The darkest day of the year has arrived, so we’ve decided to pay homage to the winter solstice with our latest interior design obsession: Dark Academia.

Within the landscape of interior design, Dark Academia is indebted to classicism but with a dark, brooding twist. It’s cold and elegant and even a little esoteric, channeling an element of the sublime. It’s the Hogwarts library, Sherlock Holmes’ living room, the setting in Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, or any room featured in Anthony E. Pratt’s famous 1943 board game, Clue.

Dark Academia’s defining characteristics? Moody colors, lavish textiles, and shelves upon shelves of books (the older-looking, the better). In this aesthetic universe black walls and wood panelling contrast against green velvet furniture and ornate patinated fixtures. Works of art and literature are displayed alongside other personal trinkets—a telescope, taxidermied butterflies, a globe of the world, a Greco-Roman bust, and anything else reflective of the dark academic’s intellectual pursuits.

With the winter solstice upon us, a sacred time of rest and reflection before the slow build towards brighter days, it’s time to grab a book, light a candle, and curl up in your favorite armchair. In other words, it’s time to channel your inner dark academic. And, if you’re feeling bold enough, why not paint a wall a brooding color? But remember: dark academia is more than just an aesthetic, it’s a lifestyle—just ask your eclectic, introverted friend.