My love of design includes interior design so when I discovered the dark academia aesthetic I was eager to learn more. In this post I share the basics of the aesthetic, why I feel it’s a good fit for me, and how it might fit you.
The Dark Academia Look
The dark academia decorating palette is filled with deep, saturated colors. This includes greens like hunter or olive, deep blues, browns (from dark brown to rust), blacks, gold tones, and deep, dark reds.
Dark academia decor is rich and traditional. It is best expressed by dark wood, deep colors, and an abundance of books. Cloth and leather-bound books are perfect. Old globes, Persian style rugs, vintage furniture, collectable owls, gothic or medieval art, and warm golden table lamps are a good fit, too.
I have many of these things already because they speak to me. Especially the books.
Dark academia fashion follows a similar palette. It may include tweeds, sweaters, and wool jackets. I am currently more interested in dark academia design and lifestyle than in fashion.
I’ve played around with other aesthetics like cottagecore and neo-Victorian. But dark academia is the first aesthetic that makes sense to me as both a look AND a lifestyle.
The Dark Academia Lifestyle
Reading, especially in the gothic and dark romantic genres, and a keen love of learning are hallmarks of the dark academia lifestyle.
Special interests may revolve around poetry, art, dark romanticism, language, journaling, gothic literature, contemporary genres like horror, paranormal or mystery, calligraphy, papercrafting, letter writing, and history (especially of the medieval, classical or early industrial periods). Autumn, rainy days, and classical and medieval music complete the mood.
Favorite destinations might include museums, quiet coffee shops, libraries, city parks, historical districts, second-hand bookstores, or music venues . While these places hold an allure, however, there may be a tendency to spend a lot of time inside the home.
Which could be why my cottagecore phase felt so wrong-for-me!
With cottagecore, there was an obvious disconnect between the botanical prints and cabbage rose curtains inside my house, and the overgrown garden outside the window. With dark academia, all the pieces fit.
I do still like the English country cottage look, however, so I won’t be scrapping that entirely. I will be adding some dark academia touches, though. And transitioning to a deeper richer look as time goes on.
As always, I’ll be sharing some of that here in the blog!
