Pick Paint Colors for a Dining Room With a Chair Rail
Chair rails are aptly named--they're installed to prevent the wall from being bumped when diners push their chairs back from the table. Nowadays, they are often installed in dining rooms as decorative accents, and they provide the opportunity to pick some fun paint color combinations. While the traditional and safe advice is to paint the wall below the chair railing a darker version of the upper wall color, you have several other options for paint schemes.
Instructions
1. Pick colors you love, rather than fashionable colors, or colors that looked good in somebody else's home. Realize that you already know which colors resonate with you. Trust your instincts, look around your home and note the colors and combinations that you have already chosen.
2. Take a digital color photo of the dining room in natural light. Not only does this allow you to mentally stand back and see how the room looks, you can upload the photo to a free color visualizer tool, which allows you to digitally manipulate the photo and "try on" color combinations.
3. Choose a deeper color that matches another element in the dining room, such as the table runner, upholstery or throw rug. This helps pull the room together, especially if you choose more vibrant colors.
4. Choose colors that flow from one room to another. Avoid sharply contrasting colors--such as pale cool blue in a kitchen, and warm deep red in the adjoining dining room--unless your decorating style is already colorful and eclectic.
5. Pick different shades of the same color for a more classic effect, such as deep brown below the chair rail, and a lighter tan above it. For a slightly more dramatic and cozy look, paint the darker color above the chair rail. This can make the dining room feel more intimate, and often provides a better background for artwork.
6. Use complementary colors for more impact. Pair cranberry red with milky brown or deep forest green with dusty pink.
7. Visit a paint store and pick out as many free paint swatches as you like. Take them home so you can see them in the context and light of your dining room. Purchase quarts or testers of your chosen colors and paint samples on the walls before you make a final decision.
8. Don't forget the ceiling by leaving it plain white. Consider a lighter version of one of the wall colors, a complementary color, or even a very deep color. Rosanne Dunkelberger, editor of Tallahassee Magazine, suggests giving the same amount of thought to picking a ceiling color as your wall color and regarding the ceiling as a "fifth wall."
Tags: dining room, below chair, chair rail, , color combinations, Colors Dining, Colors Dining Room