What to do when walls are too dark

I recently had a client hire me to create a unified design and color scheme for a wall color that she was finding too dark. She loved it in the builder's show home because it was beautiful and dramatic, and so chose to use the same color in her new house. However, once living in the home, she was finding it both too dark, and difficult to choose colors that worked with the walls.

I started with a large and neutral area carpet, both to define the space, and to lighten it up a bit. A durable sisal was a good choice as the couple has a large black retriever. Then I suggested that she change the sofa from black to a dark but warmer grey-brown with a more modern shape, and added some punches of a brighter and more uplifting orange (so much less predictable than red). A good balance of yin (soft, round) and yang (harder edged) was introduced to create a more balanced space.

Upstairs she was enjoying the one hit of bright citrus green that she had in the room so I gave her the two options above. The first brought in the orange from the lower floor, the second utilized a pretty blue. Lighter neutrals were still the order of the day to help lift the space and to contrast with the walls.

This was a really quick job that just entailed design boards as she was on a restricted budget (a wonderful friend had bought her a gift certificate - how thoughtful!). I hope I might get to see if she follows my suggestions for taming dark walls!

Public art or Public Nuisance?

I was driving in Calgary today in the rain and noticed what I think was a city worker taking a photo of a bit of graffiti art on a concrete retaining wall. I presume that he wasn't stopped just to admire it but was likely documenting it so that crews would know where it was so that it could be removed. It got me thinking, as many things do.

Would I rather see a plain, ugly concrete retaining wall, or a kinda cool, black and white stencil of Charlie Chaplin? Personally, I vote for Charlie.

So, the question is, is graffiti free public art, or a costly public nuisance? I get that not all graffiti is beautiful, but I also get that in some cases it actually adds beauty to otherwise ugly places. I watched an episode of 'What the Future' a while ago, which talked about Faith 47, a South African graffiti artist.
 

artworks by Faith 47

There was a story about a homeless woman who lived in a doorway beside one of Faith's street artworks. Similar to the one above, it was a figure of an angel, and it made a difference to this woman's otherwise difficult life by bringing beauty to her environment.

So, what do you think? Art or nuisance?