Dining Room Dilemma

by Jill
(Scranton, PA)

Behr Color Smart

I have a dining room with a lot of potential but can't figure out what color to paint it and what colors to accent it with.

The floors are a medium oak and there is a built in cabinet/china closet that is a darker cherry wood, the moldings around the windows and doors are also cherry wood. The home was built in the 1890's and we've restored all the woodwork.

Now I am trying to decide on colors and having a tough time. Any suggestions? The rest of my home is pretty neutral but I am willing to be a bit daring with this room because it is the center of my home.

Andrea’s Response

It is hard to advise you on this Jill without knowing a bit more about your circumstances.

Is the room to be a grand or formal dining room or is it more of a family eating space? Do you live in a cold climate and need color to warm things up ? Is the room light or dark? If there is little natural light you may need to steer away from anything too dark or strong.

I suggest you have a look at the Behr Color Smart tool where you can look at different color pallette options to see what suits you best. You can even upload a photo of your room and 'paint' different parts of the room in your chosen colors which will give you quite a good idea of how the end result might look.

I like the combination of deep red and rich cream in an older style home with dark wood. You can increase or decrease the amount of red you use depending on how much color you are comfortable with - even one deep red wall in a room can make quite a statement.