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Paint Home Decorating

Gloomy dining room: Go light or go dark?

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

Before we moved into this house a few years ago, we had the battleship gray walls painted in SW Antique White and the walnut-stained floors restored to their natural color. I am timid when choosing paint, but Antique White is a color I can live with until I hit upon something better suited to a room's light and decor. The gloomy dining room, however, has defeated me. It serves mainly as a hallway between the kitchen, living and family rooms. The carport outside the large window and the even gloomier kitchen block most of the natural light. I've read that a rich paint color can be used to good effect in a dark room, but I'm having trouble envisioning it. So if any of you can suggest colors light or dark that might improve this room, please weigh in. We are hoping for a color that will improve its natural gloomy state because we have no reason to turn any lights on except at Thanksgiving, which is the only time we eat in there. Picture the room empty of all movable furniture except the table and chairs (everything else is going to my church's rummage sale in March).

The cabinets over the peninsula will be taken down this winter.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions -- hoping some of them will jolt me out of my rut!

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Comments (4)

grapefruit1_ar
4 years ago
I think that the color works and will look even bette with art on the walls and a colorful rug on the floor. I love your table and chairs!
probookie thanked grapefruit1_ar
cat_ky
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
I dont think it is the paint that is your problem. The problem is the lack of light despite a good sized window. Once those cabinets are taken down (had the same problem here), you will notice a huge difference. I also had lights put in all 4 corners of my dining room, and a new chandelier put in the center of the room, right over the table. What was once a dark dreary place, is now full of light, and its bright and cheerful, and used every day. I didnt go dark with my paint. I used Sherwin Williams Blue Iris (its really aqua), in the dining room, and kitchen and the hallway. It is one of my very favorite colors. Wait til the cabinets are down and gone, and see if yours doesnt brighten up a whole lot. I also agree, you need a nice colorful rug on the floor under the table. The table also should be centered with the light fixture above, and maybe change out the light fixture to one that hangs down. More of a chandelier type. Here are the proper heights for hanging a chandelier over a dining room table, depending upon your ceiling height.

Hang a chandelier approximately 30 to 34 inches over a table with an 8 foot ceiling height. If your ceiling is higher than 8 feet, mount the chandelier an additional 3 inches higher for each foot of ceiling.
probookie thanked cat_ky
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Just an update: Thank you all for your wonderful suggestions and help thus far! As some of you have suggested we are looking into UCL lighting options, and will be contacting a lighting specialist to add additional lights to the kitchen. The fixtures we currently have will also be replaced. In the mean time, we've begun prepping the room for paint. We'll at least get the walls primed until we can decide on a color. Someone asked early about the soffit, and we got curious and cut a small section out to take a peek. The soffit is concealing wiring and plumbing so that will stay as is. Yes, all the cabinets are green. It's not a color that we enjoy so they will be repainted. I'd like to paint the perimeter cabinets some shade of cream/white and paint the island an accent color. Another issue we've discovered in our cabinet doors are not solid wood, they appear to be some kind of particle board or MDF. In the photos below you'll see where damage has occurred to the bottom of the door (sorry I couldn't get the photo oriented correctly). Should we look into replacing the doors, can you buy cabinet doors without replacing all the boxes?
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probookie
Original Author
4 years ago
Grapefruit and Cat, your comments are much appreciated. The table and floor are so similar in color that I would love to put a rug on the floor (even have one bookmarked that I keep sighing over) but just can't do that to my poor husband. He has nerve damage in his lower legs and can't move out of a shuffle. To deal with the rug in the family room he has to halt and carefully lift each foot to transition from wood floor to rug. Given that we walk through the dining room a dozen times per day, I don't like to ask it of him.

Having actual photos of the room has been surprisingly helpful, and I agree that the paint probably works better than I thought. A more attractive light fixture will certainly help, and I am positively itching to take those cabinets down!
cat_ky
4 years ago
I think the table needs to be moved so light fixture is centered over it. Can you do that and still leave room for your husband to walk through?? Also, maybe since you cant do a rug under the table, maybe look for a nice colorful centerpiece for the table itself, and some draperies on the window, with some color. The room is definitely lacking a bit of color.
probookie thanked cat_ky

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