Tags
brown dining room, color theory, green dining room, orange dining room, red dining room, yellow dining room
I showed you in my last blog entry the house that Kathleen and Patrick are building here in Charlotte. Every week it seems that there are fifty new decisions to make for the house. Last week, among other things, they had to choose tile for the kitchen back splash, tile for the fireplace surround, the color of paint for the exterior of the house, the paint color for the shutters, and the interior paint colors. Building a house is not for the faint of heart. If you have difficulty in making a decision, then you probably won’t like the building process.
Fortunately, Kathleen and Patrick are very good at making a decision. Except for one….the paint color for the dining room. This one is for you, Katie. I decided to research the colors that are scientifically said to entice appetites. Here is a little color background. This fascinating information came from a site with this address: http://www.homemadesimple.com.
Red: Red increases blood pressure and respiration while also stimulating the appetite. Interestingly, it also makes people lose track of time. So if you go to a lot of effort to make a meal, maybe you would like the guests to linger at the table and enjoy every morsel.
Orange: Orange is a warm, welcoming color that makes people feel comfortable. It is said to improve the appetite.
Yellow: Yellow is as you would imagine a happy and energetic color. It can be a conversation stimulator and appetite enticer. If you do use yellow, it is best to use a buttery yellow rather than a bright, intense yellow.
Green: Green is calming and relaxing. It is a wise choice for a bedroom….but for a dining room it can be striking. Lighter greens like sage and olive match well with many other colors and can act as a neutral in a room. Because of its soothing effect, green is good for aiding digestion.
Brown: Brown is reassuring, dependable and soothing. Dark browns can lend elegance and sophistication to a room.
You might have noticed, the writer of homemadesimple.com points out, that all of these colors have one thing in common. They are found naturally in many of the fruits and vegetables that we eat.
Well, that is your color theory 101. Now, let me show you some rooms that put this to the test.
RED
This first photo usess red as the accent color. Actually, the walls are a neutral. I think that it is very elegant. I love the Chinese inspired chairs and two chandeliers with a pagoda shape.
from: becolorful.typepad
Here is a room that has RED walls. The black upholstered furniture calms the red and makes for a dining room that is comfortable and a little masculine.
from: southgateresidential
This photo from Country Living features red walls but the color is diluted with the white china that is all over the walls. Does the phrase, “Great Wall of China,” come to mind?
ORANGE
We start with a room that has orange accents. Notice that actual citrus has been used as the table decoration. The artwork is contemporary and it plays against the old beams. I would love to have dinner here. Could it be in Napa?
from: bjdhausdesign.blogspot.com
The orange walls are intense. Again, white was used for contrast and to let the eye rest.
This orange dining area is very contemporary. The walls have saturated color. It is ORANGE!
from: HGTV Designer’s Portfolio
YELLOW
This room is very traditional and very formal. Yellow and blue go together very well…in this case the blue is navy and it is the carpet.
From: housegardendesign.com
I like the yellow walls and the pine floors. Note the unusual way the mirrors are displayed and chairs may have been period Victorian before they were painted.
From: victoriainteriors.blogspot.com
The light yellow walls and floral carpet make for a very cheery dining room here. I can see this room in a beach house.
From: homienice.com
GREEN
Martha Stewart has used this color of green for many years. It is soft and subtle and very relaxing.
Here is a more acidic green. Green, brown, and cream/white work well together.
But, I would be remiss if I did not find a photo of a deep, hunter green. This makes me think of being in an old growth forest.
From: summerfielddesign.wordpress
BROWN
There is lots of pattern going on in this room and the dark brown walls anchor all of it.
From: apartmenttherapy.com
The paneling is more of a gray/brown in this very traditional dining room. The light patterned drapes keep it from feeling too heavy and the neutral chairs give light to the room. Note the cinnamon carpet which is another shade of brown.
From: natarmournest.blogspot.com
These walls may be the perfect shade of Hershey’s chocolate.
From: Houzz.com
This sumptuous room has one accent wall that is painted a deep brown. It adds a great deal of drama.
From: Houzz.com
I could devote multiple blogs to each individual color. However, Kathleen doesn’t have that much time to choose her favorite dining room color. I wonder if she is leaning in an entirely different direction? Could it be that she likes the absence of color and a neutral scheme with cream and white?
by: Elad Goven and Zeev Beach
When Katie’s and Patrick’s dining room is finished, I will let you know. Until then, create and be happy.