This ambassador for breezy white interiors and avoider of Halloween seems an unlikely author of a post about moody darkish interiors or dark academia aesthetic. But I’m a complicated sort of over-the-hill emo-type; a curious kitten fascinated by viral interior trends on social media. Last year, I found it surprising how many eerie AI images of Old World interiors and exteriors were trending. Surprising because while I seek sweet cat videos to numb when doomscrolling, I am learning there are endless numbing genres. Hahahaha.
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Dark Academia Aesthetic
For me, Ai illustrations and designs with a depressive and “artificial in an obvious way” mood don’t capture my imagination the same way photos of real rooms do. Let’s discuss. And we’ll tour a parade of moody images. Plus, I can’t help myself. A few moody paint colors too!
Why is Dark Academia Popular?
Turns out, it’s that vacant, shadowy, vampirish, intellectual fantasy of a nighttime mood that seems to open something or resonate with the interior landscapes of plenty of folks.
Another perplexing observation I made over the past year? How many photographers embraced dark-academia-like filters for photos of real interiors for editorial and beyond.
Once a particular lighting pre-set becomes popular with viewers, I suppose it is just a matter of time before magazines and marketers reach for an otherworldly, spooky AI look.
The dark academia aesthetic trend may have revved up in 2015, but it endures. If you are unfamiliar with the look, you’ll get a sense of it from images here.
It’s most popular with young people, and I know the allure is powerful for all things Hogwarts and Harry Potter (judging from the delight of my own grown kids).
What Elements Accompany The Fantasy?
Old Money & European Luxury
The aesthetic feels scholarly, collected, artful, European, opulent, sensual, nostalgic, romantic, shadowy, wealthy, and apparently MUST INCLUDE built-in bookshelves filled with the classics.
If you consider when the trend took off, it becomes a bit more clear.
There’s an escapism within dark academia if only because the fantasy is so utterly ficticious and unattainable. Rooms that appear to be located within castles or hunting lodges?
A richly dark wood-paneled study with floor to ceiling shelves of collectible books, leather club chairs, and opulent grand chandeliers? The settings are about as far from a 20-something’s apartment or a suburban basement bedroom as one can get.
Collected, Melancholic, Sensual & Tactile
Just when you thought digital everything was everything. Real books. The smell of tobacco, firewood, and leather. Large old oil portraits framed in gold on dark plastered walls. Expensive imported rugs. Fantasy architecture. Roaring fireplaces with stone mantels. High end from floor to ceiling. Globes. Velvet sofas. Oil paintings. Tea carts, antique china, and candlelight. Candles! Always the candles.
For a particular segment of the population, these images reflect deep melancholy. My psychotherapist past leads me to wonder if it is easier for dark academians to interact with melancholy from external sources. To work with melancholy reflected in beautiful forms is a step removed from examining the real thing directly or introspectively.
What’s happening below the surface? Let’s face it. Repression is necessary when stimulation from multiple sources is ever barreling at you.
Dark academia perhaps magnifies LONGING for more repose and a desire to separate from the realities of modern life in a world on fire.
The picture of traditional Old World style and the absence of technology seem key to understanding this genre’s psychological underpinnings. What isn’t in the images? Disposable things. Objects in your Amazon cart. Phones, laptops, air fryers, plastic, modernity, and big screen TVs.
For those focused on crafting an identity for themselves, viewing what appears to be the picture of leisure and scholarly pursuits may be motivational and aspirational.
Reaction to High Anxiety
Does this trend reflect a response to life in an age of anxiety? Perhaps viewing handsomely dim rooms that feel ageless, solidly built, and highly sensual is itself a calming practice.
People of all ages who are struggling to meet the demands of human-ing or who are processing feelings of overwhelm may long for escape to refined cozy places embodying majesty and dignity.
Since the beginning of time, we humans require beauty to uncover or recover meaning in our lives. And beauty ideals shift over time.
Maybe this longing for quiet beauty, safety, and dignity lies at the heart of dark academia.
Isn’t it interesting that dark academia aesthetic is so maximalist in nature at a time when everything is expensive and the demand for housing in America is high?
Is it possible we will simply NEVER be satisfied? I’d love to hear your thoughts or impressions!
Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
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