Paint color greatly influences how we feel in our homes. Certain hues, like blue and green, encourage relaxation, making them great for bedrooms or lounges; others, like red and yellow, make you feel more awake and can even stimulate your appetite. It’s important to know these things when choosing the colors for your home, especially in a space like your dining room, since it’s where you’ll host guests for meals. If you’re looking to change up the vibe of this space, then check out the best dining room wall paint ideas from designers that we’ve gathered below.
Though formal dining rooms are officially back in style, you might not be using yours as often as you’d like. Thankfully, a fresh coat of paint can turn a room you once avoided into your new favorite gathering hub. From traditional to cottagecore to modern, there are paint color options here to reflect virtually any interior aesthetic. Below are 34 of the best dining room wall paint ideas that designers always recommend.
1
Inky Blue
Nate Sheets
In this ultra formal dining room, designer Annie Kern chose a high-gloss, inky blue paint color for the walls to decorate alongside the glittering chandelier and gold accents. It’s elegant and gives the space more depth.
Architect Jon Powell chose this deep teal paint color for the dining room in this home because it’s a chameleon of a shade. It shifts with the light, and in a windowed area like this, that’s a great detail to take advantage of.
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3
Glossy Green
Lesley Unruh
The high-gloss lacquer in this dining room by Sarah Vaile almost works as a mirror. The grass green hue gives the space a lively feeling, and completely envelops the dinner guests.
If you like the idea of an earth tone for your dining room but don’t want something too flashy, try a muted olive green. In this dining area, designer Lindsey Black drenched the walls and ceiling in a matte green and chose an atmospheric chandelier to top it off.
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5
Creamy White
Julie Soefer
Don’t be tricked into thinking a white dining room can’t feel welcoming—you just need to decorate with other tones and patters. This dining room by Creative Tonic feels so playful with its creamy white walls thanks to the wallpapered ceiling and colorful chairs.
Though butter yellow is currently trending, it's definitely a timeless hue, especially for your dining room. The late designer Carleton Varney worked on this space with Dorothy Draper & Co. as one of his last projects, coating the room in the pale color and adding a trompe l'oeil topiary as a nod to the stunning exterior. It's bright and welcoming, yet so elegant.
This dining room is more of a nighttime space, according to designer CeCe Barfield Thompson. Because it doesn't get access to much natural light, the deep brown shade “actually helps to make the space feel lighter,” she says.
Though one wall is glass, the other behind the table is painted stone gray in the shade Purbeck Stone by Farrow & Ball. The designer, Jaqui Seerman, explains that it's the perfect backdrop for family gatherings and holiday meals. It's also one of the most dramatic rooms in the home.
This formal dining room by JDP Interiors flows well with the rest of the historic home thanks to the beige paint color. Like the rest of the space, this room is decorated with neutral tones that give it a warmth and inviting energy you might not find with most formal spaces.
Because this dining room is the first space in this home seen upon entry, designer Mandy Cheng chose a classic cool white tone for the walls. It keeps the room open and bright while dark wooden beams on the ceiling bring in some contrasting dimension.
The bright blue paint color in this dining room ushers in a happy, playful air while still feeling more traditional. The team at Gordon Dunning adorned the space with antique furnishings, eclectic details, and updated lighting.
Green can be found in pockets throughout this Brooklyn home by Christina Salway, but the designer chose a more saturated aqua tone, similar to Pond Green by Farrow & Ball, for this beautiful dining space. It truly makes the gilded frames on the artwork and mirror pop.
The blue-gray shade is an obvious theme in this dining room by Joe Lucas of Lucas Studio, and it's perfect for the beach house. This dining room paint color feels warmer than a standard gray, and it's reminiscent of the ocean when it's cloudy outside. Plus, the white part of the coffered ceiling adds some balancing brightness.
In this open dining room by designer Peti Lau, the charcoal gray accent wall sections off the space without any physical barriers. Lau painted it in the shade Kendall Charcoal by Benjamin Moore, and it helps to ground the modern room.
For a space that could lean either traditional or modern, opt for a pale pink paint color in the dining room. In this one designed by Mary Patton, the light walls create the perfect backdrop for family meals.
16
Dark Navy
Emily Followill
Designer Melanie Millner chose a deep, dark navy blue for this kitchen-dining area combination. The ceiling, cabinets, and walls are all coated in Sea Serpent by Sherwin-Williams, and she even managed to color-match the fabric on the chairs for a monochromatic look.
Swathe your dining room in a terra-cotta paint color for a warm, inviting, and eclectic space. The designer of this room, Keita Turner, chose to paint the ceiling white so as not to completely overwhelm the room in the hue, especially because she added a hand-painted mural on another wall.
18
Mustard Yellow
Thomas Loof
In this historic Catskills home called Pennyroyal, designer Amanda Reynal chose a warm mustard yellow that evokes elevated summer camp vibes. Even though the space is bedecked with antiques, this helps the space feel casual, along with the natural textures and soft textiles used throughout.
Designer Phoebe Howard brought the outdoors inside with this glossy green paint in the shade Great Barrington Green by Benjamin Moore. The mossy color is warm and rich, and used correctly, can make you feel like you're dining alfresco.
20
Sky Blue
Michael J Lee
If you're going to do a monochromatic look for your dining room, consider choosing a lighter color for the walls, like this sky blue. Designer Lisa Tharp used different tones for the curtains, table, and settee, giving the room dimension without it feeling dark.