Eight chocolate-brown interiors that look good enough to eat
In memoriam of the many chocolate eggs that will be consumed this Easter, our latest lookbook rounds up eight homes with tasteful cocoa-coloured interiors.
Chocolatey brown might be the unofficial colour of Easter as the biggest driver of chocolate sales – second only to Christmas.
But the rich, earthy hue is also proving increasingly popular among interior designers for its unique function as both a colour and a natural, able to bring a sense of warmth to otherwise minimalist spaces.
Below are eight mouth-watering examples to feast your eyes on, including a rammed-earth house in Brazil and the renovation of a Shigeru Ban loft conversion in New York.
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring minimalist bathrooms, breakfast nooks and compact garden studios with neat storage solutions.
Shadow House, Australia, by Grotto Studio
Almost all of the surfaces in this Perth cottage extension by Grotto Studio are lined in sumptuous brown timber, from the walls and floors in the bedroom to the entire bathroom counter.
"The choice of dark timber for the interior was motivated by a desire to create a rich, intimate and immersive atmosphere," studio founder Craig Nener told Dezeen.
"The dark tones add depth and character to the spaces, creating a warm and inviting ambience."
Find out more about Shadow House ›
Chuzhi house, India, by Wallmakers
Soil, waste and debris were used to form the spiralling walls of Chuzhi house in Shoolagiri, India, giving the interiors a rustic, earthy feeling.
To keep the focus on the architecture, the rooms themselves are finished in matching colours with reclaimed timber floors complemented by woven and wooden furniture.
Find out more about Chuzhi house ›
Colonia Condesa house, Mexico, by Chloé Mason Gray
Interior designer Chloé Mason Gray sought to embrace the lack of natural light in this bachelor pad in Mexico City's Condesa neighbourhood, shaded by large trees from the avenue outside.
Embracing the dark and moody atmosphere, the designer chose colours and textures that would make the spaces feel "masculine, rich, and interesting" including leather, linen and textured chocolate-brown plaster.
Find out more about Colonia Condesa house ›
Mayfair pied-à-terre, UK, by Child Studio
Adolf Loos's modernist Villa Muller informed the dining area in this London mews house, where mahogany joinery is backed by veiny dark red marble.
Soft light filters into the space from a glass-brick partition, blocking out the kitchen and rounding off the intimate atmosphere created by Child Studio.
Find out more about this Mayfair pied-à-terre ›
Highbury House, UK, by Daytrip
A more pared-back take on the theme comes in the form of this vintage 1970s Gilda sofa by Michel Ducaroy, composed of multiple segments reminiscent of a Chocolate Orange.
It serves as a focal point in the otherwise muted living room of London's Highbury House, paired with a blackened oak armchair by EBBA Architects founder Benni Allan and one of David Horan's delicate Paper lights.
Find out more about Highbury House ›
Casa em Cunha, Brazil, by Arquipélago Arquitetos
The rammed-earth construction of this house in Brazil's mountainous Cunha region is left exposed on the interior, creating an organic striped finish across the walls.
Matching brown finishes feature heavily throughout the rest of the home, where ceilings are covered in wooden slats while the bathroom is defined by coppery hardware and tiles the colour of bitter chocolate.
Find out more about Casa em Cunha ›
Casa Los Tigres, Mexico, by César Béjar Studio and Fernando Sánchez Zepeda
Dark wood panelling helps to hide doors and storage inside the Casa Los Tigres beach house on Mexico's Pacific Coast, designed by César Béjar Studio and Fernando Sánchez Zepeda.
It encircles the lower portion of the living spaces and develops the bedrooms almost entirely, paired with pale stone flooring and pared-back accessories to create a calm refuge.
Find out more about Casa Los Tigres ›
Tribeca loft renovation, USA, by Timothy Godbold
New York interior designer Timothy Godbold was responsible for renovating this loft in a historic Tribeca textile factory, originally converted by Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning Japanese architect Shigeru Ban in 2019.
The former TV room now functions as a home office and bar, with a low-slung chestnut-brown sofa helping to warm up the otherwise neutral colour palette while wall reliefs informed by 1970s sci-fi spice up the walls.
Find out more about this Tribeca loft renovation ›
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring minimalist bathrooms, breakfast nooks and compact garden studios with neat storage solutions.