In a tower apartment with glass on two sides, the view is the brightest thing in the room. Dark walls do the opposite of what most people expect: they make the city look brighter and the room feel deeper. Charcoal paint, walnut and black stone absorb glare, so the eye goes straight to the skyline. The physics is simple. A white wall beside a window bounces daylight back into your eyes and competes with the view. A matte dark wall absorbs it, and the window becomes a lit picture in a dark frame, much like a gallery that paints its walls deep grey to make paintings glow. Johannes Itten described the effect in his work on color contrast: a light field appears lighter when surrounded by dark. At night the benefit continues. Dark walls do not mirror the lamps in the glass, so the city lights stay visible instead of a reflection of the room.