and these other publications and expressing your well reasoned opinion on this subject matter. I fully agree with you that their version of the DA aesthetic misses the mark by such a wide margin. They seem to have confused the DA concept with that of a modern interpretation of a dark gothic/victorian horror aesthetic. Your version of DA accurately reflects what the authors of "The Secret History," "Ninth House," and "Dead Poets Society" portrayed in their works. Whilst AD's version seems to be based on an idea dreamt up by Marilyn Manson's interior decorator.
RIGHT! I really hope this somehow this gets seen by the right people, so those companies update their blogs/videos 😭
@justlanchen I will happily forward it to the Architectural Digest TH-cam channel. Can you tag them in this so they automatically see it? I honestly don't know how any of that works.
Love the dark cozy rooms so popular today. Most are painted dark greens, burgundy not black. So puzzled by your criticism. Unless you go white which is what you bring to the table. Thanks for your insights👍🏻
I’m glad you liked it 🥰🥰🥰
Excellent video. I also use electronic taper candles - lots of wood panels and exposed beams in my house and I am very mindful about open flames. I love your Bryronesque outfit.
A color I've really been vibing with is called Emerging Taupe, by Sherwin-Williams. It looks like a pastel brown on the paint chip, which sounds a bit grody when you say it out loud; but on the wall, it's a moody lavender-leaning mauve that's both light and airy but calming and warm at the same time. I used it for my bedroom, and everything looks good with it! I've gone a more soft, romantic femme direction with pastels but the brown tones could also be taken in a more masculine direction with greens and blues. Overall just a lovely and versatile base color that acts as a neutral without being millennial beige or white. Highly recommend.
Some William Morris style wallpaper looks nice for that style. I use my steps as a bookshelf. mostly the paperbacks or smaller books. They stack on top of each other in rows on each step. the nicer hardbacks and really old ones go on my best shelves. I also love finding nests out on walks or dead bugs or feathers and putting them in bell jars. I have an old Victrola I thrifted (was VERY excited when I found that). An old velvet sofa that I thrifted, my boyfriends great grandmothers turn of the century piano. loads of antique teacups and pots.. almost all of my decor was thrifted. including butterfly collections, taxidermy. an old classroom skeleton. RUGS though....a good rug is much harder to find.. at least in my opinion.. I need more rugs! I like the led candle idea. I love sconces but dont want to deal with a drippy wax mess. Some of the stuff Ive had was newer to begin with, and I slowly replaced items with thrifted antiques and vintage finds over the last fifteen years. One last thing I would suggest, though probably someone has, would be old trunks and antique suitcases. look great as an end or coffee table and awesome storage. Ok, Ill stop now. :)
The room you are sitting in is great "Dark Academia".
I have a room that's my library and "cabinet of curiosities".
For me, both your room and mine are fantastic (though much different) versions of Dark Academia.
I love that! same thing but tell different stories 🥰
@@justlanchen Upon first watch, I was focused on the aesthetics, decor, and "FEEL" of DA in a literal sense (A+ with Honours!)
On second watch, I noticed something amazing.
1:21-1:55
The words you used in these 30-something seconds perfectly reflects the images in video you used of someone falling out of control while still remaining in the overwhelming (sometimes desperately so) pile of academia.
I love all of your vids, I really do.
But those 34 seconds in this vid? THAT is art.
When I think of DA, I think of The Picture of Dorian Gray and This Side of Paradise and The Beautiful And The Damned. Like.... Dorian and Amory definitely lived Authenticity DA lives...
Eta- and the Clue board game! 👏🏼
Your so spot on!! 🎉
I agree with you but I also think that black on black can sometimes be used beautifully to achieve the look, just not the way I've seen most people use it. It needs to be delicately balanced like you pointed out with the Harry Potter common room. I am a fan of the macabre and dark literature so I like black, but I also like colour. I think you nailed it :)
When we bought our house a few years ago part of the reason we chose it was for the built in bookshelves in one of the rooms, and because my wife knew I wanted a study (I was away for work and the market at the time dictated she make the decision without me). Now, I'm not particularly up on all the trends. I'm at a point where I just do what I like. I only learnt about this dark academia aesthetic by occasionally listening to some of the playlists labeled as such. While watching your video I was pleasantly surprised to find that I have achieved many of your suggestions organically and quite accidentally. I just wanted a room that fostered learning and was an escape from technology where I could put stuff I thought was cool, without imposing them on the rest of my family.
Wall colors for deeply bookish...look at the great libraries. Burgundy, dark green, possibly brown...but with dark bookshelves. If the floor is uncovered wood (could be) a dark stain on the wood. Any older rug of subtly related colors, softening the masses of dark. LOTS of books. Older books (modern books tend to have lighter bindings. Some, sure, but you cannot have academic "academic" without plenty of dark-backed older books. I have thousands, collected over a lifetime, many bought used, so the academic is not a put-on. I just reorganized my office this past year, not with any "dark academic" concern...I don't "decorate" because my main interest is utility. All four walls covered mostly with books. I did enjoy this post, but to me most intentional "decorating" looks like it's been done for show, not natural.
The only overhead lighting I like is a strip of tungsten bulbs (g30/g40) lining the corners of a room or space. It creates a soft light for a moody atmosphere which you can adjust by adding or removing bulbs.
very interesting, thank you! am trying to figure out curtains. any insight on right color for curtains would be great.
Thank you! This is exactly the aesthetic i think of when referring to dark academia, so hard to find this inspo online
Yes, this is it! I love Dark Academia but that whole black-on-black theme is usually far too Gothic or Victorian, which is NOT my vibe. Thanks for the clarification!
I couldn't agree more 🫶
PS--loved "Secret History" @@justlanchen
Ooh, The Secret History is a brilliant book.
it is 😭
Love this video! It's always felt a bit of a low key 90's revival to me. There was a trend of neoromanticism back then, dark wood, eggshell walls, gilt frames, angelic/parochial imagery, and marble reproductions were the thing.
Lots of antiques that would have felt western/prairie-ish in the 70s and 80s got a new life in the 90s.
Makes some sense to me that Donna Tartt would like these things!
I agree. A dark forest green ftw!! Mahogany bookshelves. European oak parquetry floor.
This was very helpful, thank you. I’m not a DA reader, but my personal style has tended towards what you call DA in the past and I noticed that people who used to refer to it my home as “MasterpieceTheatre” started calling it DA instead. (I use color but not black or very dark ones.). Currently I am reinventing my way to a new look that takes this style but mixes elements of others.