Your dining room is a place to gather and create memories. Whether you and your loved ones are sitting down to a Thanksgiving feast or Friday night take-out, your dining room sets the scene.
The right color palette will make your dining room welcoming. You can create a tranquil sanctuary, a high-energy gathering place, or something in between. These color ideas will get you started!
1. Greige
“Greige” is a made-up color name for a very common shade: a blend of gray and beige. The table and curtains in the example dining room serve as a great example, as each one is not quite beige and not quite gray. As you can see, greige is a prime candidate for creating layered palettes.
However, a dining room that is only greige, beige, and gray will often need a darker color to ground the overall color scheme. The black entryway in the picture is a great example. If you find a mostly-greige palette to be a bit too dull, you might consider choosing an accent color or two!
2. Warm White
Especially in a dining room, cool white walls can look too cold or sterile. Warm white walls go along with the warm energy of most dining rooms. The room in the picture creates a subtle dynamism with its warm white walls and cool white wall trim.
As you can see, warm white creates a fitting backdrop for a neutral palette. Using a combination of light and dark neutrals will add visual interest and keep the room in balance. Jute rugs or other woven rugs also add some texture!
3. Slate Blue
There are several variations of slate blue, but this color is essentially a blend of slate and navy blue. It’s not technically a neutral, but it’s very close, and it’s dark enough to ground lighter palettes.
The pictured dining room uses just a bit of slate blue to add some interest to an otherwise neutral space. Including this deep cool color in more than one place is essential when it comes to maintaining balance. The slate blue chairs connect to the slate blue coloration of the smoke-like abstract art on the wall.
4. Petal Pink
You don’t see pink dining rooms too often, so if you’re going for something off the beaten path, this is a great color to choose. The pictured room’s dollhouse-like walls are particularly striking. Floral wallpaper adds both motion and interest, and the solid pink portion of the wall prevents the pattern from getting too overwhelming.
Petal pink looks good with a variety of wood tones, and it also does well alongside cool colors. The addition of cool white and purple stops the space from becoming too warm.
5. Tangerine Orange
Just about anyone familiar with the design world will tell you to exercise caution when decorating with orange. Orange is cheerful and energetic, and a splash or two can make any room seem more memorable. But on the flip side, orange can quickly become overwhelming.
If you’re using orange (especially a very bright orange like tangerine) in your home, start with just a touch before adding more. The pictured dining room does this well: the orange tablecloth adds a burst of personality to a room that is otherwise mostly cool white.
6. Maroon
Maroon is a rich, purplish red that’s right at home in farmhouse-style spaces and opulent rooms alike. If you’re going for a bold look, maroon walls with cool white trim will look especially striking. But as you can see in the example dining room, maroon is effective in smaller doses, too. Its warmth makes it a fitting companion for natural wood with a warm, honey-like stain.
However, if you go with this combination, it’s critically important to balance out that warmth with cooler neutrals. The dining room in the picture does this with black furniture and cool white wainscoting on the walls.
7. Forest Green
Even though forest green is a cool color, it has a cozy and ensconcing effect. It’s also a somewhat uncommon color for a dining room, making it a perfect choice for those hoping to do something a little different.
In particular, forest green really makes a statement when used as a wall color. Unsurprisingly, it’s a natural companion for wood floors and wooden furniture. If your dining room incorporates a lot of forest green, make sure you include a healthy dose of white to keep the room from appearing overly dark. White wall hangings, rugs, and tablecloths are all great options.
8. Cocoa Brown
Cocoa brown might seem a little staid, but the ultra-modern dining room in the picture shows that it can be part of some exciting palettes! This warm brown shade works surprisingly well as a wall color. If you’d rather keep your walls more traditional, including cocoa brown in several different places will help create balance.
The simple color scheme in the picture is an excellent example. White walls and a pale wooden floor create a quiet backdrop. Cocoa brown chairs and shelving keep everything grounded while still making a statement, and a few green plants add a pop of color.
9. Royal Blue
Royal blue is a color that might seem better for a bathroom or a living room. But in a dining room, it’s perfect for creating a look that’s serene without being boring. The delightfully modern palette in the photo adds a burst of aquatic-inspired color with a blue glass accent wall. The cool white chairs and walls create crisp contrast while the black wall clock works as a grounding influence.
Of course, glass accent walls aren’t a feasible choice for everyone. Royal blue makes a dynamic wall color, especially when the bottom halves of the walls are white. This look will pair well with a wooden table and chairs with a royal blue rug and/or table runner.
10. Dilute Olive
At first glance, the wall color in the photo might look gray. However, it’s a very diluted shade of olive green with ample yellow undertones. When it’s this pale, olive green works almost just like a neutral. It’s an outstanding choice if you like neutrals but want something besides the usual gray, white, or beige.
That said, pale shades of olive are right at home in layered palettes with gray and beige. If you want to add a little more color, just a few touches of gold or bronze go a long way!
11. Burnt Orange
If you like orange but are hesitant to use a bright shade, the slightly muted burnt orange might be a better choice. It’s a color that’s reminiscent of fall, and its warmth is perfect for making your dining room feel cozy and welcoming.
You probably already know that most design experts suggest using small amounts of orange. But as you can see, the pictured dining room successfully uses a somewhat large amount of orange. This palette works for a couple of reasons: it relies on a few different shades of burnt orange, and it’s also counterbalanced by a variety of cooler shades. Some of the surrounding walls are a soft, pale gray, and even the wood flooring has a relatively cool stain.
12. Ash Blue
Few shades of blue have the classic appeal of ash blue, a shade that sits somewhere between pale gray and powder blue. As you can see in the photo, it creates a striking contrast with deep brown furniture. It also makes a beautiful wall color, especially on walls with crown molding.
Adding just one focal point of dark brown in a room with ash blue walls can make the palette look a little too unbalanced. The dining room in the photo distributes brown furniture fairly evenly, and the blue and brown rug is the perfect touch to tie the palette together.
13. Sage
Sage green has become a modern classic in the world of interior design. But as you can see, it’s also at home with vintage furniture. This shade of green is especially versatile, as it can be used in quiet, cottage-style interiors and upscale spaces alike.
Like other earthy shades of green, sage can often work like a neutral. If you have a room with sage green walls, the overall palette will look more unified if you have a sage accent or two somewhere in the room. The pictured dining room does this well: the foliage on the upholstered chairs is almost exactly the color of the walls.
14. Burgundy
Burgundy is often confused with maroon, but burgundy is more of a red-purple. Maroon is closer to being red-brown. In the right context, burgundy can look positively regal, and it’s an alluring choice of wall color for anyone wanting to make a statement.
Burgundy walls go nicely with darker, cooler neutrals—provided there’s enough natural light and lighter colors to create a natural counterbalance. White ceilings and wall trim can both help keep burgundy walls from making your dining room look overly dark.
15. Cream
Cream’s rich shade makes it right at home in vintage-style, ornate dining rooms. It’s often used as a wall color, although it’s a great choice for chairs, flooring, rugs, wall hangings, and more.
Cream is easy to confuse with warm white, but the difference is that cream has stronger yellow undertones. That makes it ideal for use with similar shades (like the parchment color of the pictured table). That said, cream is a neutral, and it can pair successfully with almost any color. Since it’s somewhat warm, it looks nice next to cooler colors.
16. Turquoise
Even shades that aren’t used as a main color can really shape the mood of your dining room. Turquoise commands enough attention to do that easily! If your dining room primarily includes neutral colors, adding a few pops of turquoise can give it some real personality.
For instance, the pale walls and vintage wooden furniture in the pictured room go nicely together, but a palette of just these colors can look a little dull. The turquoise curtains and small chest of drawers add new life to the color scheme, and the coral-colored roses on the table add beautiful contrast!
17. Charcoal Gray
Charcoal gray is a rich, dark neutral perfect for adding depth to your dining room’s color scheme. Charcoal walls look quite striking against white or cream tablecloths, but this deep gray shade also works beautifully in velour furniture. If you have fabric dining room chairs, charcoal velvet or velour can quickly take the space from commonplace to upscale.
Of course, the colors you use alongside charcoal are critically important when it comes to designing a palette. Charcoal gray looks great alongside medium wood tones and various shades of white. However, it’s a perfect backdrop for a pop or two of bright color! Lemon yellow and tangerine orange are two great options.
18. Golden Yellow
Like burnt orange, golden yellow is a beautiful shade that will take you back to breezy autumn days. If you’re looking to design a dining room that feels casual and welcoming, it’s an ideal choice.
Of course, any time you use a color as warm as yellow, it’s important to be cautious. Most people opt to include some cool colors to add balance. You can do this with neutrals or non-neutrals. For instance, dark brown wooden furniture will create a pleasant contrast with golden yellow. So will a dark blue rug or table runner.
19. Emerald Green
Emerald green is a bold shade of green that will instantly elevate the style of your dining room. Emerald has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in recent years, with emerald velvet couches becoming especially trendy.
You can adapt that trend to your dining room relatively easily with luxuriant, velvety emerald chairs. You don’t need to add much more color after this, though. Emerald goes nicely with naturally-finished wood, and a few gold accents offer a sparkling complement.
20. Rose Gold
Spaces with a lot of gold furnishings or accents can sometimes start to look gaudy. But recently, rose gold has emerged as a youthful, modern alternative to traditional gold decor. It looks right at home in nearly-monochromatic palettes. As you can see in the photo, this luxurious dining room combines rose gold chairs and chandeliers with soft, rosy walls and a marble floor that’s nearly the color of rose gold. Cool white accents prevent the palette from becoming too warm.
For a more casual take on this combination, you can add rose gold light fixtures and rosy pink walls to a more typical dining room. This combination will look especially nice with a pale wooden table and chairs.
21. Seal Brown
Rich shades of seal brown never go out of style. And since there’s no shortage of seal brown wooden furniture available, it’s an ideal color to bring into your dining room. If you’re partial to all-neutral palettes, simply add a dark brown table and chairs to a space with a layered neutral palette.
Alternatively, you can combine seal brown furniture with a contrasting color like sky blue or ash blue. This deep shade of brown is perfect for grounding any color scheme, so your options are virtually endless!
22. Lemon Yellow
If you want to bring just a taste of summer to your dining room, lemon yellow is ideal. It’s a bright, saturated color, so it’s important to make sure you don’t overuse it! The quaint, cheerful dining room pictured strikes a beautiful balance between warm and cool. The yellow rug and yellow pillows add just enough energy, and the marine-blue chairs coordinate with the photos of the ocean on the wall. And of course, the ample natural light and white walls are perfect for this breezy color scheme.
23. Cool White
Many spaces have cool white walls and incorporate darker colors elsewhere. But if you want to create a unique look, you can turn this palette on its head with colorful walls and a bright white dining set! Darker walls are perfect for creating a stark, modern contrast.
The charcoal walls in the example dining room work well, but you can use just about any shade you want. Burgundy, emerald, navy blue, and other jewel tones will create an especially rich palette. If you wish, you can also create an ultra-modern, all-white dining room with cool white walls as well. This type of color scheme will look especially memorable with one or two bright accents.
24. Gold
Gold is a timeless metallic that can easily be worked into any palette. It’s usually brought in as an accent color. There’s nothing wrong with that, but if you’re going for an especially glamorous look, create a largely monochromatic space that prominently features gold accents.
Many of us picture ornate frames and similar accessories when we think of gold decor, but gold accents can be impressively sleek and modern, too. The pictured hanging lamps are a great example. They pop against the largely black walls and coordinate nicely with the golden yellow chairs and the small flames in the fireplace.
25. Cardinal Red
Some people claim that red stimulates appetite. That may or may not be true, but it’s an eye-catching and appealing color for a dining room nonetheless. You don’t have to paint the whole room red, either. A little red goes a long way, and some designers choose to go with a single red statement wall and a couple of red accents instead.
There’s nothing wrong with including a couple of other warm colors in a dining room with one or more red walls. But red is hot enough to need a cool counterbalance. The soft gray area rug in the picture is a great example.
26. Olive Green
Earlier, we mentioned dilute olive green as a great color for dining room walls. However, more traditional, darker shades of olive also work beautifully. Some homeowners might want to deploy olive as a floor-to-ceiling wall color. However, if you want to do something a little more creative, you can mix olive in with a multilayered palette.
The pictured dining room’s unusual color scheme gives it a refined, luxurious look. Olive wall insets coordinate with hints of olive in the area rug. Champagne-colored curtains and lampshades add vintage appeal, and the white wall trim brightens things up just enough.
27. Wood Tones
Plenty of dining rooms include naturally-finished wood tables and chairs. Depending on the architecture of the room you’re working with, you may be able to incorporate even more wood tones for a uniquely layered appeal. The dining room in the photo has a unique shape, but it also uses a unique array of wood tones. The solid door and ceiling have the same rich, honey-like finish. The table and chairs have a dark, distressed look, and the pale wooden floor fits right in without competing for attention.
28. Powder Blue
The highly unique dining room pictured was inspired by Mediterranean decor. You don’t see powder blue tables and chairs too terribly often, but in the right space, they work beautifully. Even though blue is a cool color, this particular shade of powder blue is somewhat high-energy. The gray-white walls quiet the palette just enough to maintain balance. The plant adds some visual interest while leaning into the coastal feel.
Any pale palette can benefit from a bit of a grounding influence. In this dining room, the wrought iron light fixture and dark patterned curtains ground the look just enough without dragging down the light, cheerful vibe.
29. Leafy Green
If you have a green thumb and want to bring a little nature indoors, potted plants offer the perfect way to bring some color to your dining room. This type of look goes best in a room of soft, earthy neutrals, much like the dining room in the picture.
That said, plant care isn’t everyone’s strong suit. If you like the look of leafy green but struggle to keep even a cactus alive, you might prefer botanical-printed wallpaper. This type of design goes best with natural wooden furniture. Try adding a seagrass or jute area rug to complete the palette.
30. Beige
It’s easy to write off beige as being overly dull. But when used thoughtfully, it can warm up your dining room while also acting as a backdrop for a number of other colors. The dining room in the photo adds an interesting twist on your typical beige wall: white trim sets off multiple beige shades. The walls seem to blend into the darker beige floor-to-ceiling curtains.
A palette like this offers you the opportunity to add just about any accent color you want. In this case, the vivid royal purple of the area rug draws the eye and has a centering effect on the room.
31. Lime Green
Lime green adds a captivating zing anywhere you put it. Of course, it’s not for everyone, but it’s an offbeat way to energize and refresh your dining room. In the pictured room, the lime green chairs add a touch of modern flair to an upscale, old-style room.
As you may have guessed, even a little bit of lime green goes a very long way in the world of decor. If you’re considering using it in your dining room, start by adding a lime green accent or two (wall art and table runners are a good place to start). If you find that you like that look, feel free to add more!
32. Navy Blue
Navy is a classic shade of blue that does well almost anywhere you put it. For a bold look, you can include navy blue walls with white wall trim in your dining space. But if that’s too bold or dark, take some inspiration from the pictured dining room and paint a portion of the walls navy, adding a few touches of this deep shade elsewhere in the room.
This dining room creates an excellent light/dark balance: navy blue appears on the upper walls and in the patterns on the chair upholstery. White appears on the lower walls and on the area rug, and the richly-finished, dark wooden furniture keeps everything grounded.
33. Celery
Celery is an interesting shade of green. Typically, it denotes a color closer to dried celery seed than to the plant itself. It’s somewhat like a yellower version of sage, and it works nicely in farmhouse-style aesthetics. You can see this in the photo: the slightly dusty shades of red, green, and gray in the curtains appear to be right at home beside the celery-colored walls. Celery is a warm-leaning shade of green, so the cool white ceiling and wall trim quiet the look just enough.
34. Mustard Yellow
If you’re fond of vintage-style design schemes, try adding mustard yellow to your dining room. If your space is predominately navy blue, forest green, or a similarly dark color, mustard yellow is an ideal choice when it comes to playing up contrast. However, as you can see in the photo, it’s also great for adding color and character to mostly-white spaces. If you go this route, green plants and similar accents are ideal for adding a burst of freshness and visual interest.
35. Blush Pink
Blush pink is a delicate pink that’s a little more muted than rose, and it’s a great way to gently add character to your dining room (or really any other space). And as you can see in the example dining room, you don’t need a lot of it to make a statement. Blush pink is quiet enough to serve as an almost-neutral wall color, but you can also include it in the form of curtains or a table runner. This shade is perfect for helping you create a soft palette, and it pairs well with pale wood finishes and most shades of white.
36. Teal
Teal is a pretty shade of blue-green, and it’s the perfect way to give your dining room a facelift. Some people opt to include large, bold stretches of teal to really make a statement, but you can also successfully incorporate it as an accent color. Especially in an otherwise-neutral room, even a relatively small amount of teal can really go a long way. For instance, the example room’s palette is almost entirely neutral (except for the teal tablecloth). Crisp white walls add brightness, wooden furniture creates warmth, and black chairs and accents keep the look grounded as the touch of teal adds personality and interest.
37. Neon Green
Neon green is sometimes very similar to lime green, but generally speaking, lime green has more yellow undertones. Neon green like the green in the picture can quickly become overwhelming when used in high doses. But if you use it judiciously, it’s a great way to add a splash of color to give your dining room a memorable and modern edge.
Green is a cool color, but neon green is energetic enough that it should be paired with dark, cooler-leaning neutrals. The black, charcoal gray, and cool white in the photo offer the perfect backdrop for neon green to really shine.
38. Pale Sand
Cottage-style decor (sometimes called cottagecore) is in. And if you’re interested in designing a cottage-style dining room, the pictured room offers incredibly authentic inspiration: it’s from a rural cottage in Serbia!
Many cottage-style interiors center around soft, layered color schemes. The pale walls in the photo are an uncommon shade of diluted sand with just a touch of pink. This is a shade perfect for layering with various shades of beige, cream, and white. Of course, a palette this light does well with darker grounding colors as well, and the dark brown and black furniture in the example room perfectly grounds the entire look.
39. Sky Blue
Sky blue can offer an uplifting, almost whimsical energy to your dining room. This soft blue shade really pops alongside brown, so it’s a logical choice in a dining room that includes brown furniture. The room in the picture does well with distributing sky blue accents throughout. The pillows, plates, lamp, and wall art offer just enough color, and they pair nicely with the subdued gray-white and gray-brown in the rest of the space.
40. Black
Black is a common accent color across virtually every style of decor. However, if you like bold, non-traditional looks, you can incorporate larger amounts of black. At first, black walls might sound like an obvious no-go. But the trick is to use matte shades while also including ample lighter colors and natural light. As you can see in the photo, the black-walled room looks more cozy than moody. That’s largely thanks to white tables, white pattering on the rug, the gold chandelier, and of course the sunlight coming through the window!
This space also successfully uses a gradient color scheme that ranges from black to white. This type of palette creates a balanced yet dynamic look that’s ideal for anyone trying to avoid a stark black/white contrast.
41. Lapis Lazuli
If you’ve ever laid eyes on a piece of genuine lapis lazuli, you understand how captivating its rich blue color can be. Even though it’s a high-energy blue, this shade can be successfully incorporated into any room in your home. The pictured dining room uses it in a somewhat unique way: a largely-gray dining room set and rug is flanked with lapis lazuli cabinetry on both sides. The blue glass on the chandelier effectively centers the look.
42. Silver
For those who like metallics but find gold a little overwhelming, silver is an ideal choice. The example room pictured here uses uncommon and exciting silver wallpaper to envelop a set of silvery-white chairs. Thanks to the wallpaper pattern, chandelier, and luxurious upholstery on the chairs, the room is reminiscent of older, upscale dining rooms. If you’d prefer a more modern look, try using similar colors but substituting sleek, angular furniture and brushed silver hanging lamps.
43. Lavender
Speaking of modern, this unusual and colorful dining room illustrates how a careful selection of furniture (and wall colors) can give your dining room a one-of-a-kind look. The lavender wall is a critical cooling influence on the rest of the room, as the red/yellow/lime green combination runs the risk of becoming too loud by itself.
Of course, if you prefer something a little less off the wall, lavender is an excellent wall color in its own right. It looks good with shades of crisp white. If you’d like to include another accent color, the periwinkle blue (like the color of the pictured chairs) is a great option.
44. Cinder Gray
No list of suggested colors would be complete without the mention of a shade of pale gray. Cinder gray (a shade roughly the color of a cinder block) is a modern neutral perfect for creating cool-leaning neutral spaces. It’s also a prime candidate for layering with other shades of gray. The formal dining room in the photo is almost monochromatic, but it’s still visually interesting thanks to the monochromatic palette of different gray shades. Note how that darker table and chair frames create a grounding influence.
What Is the Best Color for Your Dining Room?
Only you know the answer. Some people choose a color that fits in with the broader palette of their house. Others go with warm shades to create high-energy spaces. And still others use soft shades for a peaceful, even ethereal color scheme.
There’s no wrong color for your dining room. Just make sure that you plan out your color scheme carefully. When you select a palette of colors that work in harmony, your dining room itself becomes a work of art!
