Can dark walls work in a room with limited light?

[SeLHopeful2024]

Slow progress on move, so thinking about colours etc while there's not much else to do!

I've only ever had white or magnolia walls in army quarters and rented flats over the last 20yrs so painting walls different colours will be new.

I like the thought of having a dark cosy corner for the living room zone, then having the room become lighter as it moves to the dining area (which will be a toddler play area) with double patio doors to the garden.
The only other light in the room will be from the kitchen door.

My thoughts are navy corner sofa with mustard cushions then I've seen a rug which has navy, mustard and also a cream colour which would help to start moving to the lighter colours to the opposite wall which will have TV and a table under the stairs.

Would two dark walls be too dark for the shape of the space?

Currently there's spot lights in the ceiling but I'd like a standing lamp with a warm light near the sofa.

Yes, it can work. Our darkest room (due to an extension it has little light) I'm doing in deep maroon, it's looking great so far (One wall left to go, due to having to move massive bookshelving -and other issues like waiting for replastering on one wall- I have to do a wall at a time). When it was whitish wallpaper (with a raised silvery pattern) it just looked dirty. Light colours don't always make rooms feel light- they can just make the room feel grubby and depressing.
I am doing it with a 'Light and Space' Absolute White ceiling and coving to throw down the light from the ceiling light, though. Chucks much more light down than the off-white ceiling colour there before.

Thanks @BlueMongoose.
Our ceiling is going to be a pain. It's got an artex textured thing going on.
Not sure when we will be able to sort that out.

Plasterer once advised me, in last house when we had the swirly patterned artex in the living room, the best thing is to skim it over, unless it's already too low. In the end I just painted it with a matt finish in off-white so it drew less attention to itself (it had been silk finish brilliant white which made the swirls sparkle😉). I never got round to doing anything else with it before we moved (after 30+ years), and TBH I stopped noticing it.

I hope I can stop noticing it, at least till we work out if we plan to stay long term or not.
Apparently the house is about 40yrs old. I'm assuming it's original!

My room didn't look bright and airy even painted white. So I've painted it very dark. It now lools like it is meant to be dark, not trying, and failing to be light. It feels lovely and cozy with the fire on in winter.

Yep, my experience too with a dark room. And it's fun having/choosing a strong colour instead of all those pastels.
Maroon/red is great if you have landscape paintings to put up, even more so if they have trad gold frames. The Victorians used it a lot for that reason.