Dark colours in a small room *now with pics*

[morphe]

For all you budding interior designers.
We have just had our dining room simmed all over, my missus liked the colour as it was, like a dark wet skimmed look, now i wanted a light colour.
I have been on the crown and dulux website and have been experimenting, my walls, their colours. the room is only small, 12 x 12 roughly with an opening under the stairs.
The colour i like is a choc chip, tried all lighter colours but this one stands out.
We have always painted with light colours and jumping to a darker colour is daring for us.
Have you painted a dining room a darker colour before and happy with it?
also glossing, would white be nicer or a coloured?
ceiling white?
I dont want to spend £100 on paint and be dissapointed

 

[billyo]

done a few in plum, b.s No. 02 C 37, and green 12 b 21 looked ok with white woodwork and ceiling

 

[morphe]

painted choc chip by crown, looks class, its dark but cool!

 

[morphe]

couple of pics of the final result, well happy.

 

[Zampa]

Dining rooms can be a bit like studies...rich dark colours can look really good, but its all own to what you really want out of the room, if your scene is quiet dinner parties, bit formal-ish then dark colours may be fine...if on the other hand is a room using all the time for breakfast finner and tea then you might want to think about something lighter.

If your going to go for a dark colour then I would shade down the trim colours and the ceiling...white can look very stark agasint a dark colour.

And paint that rad the same colour as the background wall.

I have just finished bagging my kitchen walls..the wife wanted green, but it was tricky because some of the tiles are a jady green...which leans towards tuquiose..all in all we have about seven different coluors in their now but it works because they all 'go'

Hopefully we have now moved away from the 'changing rooms' colour schemes which led people thinking the only way you can have a vibrant room is by using semi florescent paints!

If your really stuck go for whats called a 'monochromatic colour scheme'...a selection all based on tints and shades of one single colour...its probably the safest scheme you can go for.

 

[morphe]

Dining rooms can be a bit like studies...rich dark colours can look really good, but its all own to what you really want out of the room, if your scene is quiet dinner parties, bit formal-ish then dark colours may be fine...if on the other hand is a room using all the time for breakfast finner and tea then you might want to think about something lighter.

If your going to go for a dark colour then I would shade down the trim colours and the ceiling...white can look very stark agasint a dark colour.

And paint that rad the same colour as the background wall.

I have just finished bagging my kitchen walls..the wife wanted green, but it was tricky because some of the tiles are a jady green...which leans towards tuquiose..all in all we have about seven different coluors in their now but it works because they all 'go'

Hopefully we have now moved away from the 'changing rooms' colour schemes which led people thinking the only way you can have a vibrant room is by using semi florescent paints!

If your really stuck go for whats called a 'monochromatic colour scheme'...a selection all based on tints and shades of one single colour...its probably the safest scheme you can go for.

TBH, the pictures dont do the room justice, it looks alot better than before, our other room in the bottom picture has marbled wallpaper, that room is going to be lighter than the dining room.
Radiator, take you point, not sure if crown do gloss the same colour, or can i paint the matt emulsion on?
Also I havent really got the rooms tidy, the curtains are from our previous colour scheme, so they will be changing, its all about money.
'monochromatic colour scheme', yeah eventually we will get round to blend the same colours in.
I am so glad to have decent walls and rid of horrid wallpaper.
Remember you see peoples houses all the time through decorating, we dont, so you have an advantage, thanks for the constructive critism, thats we want, its the only way to improve.

 

[Zampa]

Hope it didnt sound like criticism..it wasnt meant to be.

At the end of the day its all about personal choice..if you like it, have it..its your house, you have to live there..not your neighbours or the bloke in the pub whos 'good with colours'

To be honest..im crap at picking colours in my own place, I try tooooo hard.

You should be able to get a nice oil based satin or eggshell for your rad...DONT whatever you do put emulsion on it.

Looks like you have a nice high ceiling there..I would paint the ceiling cream like you curtains and the coving and woodwork in a lighter version of it to soften the effect of the colour...which, isnt a bad colour quite calming.