These Designer-Approved Paint Colors Will Take Your Dining Room from Drab to Radiant
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Who ever said dining rooms couldn't be colorful? There's perhaps no better room in the home to play with color saturation than in this space ripe for dinner parties and family gatherings. To find just the right refined look, here we give you 36 dining room paint colors from world-renowned designers.
Whether you want a modern look or traditional one to go with dark furniture or light, this selection will help you find the best paint color for your dining room, small or large. No matter which you choose, from neutral to bold, it's sure to warm up your space. Consider a brilliant shade of blue, or perhaps a classic white with pops of color in your chair fabrics and curtains, or maybe a shade that is totally unexpected and is sure to make a conversation piece for any guests who enter. You might also want to think about a color that is trending—like magenta or bright green—or step outside the box with a shade of purple that fits your style.
If you are looking for more paint colors, we have your living room and kitchen options covered too.
The Light Green Dining Room
A mélange of green shades, gallery-hung walls, and a coquillage chandelier beckon in a dining room that doubles as a library with custom bookshelves and a corner study in artist Thomas Boog’s weekend home.
The Aqua Dining Room
This room’s egg strié treatment in Arsenic and Pale Powder by Farrow & Ball was inspired by the painted rooms of historic Drayton Hall. It was one of many rooms in this 18th-century Low Country grande dame that Ceara Donnelley lightened up with a cascade of modern color.
The Stone Blue Dining Room
Stone Blue No. 86 by Farrow & Ball shines on the walls of the dining room in this historic New Orleans townhouse stacked with Southern literary magic, with a chair cushion fabric by Muriel Brandolini (through Holland & Sherry).
The Scarlet Dining Room
Artist Andrew Fisher’s striking Solar Flares triptych marries the space’s glamorous palette in the Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse Dallas.
The Teal Dining Room
Designer Nick Olsen created a harmony from shades throughout Michael Lorber’s Park Avenue apartment include this resonant teal in the dining room, where Dodie Thayer lettuceware shines atop a Louis XVI–style dining table.
The Blue-Green Dining Room
An antique Ziegler Sultanabad rug (Mansour) marries this room’s blue-green walls and gilded trim in Benjamin Soleimani’s Beverly Hills home designed by James Radin. The gilt-wood chandelier is a French antique. Drapery fabric, Holly Hunt.
The Creamy White Dining Room
In this Atlanta dining room designed by Melanie Turner, creamy white walls allow accents in metallic shades, caramel browns, and black to really shine. A Murano glass leaf chandelier (one of a pair) hangs over a custom parchment-wrapped table (J. Robert Scott). Chair fabric, Miles Redd for Schumacher. Credenzas, Jean de Merry.
The Sage Green Dining Room
In the dining room of this Austin, Texas, home designed by Angie Hranowski, glossy sage trim, antiqued silver panels, and regal violet curtains form a dynamic canvas for conversation and antiques, like the hexagonal table (Fritz Porter) and walnut dining chairs (Blackman Cruz).
The Limestone Dining Room
At this California estate designed by Ken Fulk, a hand-painted wall mural by Katherine Jacobus depicts the tonal beauty of rammed earth. Dining chairs, Bořek Šípek.
The Chrome Yellow Dining Room
At Keith and Jon Meacham's Nashville home designed by Brockschmidt & Coleman, the dining room wall color (Babouche by Farrow & Ball) is a nod to Monticello’s chrome yellow dining room.
The Mural Dining Room
A serene mural of Low Country marshland (Bob Christian Decorative Art) and reclaimed white oak beams accentuate lofty ceilings, a defining element of this 1,400-square-foot cottage designed by Beth Webb. The flooring is Belgian bluestone. Lanterns and table, English Accent Antiques
The Lemon Dining Room
Designed by Cathy Kincaid, the lemon-yellow dining room at the 2020 Kips Bay Decorator Show House Dallas features a refined blend of traditional Dallas style and global influences, from the majestic plaster palm trees and the contemporary artwork to the Soane Britain Topkapi lantern hanging above the table. Kincaid took inspiration from beloved rooms by Alidad and Veere Grenney, working with her most-trusted craftspeople in the industry to create a one-of-a-kind dining room. The custom embroidered slipcovers on the dining chairs are from Kincaid’s debut collection with Penn & Fletcher.
The Salmon Dining Room
In this salmon-hued library of a New York apartment designed by Chiqui Woolworth, a mirrored English dining table doubles as a polished buffet for entertaining. Drapery fabric, Brunschwig & Fils. Painted wood drapery tassels, Samuel & Sons
The Candy-Striped Dining Room
At his home in the English countryside, designer Richard Smith created the illusion of a tented ceiling with a custom trompe l’oeil treatment complete with candy-striped trim and corner poles. "It’s more flamboyant than our usual style, but it certainly gives our dinner parties a sense of occasion!" says Smith.
The Cantaloupe Dining Room
The Dallas dining room of Kimberly Schlegel Whitman's home is painted Persian Melon (Benjamin Moore) to “look like the inside of a cantaloupe,” says Whitman. Copper and palm leaf artwork, Tam Van Tran
The Sapphire Dining Room
In this brick Georgian home designed by Shazalynn Cavin-Winfrey, lacquered blue trim (along with silver leaf-papered ceilings) reflect light from the roaring fireplace and antique chandelier. The walls are upholstered in velvet and the ceiling paper is by Brunschwig & Fils.
The High-Gloss Brown Dining Room
At this Connecticut dining room designed by David Netto, the walls are painted Tanner's Brown by Farrow & Ball. The plaster cone hanging light is by Rose Uniacke and the wicker chairs are by Soane Britain.
The Oxblood Dining Room
At this Hudson Valley, New York, home designed by Lynne Stair of McMillen, the dining room's walls, provide a warm foil for the nautical oil paintings. The room is furnished with a Georgian-style table and chairs.
The Pale Peach Dining Room
In Meg Braff's Long Island dining room, pale peach walls pick up the earthy shade from an antique carpet. Leafy green, found in the drapery and valence fabric (from Holland & Sherry) and the table covering (from Lulu DK) lends a lively accent. The antique caned regency chairs were grain painted to resemble tiger maple.
The Prussian Blue Dining Room
In this New York City dining room designed by Ashley Whittaker, a classic blue-and-white palette takes a punchy turn with plum accents in the floral Muriel Brandolini chair back fabric and the leather seats upholstery. Silk curtains from Scalamandre plus an antique mirror from 1stdibs play up the room’s height.
The Driftwood Dining Room
Designer Matthew Carter's Harbour Island cottage dining room features deep brown walls that make for a saturated backdrop of his bright, beachy collections. Carter furnished the space with a harmonious mix of pieces from different eras and made in various textures, including with a laminate Parsons-style table (Andrew Gentile Antiques), rattan chairs (Palecek), and a Noguchi paper lantern.
The Blue-and-Yellow Dining Room
Inspired by the shades decorating drums used by members of the Williamsburg Fife and Drum Corps, designer Anthony Baratta drenched this Georgian dining room in a blue-and-yellow palette. The rug is from Capel Rugs; the plates and glassware are from Park Designs.
The walls are painted Damask Gold and Lafayette Blue, both from Benjamin Moore's Williamsburg collection.
The Sunny Dining Room
Bright yellow-lacquered walls infuse a sense of exuberance into this Katie Ridder-designed dining room. The rattan chairs from Janus et Cie and pineapple-footed table further support the Long Island home's playful spirit. The painted floors were inspired by a Moroccan checkerboard tile pattern. The drapery fabric is from Harbinger, and the chandelier is from Avery & Dash.
The wall paint color is Sunrays by Benjamin Moore.
The Icy Dining Room
Soft blues lend a relaxed feeling to the opening dining room in this breezy Bahamas home designed by Miles Redd. The ship centerpiece is a playful nod to the ships that pass by in the bay. Osbourne & Little fabrics cover the Design Within Reach chairs at the table. The painted wall grass cloth is from Phillip Jeffries.
The wall grass cloth is painted Polar Ice by Benjamin Moore.
The Powder Blue Dining Room
Fresh powder blue hues illuminate contemporary art and the stunning view from the windows of this Mediterranean-style villa in Palm Beach. Designer Bunny Williams had the Stark sisal rug custom-painted in a pattern based on a classic Serge Roche design. The Italian chairs are from Sutter Antiques.
For a similar wall color, try Morning Sky Blue by Benjamin Moore.
The Neutral Dining Room
In the dining room of this Provence farmhouse, collections of paintings and antique delftware and faience pottery act as the focal point of the space in part due to their neutral backdrop. Designer Susan Bednar Long paired French dining chairs in a lighter finish with a Swedish blue check from Chelsea Textiles. The sconces are from Jamb.
The wall paint color is Wimborne White by Farrow & Ball.
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The Sage Dining Room
The sage Venetian plastered walls of this Susan Zises Green-designed dining room pay homage to the home’s lush Palm Beach gardens. The armchairs, in a Christopher Hyland fabric, and side chairs, in a Clarence House velvet, are antiques. The dining room’s 1920s ceiling is hand-painted.
For a similar wall color, try Calke Green by Farrow & Ball.
The Charcoal Dining Room
Event planner and decorator Antony Todd take a less-is-more approach to decorating the dining area of his Manhattan apartment for the holidays. To offset the deep charcoal-color walls, Todd dressed a custom-made white-oak table with vermeil charges and feather-stuffed tumblers. The wreath hung at the window is made from duck and pheasant feathers.
The wall paint color is Dragon's Breath by Benjamin Moore.
The Forest Green Dining Room
Aubergine silk curtains, velvety walls, and a dramatic Baltic chandelier invoke a sultry atmosphere made for luxurious dinner parties within this Pennsylvania home designed by Richard Keith Langham. The forest green ceiling compliments the verdant hues of a hydrangea Gracie wallpaper. The curtains are in a Schumacher silk with Passementerie bullion fringe.
The ceiling paint color is Backwoods by Benjamin Moore.
The Mural Dining Room
Adorned with gazeboes, passionflowers, and vines, the decorative murals, hand-painted by Chuck Fischer, add a whimsical touch to the reception hall in Lou Marotta’s Florida home. The French antique chairs and 1930s table are topped in Noir Saint Laurent marble. A 19th-century gilded aura from Blackman Cruz acts as a golden backdrop for the 1980s sculpture from Jonson Cornell.
For a similar pure white wall color, try All White by Farrow & Ball.
The Tawny Dining Room
Rich camel walls and crisp white trim tastefully frame an Enoc Perez oil painting in this New York dining room designed by Daniel Romualdez. The custom dining room table combines a Gracie top with a base by Wainlands. The antique Frances Elkins chairs are from Liz O’Brien, and the 1970s French sconces were found at Galerie Lafon-Vosseler.
The trim paint color is White Dove by Benjamin Moore.
The Olive Dining Room
Designer Richard Keith Langham transformed his olive-green living room into the perfect scene for a holiday dinner by the fire with lush garland, sparkling red ribbon, and pine-scented candles. A Sferra linen overlays a tablecloth in a Fabricut fabric. The stone console is by Jamb.
The wall paint color is Primrose Hill by Mylands.
The Peaches and Green Dining Room
In the Atlanta home of designer Danielle Rollins, an apricot-lacquered ceiling offers a mirror-like quality to the dining room and casts a glow on the moss-green walls. A Lee Jofa damask covers antique Italian chairs. The tablecloth and bench is Samuel & Sons trim in an Oscar de la Renta for Lee Jofa fabric.
The wall paint color is Ball Green by Farrow & Ball.
The Ocean Dining Room
Glamour radiates from the dining room of Jan Showers’ Dallas townhouse as a silver-leafed ceiling shimmers over azure furnishings. The designer purposefully chose the blue shade on the walls to mimic the color of the water in St. Barts, her favorite island getaway. The table and chairs are in a white cowhide, both from Showers’ furniture collection.
The wall color is Wythe Blue by Benjamin Moore.
The Ivory Dining Room
Intricate wainscoting evokes an airy feel similar to the Moroccan palaces that inspired the interiors of this Spanish Colonial Revival home in Dallas. Designer Emily Summers used minimalistic chairs from Nancy Corzine and off-white walls to keep the attention on the dining room’s architecture. The custom chandelier is from Seguso.
The wall color is Vanilla Milkshake by Benjamin Moore.
The Lavender Dining Room
Natural sunlight bounces off dusty lavender and violet hues, establishing an ethereal glow in the dining room of John Saladino’s Montecito home. The dining room chairs are outfitted with a Keleen leather and Samuel & Sons trim. The curtains are in a Manuel Canovas silk.
For a similar wall color, try Iced Lavender by Benjamin Moore.
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