dark wall color

Woo Snow Day! And as such I get to stay nice and cozy at home and dream about what direction I would like to take in decorating this house. I actually like most of it as is already, but there are a few spaces I’d like to try something different. Right now, I’m focusing on the dining room since it is small and the current furniture does not quite fit.

Here’s the dining room during the inspection:

Dining Room Feature Wall

For now, the feature wall is staying. I like how it add extra light into the room, especially because I’m thinking of going really dark on the walls. And I mean, really dark.

Paint Color Sample Cape Verde

Dining Room Paint Sample

I put up these test spots, but I’m not entirely happy with it. First, I wasn’t happy how the paint went on the walls. This was a color to go (small pot) from Sherwin Williams in a satin finish. I did three coats with a brush, and felt it went on really watery. I’m hoping the gallon of paint will be a better quality, because I am not going to paint three or more coats in this tiny little room. That’s just silly when I know there are better paints out there. So I’m not 100% sure if it’s that I’m not sold on the color–because I can still see some variation in it, or if it’s just the way this paint looks. I also am not so sure I want to go that dark. It’s a small room, and with one wall being covered in mirrors, one wall having a large window, and another wall having a double-wide door opening, so there’s not a whole lot of wall space. That could work for this color- or it could overwhelm it.

At this point you probably think I’m crazy, so let me show you my mood board for this room. A Moody Midcentury Dining Room:

Moody Midcentury Dining Room

The color shown here is Cape Verde lifted from the Sherwin Williams website. It is much lighter than the swatch in the fan deck, and in real life. But I hope you can see my inspiration for going super dark and saturated with the picture on the right– from West Elm. I like the look of this room, but I wanted a more blue/teal color. I want a fairly simple table for the room- and something smaller than what we have now. Our current furniture is just a little too big for the space, and it is difficult to move around the ends of the table. The chair I have pictured is by Milo Baughman, chair 1188 in a bronze finish with a cream colored fabric. I would LOVE these chairs, but they are a bit out of my price range, so I will have to find an alternative. The painting is my own- a triptych of the Norfolk Botanical Garden, in the Butterfly Garden. Right now it is hanging in the dining room, and I am pretty sure I want to keep it there for now.

Old Gilt Frame

In the second test sample photo, you can see a mirror in a late 19th century gilt frame, which will also stay. In addition, I’m going to hang this frame (above) centered over the mirrored wall. I’ll use suction cups and fishing line to make it appear as though it’s floating. The old frame in my mood board is just an example. The light is a sputnik light. Again, I would LOVE to have this, but finding one in my budget will take some looking. And the flokati rug. These are so popular right now, and I will admit I really like the look of it. Currently we have no need for a rug in the space as it is carpeted in a nice, light neutral. Someday (the big someday that may or may not happen but you will always want to dream about) I’d like to redo all the floors on the main floor and replace the carpet and tiles with hardwood.

Oh one last thing I forgot that will be going in this space: