Whether your tastes run more to the traditionally medieval or toward Gothic fantasy, you don’t need to be a pale-faced teenager in dark makeup and clothing to appreciate the fun of going back to the Dark Ages for inspiration.

A Gothic-inspired bedroom décor appeals to many people’s sensual side: Blacks, reds, grays and whites are the predominant colors, with rich fabrics and ornately decorated furniture and accessories.

When choosing a color scheme, try to resist the urge to overdo it with one particular shade  — you may want to take the Rolling Stones’ musical suggestion and “Paint It Black,” but chances are that you will quickly tire of such unrelieved darkness.

To give your bedroom walls an authentic medieval look and feel, once you’ve applied your base color and accents, create the appearance of cracks and cobwebs by painting in a series of thin, uneven lines, using a darker tone than your base color. Go no more than a quarter of the way down the wall, and don’t go all the way to the floor. A wall that was really cracked from ceiling to floor would most likely crumble and cave in. Lines should appear darker and thicker near the ceiling, thinning out as you descend down the wall, in the same manner as a real crack would appear. Do this in all four corners of the bedroom, but make sure you keep from making the “cracks” too symmetrical in appearance.

You can also give your walls and furniture a “distressed” look by painting them in two or three contrasting dark colors then rubbing away part of the topcoat to reveal the other shades hidden beneath. A thin coat of antique whitewash over a darker color paint or patterned wallpaper can also create this effect. Vintage wallpaper can make nice accents, or you could try painting your own curlicue designs on the walls, along the baseboards and just beneath the ceiling.

When choosing furniture to go with your Gothic décor, stick to simple materials like wood and iron, but carved or etched with ornate embellishments. For example, choose intricately carved wood chests and four-poster beds, paired with richly colored linens, drapes and wall hangings.

For accessories, Gothic-inspired designs are available in every thing from vanity mirrors and clocks to jewelry boxes and letter openers. Bats, skulls, gargoyles, spiders and dragons are popular motifs. The use of mirrors can also help make your room seem larger, and balance out the darkness of the overall color scheme.