Your dining room is the heart of your home. Whether you’re spending quality time there as a family or enjoying a dinner party with cherished friends, it’s worthwhile to make it a place everyone will love to spend time in.
Creating the perfect dining room starts with inspiration. Below, we’ve curated a list of all the best dining room color ideas to consider. We’ll also show you how to choose the perfect dining room colors for your home. Soon you’ll feel drawn to your space and look forward to every gathering and mealtime.
Dining Room Color Ideas and Inspiration
Whether you live in a highrise in a bustling metropolis or a historic house in the countryside, there are plenty of exciting options to choose from for your ideal dining room color scheme.
Here are some of our favorite dining room colors and stylistic looks to help guide you to your aesthetic destination.
1. Dramatic Jewel Tones
Based on beautiful gemstones like emeralds, sapphires and amethysts, jewel tones bring energy and confidence to any space. For a jewel-toned dining room that inspires but doesn’t overwhelm, stick to one or two bold colors and choose more subdued decor to match. The glass tumblers here look elegant without adding competing colors.
2. Make a Bold Statement
Bold colors like red, orange and burgundy inspire warmth and conversation in any space. If you love to entertain and prefer vibrant energy, go for a bold color palette. Remember, you don’t need to use color in dining rooms sparingly! You can have fun with your design.
3. Keep it Contemporary with Mid-Gray
Gray might not be the first dining room color idea that pops into your mind, but it’s a terrific choice for a minimalist and modern dining room. More interesting than white, gray offers enough neutrality to accent just about any furniture or decor. Carry the gray accents through your tablescape with a soft gray table runner.
4. Inviting Wood Design
Warm wood creates an instantly inviting atmosphere. Just like blue jeans go with almost any shirt, wood walls fit into any dining room decor, from colorful stoneware to sleek metallic accents.
5. Earth-Inspired Warm Tones
If you find yourself drawn to the warmth of a terracotta pot, you’re the perfect candidate for a wall treatment, paint color or scumble in warm hues. Bring out the vibrance with a pop of orange in your furniture or decor and you’ll spend all day thinking about getting home to your dining room.
6. Whimsical Pink
It’s ok to let your sense of whimsy inspire your choice of dining room colors. Let go of everything you think you know about the color pink! Pink dining spaces are energetic, chic and classically elegant. Add gauzy white curtains for an extra touch of style.
7. Tranquility in Blue
Dining room wall colors in shades of blue instill a sense of peace and relaxation. Choose to inhabit that relaxed energy as you sip your morning coffee before a busy day. With the right soft linens, this dining room color idea will create a space you’ll feel at home in every day.
8. Versatility in White
White walls provide the perfect backdrop for all of your favorite things. From eclectic, colorful furniture to bold, vibrant art, a white dining room ties it all together with a touch of brightness. Consider a unique ceramic dinnerware set to carry white and colorful accents through to the tabletop.
9. Yellow for Optimistic Mornings
Whether you prefer a warm, sunny yellow or a yellow with a hint of green, your yellow dining room will initiate a buoyant sense of optimism on even the rainiest mornings. Get up and go with a sunny dining space that energizes you.
10. Year Round Greenery
When you fill your dining room with potted plants, your home can feel like spring and summer all year long. Choose white or light green walls and nature-inspired furnishings for an airy, inviting dining room. Centerpieces like ceramic bowls or vases help introduce greenery to the heart of your table.
11. Timeless Navy
Navy blue is a timeless, elegant color in any home. Whether you prefer modern decor and finishes or plush, luxurious fabrics and upholstery, navy walls will ground your dining room while creating a relaxing mood.
12. Symmetry and Dark Accents
Symmetry provides a sense of peace to any home. Add a sophisticated dining furniture set with clean lines and an arresting dark accent wall and you have the perfect space for entertaining. Dim the lights and add strategically placed candles for even more atmosphere with this elegant dining room color idea.
13. Playful Patterns
With the right color palette, a collection of playful patterns energize you while pulling your dining space design together. Consider a warm blue accented with patterned wallpaper and minimalist furniture for an enchanting design. Cotton placemats add a touch of texture to your tablescape while they protect your table’s surface.
14. Refresh with Green
The color green simultaneously refreshes you and makes you feel safe. Combine earthy green walls with nature-inspired decor elements like linen napkins and your dining room will become your family’s favorite gathering place.
15. Wear Rose Colored Glasses
Rosy paint combined with simplistic wood accents makes every day feel full of optimism and cheer. Add soft linens and understated tableware for the perfect, joyful dining area.
16. Farmhouse Yellow
It’s easy to draw inspiration from the yellow dining room at Claude Monet’s estate in Giverny, France. Warm yellow with soft white accents and linens creates a timeless, cozy and inviting atmosphere.
17. Understated Off-White Hues
Off-white walls paired with muted earthy tones make for an easy-to-design, easy-to-inhabit dining space. Accent this dining room color idea with a pop of bright color to add energy or keep things demure with natural linens.
18. Bold and Retro
A bright yellow accent wall is just one of the key elements in an atomic-era retro dining space. Look for curved lines, bold contrast, metallic details and a unique lighting fixture to complete the look. Who says dining spaces can’t be fun?
19. Clean Lines and Contrast
Clean lines and a touch of contrast will make any dining area feel more inviting. Focus on sleek surfaces with a minimalistic feel to remind you to keep your dining table clutter free and ready to set for dinner.
20. Focus on Simplicity with Neutrals
Neutral tones like taupe, stone and beige invite simplicity while remaining open to decor updates. If you’re updating your dining room gradually, neutral walls make it easier to replace furniture, art and linens over time. Neutrals go with just about anything and create a connection among your other pieces.
21. Creativity in Action with Bold Patterns
Stand out from the crowd with creatively bold patterns and vibrant colors. A painted ceiling draws the eye upward and adds an engaging element to your dining room. Consider drawing inspiration from patterned wallpaper or a beloved art piece.
22. Casual Creams
Casual cream walls let bolder accents like colorful chairs and furniture pieces speak for themselves. When you have your heart set on a statement piece or a bold lighting fixture, the cream-colored walls of this dining room color idea create balance and harmony.
23. Feisty Floral
Invite summertime energy and good cheer with feisty floral patterns and brightly-hued accents. If wall-to-wall flowers feel too overpowering, a floral wallpaper accent wall blends nicely with sunny linens and crisp white paint.
24. Tropical Vibes
Embrace the tropics in your home with nature-inspired textures, bright, soaring ceilings and potted palms. Glass-topped tables let the light pass through the room unhindered while open weave fixtures, rugs and chairs provide that jungle lodge vibe.
25. Rustic Retreat
With reclaimed furniture, rough-textured area rugs and clean, bright white walls, it's easy to create the perfect rustic yet charming dining experience. While this look flourishes with exposed brick or ceiling beam accents, the right decor can also complete the space.
26. Sky Blues
Sky-blue walls offer a classic base for any dining room. Easy to coordinate with other blue tones, pastels, whites and even wood, you’ll fall in love with your blue dining room. Consider a white ceiling for adding light to the room and a light-colored carpet to bounce the light and provide a bit of spatial symmetry.
27. Neutrals with Colorful Accents
When your dream dining room accents feature bold colors like reds, magentas, greens and yellows, you’ll need some crisp white paint to offer contrast and a place for the eye to rest. Instead of an accent wall, consider the dining room color idea of a glossy accent ceiling to pull it all together and reflect light through the space.
28. Engaging Coral Color Scheme
Whether you prefer coral, sherbet, light orange or saffron, muted oranges pair beautifully with light woods, bold whites and matte blacks for a delightfully modern and energetic dining space. Colorful dining room ideas like this one bring warmth to any home. Look for natural-toned linens and accents to complete the design.
29. Deep Green
Deep green walls create a timeless backdrop to your dining room. Paired with rich woods, floral accents and warm metallic tones, your dining room will be the talk of your next dinner party.
30. Black, White and Gray for Sophistication All Day
Decorating in grayscale draws focus to colorful dishes, bright decor and the warmth of your dinner guests. Deep charcoal paint in a matte finish serves as an elegant, sophisticated backdrop, while a white ceiling keeps the room from feeling too dark.
Now that you’ve seen some of the best dining room color ideas for inspiration, don’t feel overwhelmed by all the options! Let us help you choose the perfect dining room wall color for your home.
How to Choose Dining Room Colors
As you explore color schemes and design ideas for your dining room, try to think strategically about the space you’d love to live in. Your goal should always be to find the best dining room colors to suit your personal preference, rather than repeating someone else’s vision.
Do you want the dining space to feel like an extension of your kitchen or living room? Would you love to feel connected to the outdoors with plants and flowers, or create a sense of protected isolation from the bustle of the world?
Settle on your heart’s desire first, then consider the dining room design ideas below to guide your steps.
Find Flow Within Your Home
Every room in your house should feel connected to the other spaces that surround it. The dining room color ideas you choose shouldn’t create a sense of disconnection.
If your dining room shares an open space with your kitchen or living room, create a sense of flow by using related colors, materials or fabrics in both spaces. In open floor plans, an accent wall, rugs and furniture help create distinct zones. At the same time, they maintain an overall design scheme that flows cohesively across the room.
Incorporate Your Favorite Pieces
Even if you want to shake things up by repainting your dining room with a new color, you may still want to include furniture or decor pieces you already own.
Consider building your design around a piece that’s special to you like an antique rug or a large work of art. These elements can inspire new dining room paint ideas and help you make design decisions.
Looking for a rug to tie your room together? Learn about styling your home with the right rugs in our guide: The Best Rugs For Every Room.
Consider Mood
What mood do you want to feel at mealtime? Do you want a jolt of energy first thing in the morning? Would you like a lively sense of color to inject more personality into dinner parties? Would soothing colors at dinnertime give you a respite from your daily grind?
Envision your ideal mood early in the process. Then, use it as your guiding star as you decide on the best dining room color ideas for your home.
Choose Light Colors vs Dark
The first rule in home design is remembering that there are no rules! Design is about preference.
You may have read that light tones are the best for small dining rooms, while dark dining room walls can feel oppressive. But factors like ceiling height, room shape, decor elements, lighting and your vision should inform your decisions — not rules you may have heard of.
Pay Attention to the Lighting
Lighting can completely change how a dining room color idea looks and feels within your home. If you plan to stick with your existing lighting, take some time to test your chosen paint colors on a patch of wall, to see how your lighting interacts with them.
Warm light is more inviting, but it can also bring out undertones in the paint that you didn’t notice at first.
If you choose a darker color, consider adding extra fixtures overhead, or a floor lamp in the corner to add dimension to the room.
What Color Is Best for a Dining Room?
Color can have a huge impact on your mood, so choosing the right dining room color is all about the moods you want to inspire in your home.
No matter which dining room color idea you settle on, it should feel connected to your linens, rugs, furniture, wall art and room decor to create an overarching sense of harmony. Just like some colors go together, they can also create a sense of dissonance.
Rather than looking at a swatch book and picking a color that appeals to you on its own, think about the elements of the color that appeal to you specifically. Ask yourself what colors would go well with it and how you could best use each one in your dining room.
One of the best ways to make any creative decision is by looking at a wealth of images for inspiration. As you explore the examples we’ve assembled for you, try to decipher why you gravitate to one over another.
Expand Your Design With Artful Tablescapes and Linens
Remember that designing a dining room’s style is as much about the individual decor elements as it is about your dining room color scheme. Decorative accents like vases, candlesticks, table runners and woven baskets filled with plants elevate your design by carrying it throughout the room.
A beautiful wood, metal or glass table can serve as the centerpiece of your dining room. For more extravagant events, consider adding attractive tablecloths to protect your furniture while introducing texture and color.
Enlist the Experts at Parachute
If you’re still not sure which look is right for your home — or you’ve fallen in love with too many dining room color ideas to decide, it may be time to call the experts!
Parachute design consultants can speak with you on the phone or over video chat to look at your existing home design and listen to your dining room decor ideas and questions. After learning about your design goals, they can guide you through the process and recommend the perfect elements and materials to suit your lifestyle.