I received an e-mail recently from a reader, asking about my dining room transformations and how to choose the best color in your space. I thought it would be a great post to present on the blog and open up the discussion with all of you! My original paint color in the dining room was Bungalow Gold by Eddie Bauer. While I enjoyed the color for a while {7 years, to be exact!}, I needed a change. So, I decided to stencil one wall, after receiving a free stencil for a product review.
While the stencil was fun and something new, I still wasn’t feeling it. I realized the main reason why, was because there was not enough contrast in the room. The oak floors blended with the table, which blended with the walls. I have been meaning to make some of my spaces lighter and brighter, and I knew this was the room to start! This space did not need another warm tone… it had too many, already. What this space needed was some contrast. It needed a cooler color in the blue/gray/green family. Fast forward to my decision… and we have Halo, by Benjamin Moore. I love that it appears almost white when the sun is shining, yet provides that cool tone of gray/green that this room needed. I know I have already shown the dining room reveal here, but I thought it was also worth mentioning why this color was chosen and how to achieve contrast in your home. Here is the new paint color:
For me, adding a cooler color helped to break up all the similar tones, and I am so much happier. The paint brush can be put down, for now!
I love the new color. Our home is painted similar tones throughout, 3 shades all of the same color strip, and while I love being able to move things around easily I am a bit ready for a change somewhere.
I am definitely up for some contrast. I just did a paint consult for a client whose home had yellowy oak floors, gold walls, brown and red accents and I suggested Ben Moore's Arctic Gray to balance out all those warm colors. She was very nervous about it and I haven't been back to see it yet but I know it will work perfectly!
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It looks lovely! I need contrast…always! I did the same thing with my living room because everything felt like it was the same color. Great work!
I like that you broke up the warm tones…..the cooler color looks fabulous! I recently realized this is what was wrong with my last home, decor-wise. Too many warm tones…..balance is such a good thing to the feel of a room.
Thanks for the post! It's always great to get a window into another designer's thought process.
That wall looks amazing!