When it comes to coloring the dining room, an area where people socialize, dine and share valuable time with loved ones, look for inviting colors that also energize and add a festive feel at the same time.
In the most in-vogue dining rooms of 2008, softer and more natural tones take center stage, with bright and saturated colors playing supporting roles instead.
So give your guests a lot to talk about when you showcase the hottest trends in dining room color and design this season!
It’s a Small World After All
International culture will feature widely in the trendiest interior designs for 2008. Both Oriental and Indian influences will play the most influential roles on next year’s color palettes, incorporating rich jewel-toned hues like sapphire, ruby red, deep green and a plush amethyst purple.
Create it yourself
Go for gorgeous, opulent colors with exotic, zesty accents, which immediately transform the room into a passage to the mysterious Far East. Match warm shades of brown, bronze and gold with striking reds, greens and oranges, while keeping furniture simple with a naturalistic, ethnic feel. Dark woods, intricate carvings and plush oriental carpets all fit beautifully into this exotic foreign theme.
Modern austerity
Simple pieces and colors can still be stunning in the dining room. Colors like white, silver and grey add a trace of relaxing simplicity into complicated modern lives.
Create it yourself
Striking statement pieces like a strong, unique dining set need no further ornamentation. Thus, simple walls in neutral shades are the perfect complements and strike a perfect balance between conspicuity and modesty in the room.
Another interesting twist would be to add iridescent colors in natural shades like azure, or a shimmering pinkish-purple. These ‘chameleon’ colors seem to change when paired with other colors or when light reflects off them, lending a surreal, illusionary effect in the otherwise austere serenity of the room.
Go for the gold
Never fear that gold will go out of season; it will be a perpetual favorite for the dining room because of the sheer energy it emits, and the sense of majesty it imparts to the room. It complements not only the food on the table, but also the people sitting around it.
Create it yourself
Your sources of gold can come from warm, yellow lighting, wall coverings, rugs and ornaments. Warm woods in the floorboards and dining table set off this color best; neutral Persian or Oriental rugs will match the room beautifully.
Newer, more complex shades of gold contain a tinge of green or brown, and pairing gold with colors like rich purple, baked terracotta clay colors and dark chocolate brown immediately make your room look up-to-the-moment.
Blood Red
Red – the color of life, a pulse, a heartbeat, the color of rage, impulsiveness and passion. No matter how you choose to describe it, red will always symbolize life, warmth and energy.
Create it yourself
Wrought iron furnishings, heavy dark wood and gold trimmings all work beautifully with red to establish a thrillingly dark, intense atmosphere. Decide on how lavish you want to be by varying shades and intensity of red – fire engine red is usually a playful color, like one you would use in a child’s bedroom; a deep red with purple undertones usually lends a sophisticated, gothic touch to the room.
Accent tones that go wonderfully with red include opulent shades of brown, gold and even black.