A rustic dining room with a distressed wooden table and matching chairs, a sideboard and a china cabinet, set against a blue paneled wall with decorative artwork.

The dining room, a central space in our homes for gathering, feasting, and making memories, deserves nothing less than the perfect backdrop. Each decorating style brings its own flavor, and the right paint color can be the secret ingredient that ties everything together. While choosing a paint color that compliments your dining room decor style can make it feel attractive, warm, and welcoming, bringing the wrong paint colors in can have the opposite effect.

This blog is dedicated to helping you choose paint colors that not only enhance the aesthetic appeal of your dining area but also resonate with your personal taste and the overall theme of your home. Whether your style leans towards the classic and elegant, the modern and minimalist, or the bold and eclectic, the Star Furniture design pros are here to help you transform your dining room into a stunning reflection of your unique design sensibilities. Check out these perfect paint and decor pairings for dining rooms that are contemporary, traditional, rustic, and more.

The Basics of Color Theory in Interior Design

Understanding how colors work together and influence the way people feel is an important skill that professional interior designers use each time they undertake a new project. Before we dive into dining room paint color recommendations, let's get familiar with the basics of color theory in interior design that can help you create living spaces that feel polished and put together in your own home.

Colors are typically displayed on a color wheel and broken into three separate groups: primary, secondary, and tertiary. The primary colors (red, blue, and yellow) are the building blocks that are used to make varying shades of other colors, however, no other colors can be combined to create them. Secondary colors are made by combining two primary colors (purple, green, and orange). Tertiary colors come to life by blending primary and secondary colors, which can be done in countless ways.

When choosing which colors to pair together in your dining room, there are several approaches you can take to achieve a visually appealing result:

  • Complementary colors: These are colors that are located on opposite sides of the color wheel, creating harmony and balance, such as blue and orange.
  • Monochromatic colors: These are varying shades of a single color that have subtle changes in tone or hue to create a contemporary, clean aesthetic. 
  • Analogous colors: These are colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel, such as green and green-blue.

A basic understanding of color theory can help you create a dining room that feels harmonious, intentional and visually interesting. If you're unsure about which colors would be the best options to welcome into your home, don't hesitate to consult a trusted interior designer, like the ones at Star Furniture. A design pro can help you see color in a new way and hone in on the hues that will make your room shine.

Classic and Traditional Dining Rooms

Traditional home decor embraces the familiar, classic design that helps us feel right at home. Traditional design elements are timeless, comfortable, and composed. You can expect to find plenty of neutral colors in a classic dining room, both on the walls and within the surrounding decor. White, cream, and other light colored walls create a foundation that pairs beautifully with the rich finishes commonly found in classic dining rooms. Vibrant colors used within a traditional-inspired dining room are typically saturated, think rich hunter greens or navy blues on an accent wall.

Modern and Contemporary Dining Rooms

While there are slight variations between modern and contemporary decor styles, the terms are often used interchangeably by the average homeowner. Despite their subtle differences, modern and contemporary spaces have many similarities, including clean lines, a focus on simplicity, and a neutral color foundation. 

For a dining room in either of these styles, you can't go wrong with a crisp shade of white or a soft taupe. Paired with the understated furnishings that contemporary interior design has become known for, your dining room is sure to feel polished and modern.

Rustic and Farmhouse Dining Rooms

Homeowners are increasingly drawn to the rustic charm in their dining room decor because of its understated elegance and comfortable ease. Rustic dining room designs feature elements that evoke natural simplicity and a time-worn beauty—think of furniture that shows the grace of natural wear, fabrics that are rich in texture yet unpretentious, and vintage accessories that add a personal touch of coziness. 

This design style pairs particularly well with paint colors that are earthy and warm, such as sage green or a rich oatmeal. You also can't go wrong by using classic color combinations in your farmhouse dining room, such as robin's egg blue and white. These welcoming shades not only add to the room’s charm but also create an inviting atmosphere where family members eagerly gather around the table, day in and day out.

Industrial Chic Dining Rooms

Industrial chic home decor embraces the raw beauty that can be found in places like abandoned warehouses or old factories. It highlights features, such as brick, metal, glass, and wood in a way that feels charming and contemporary. To achieve the industrial look in your own dining room, go with darker shades of gray or white. These colors provide a clean foundation that allows the wood furniture, metals accessories, and other bold characteristics to shine within the space.

Minimalist and Scandinavian Dining Rooms

Transforming your ordinary dining room into a minimalist, Scandinavian-inspired space is a great way to enhance its functionality and style while embracing simplicity. Furniture with clean lines and a focus on practicality make Scandinavian home decor feel both modern and comfortable. The monochromatic color schemes that Scandinavian living spaces have become known for make this interior design style easy enough for virtually any homeowner to replicate. Neutral color palettes that include plenty of white, black, gray, or beige are all welcome in this decor style. No matter what color you incorporate into your dining room, be sure that it helps the space feel bright and open, a key element of Scandinavian interior design.

Coastal and Beach-Themed Dining Rooms

Coastal and beach-inspired living spaces aim to make you feel the peace and sense of ease you'd expect during a summer vacation. The colors used in a coastal dining room are simple yet particularly important. Any color that you'd find at the beach is fair game, including sandy tans, cool blues, and soft greens. Pair these colors with rustic wooden details, natural textiles, and the occasional bold print (think: stripes) and you'll have the beachy dining room of your dreams in no time. 

Bohemian and Eclectic Dining Rooms

Bohemian-inspired home decor is the perfect combination of charm and comfort. Its effortlessly eclectic style mixes and matches different furniture styles in a way that feels fresh, chic, and welcoming. Best of all, this design style allows for lots of experimentation with color. In place of the strict neutral color palettes of other home decor styles, Bohemian living spaces embrace earth tones, saturated shades, vibrant pops of color, and everything in between. With this in mind, don't be afraid to have fun with your eclectic dining room by pairing colors, furniture, or patterns that may not seem compatible at first glance. Get creative with animal prints, beaded fabrics and adventurous color pairings. The result is sure to be fabulous.

Glamorous and Luxurious Dining Rooms

The glam interior design style, known for its lavishness and flair, calls for paint hues that are rich, bold, and exude luxury. Think of deep, jewel tones like emerald green, sapphire blue, or amethyst purple, which add a sense of regal elegance and depth to your space. Metallic accents in gold or silver can also play a significant role in elevating the room's sense of glamor. For a more subdued yet equally luxurious feel, consider plush, velvety neutrals like charcoal gray or a creamy ivory, which can serve as a sophisticated backdrop to your glitzy furnishings and sparkling decor. The key is to choose a color that reflects light and enhances the sumptuous textures and gleaming accessories typical of the glam design aesthetic. In doing so, you'll create a dining room that's not just a place to eat, but a stunning showcase of luxury and style.

Global and Cultural Influences

Global style is known for highlighting the typical cultural style that you'd expect to find in a particular country. Going all-in with the home decor of a different country can help you achieve a specific ambiance. 

For instance, to bring a calming, laid-back atmosphere to your home, you can't go wrong with the blue hues, soft neutrals, and rustic textures found in Greek or Italian living spaces. On the other hand, you could always make a bold statement with the rich colors, gold details, and ornate accessories that Asian-inspired home decor has become known for. For a more romantic, feminine aesthetic, you'll love the effortless elegance found in French interior design. Be sure to stick with a muted color palette, such as pastel yellow or blush pink, then bring in furniture that is chic, timeless, and helps the space feel balanced. Most importantly, have fun searching for and incorporating pieces from around the world to create your own one-of-a-kind dining room.

Tips for Testing and Applying Paint

Whether you've painted rooms in your home before or this is your first time, familiarizing yourself with professional painting application techniques can ensure you achieve the beautiful dining room you desire as quickly and easily as possible. Check out these simple tips from the experienced Star Furniture designers to test and apply your perfect paint color like a pro:

  • Always test your paint color directly on the walls of your dining room, rather than on a white board. Chances are the texture of the two will be different, which means that the color will look different. 
  • Be sure to test the paint in areas of the room with different lighting, such as a bright area by a window and a darker area in a corner, to get a clear vision of how the color will look.
  • Apply potential paint colors to a test area that's at least 1 foot by 1 foot to get an accurate vision of how it will look within your dining room.
  • Be sure to apply two coats of paint to get a clean, even result, especially when painting over colors that aren't white.
  • While wall paint is available in a variety of finishes with varying levels of shine, flat paint is the way to go. Paints with a glossy finish tend to highlight imperfections and appear dated while flat paint will give your dining room a modern aesthetic.

Find Your Perfect Pairing with Help from Star Furniture

Your dining room should be a space that you look forward to enjoying lazy weeknight dinners, casual get-togethers, and special occasions with loved ones. Whether you're striving to create a space that feels simple and understated or glamorous and sophisticated, choosing the perfect wall color that's catered to your dining room's home decor style is important. Once you've set the stage for your design vision with a cool coastal blue, crisp minimalist white, rich Bohemian green, or any other gorgeous wall color, you can put your personal touch on the space with a few quality pieces of furniture.

At Star Furniture, we're proud to provide a large furniture selection in a variety of styles to bring your unique vision to life. Visit us online to check out our beautiful dining room furniture options, then stop by our convenient showroom location to start working with an experienced interior designer. We can't wait to help make transforming your dining room with a little paint and quality furniture a pleasure!