A Neutral Backdrop Makes a Versatile Dining Room

Although many people think of light colors when they think of neutral shades, in fact these shades include white, beige, gray and brown. Both light and darker neutrals can be used effectively when painting walls. While light neutrals allow the other colors in the room to become the focal point, darker neutral tones tend to subdue colors, helping different colors blend together visually. Various shades of neutral colors can be combined effectively to create interesting looks, such as painting the woodwork and trim with a light neutral, using a darker color for the rest of the walls.

Painting wainscoting on the lower portions of the wall with one shade, and the upper walls a different shade can also be used to add a lot of interest to the walls using neutral colors. Although neutral colors are by their very nature "neutral", when you look at neutral shades on paint color strips, you will see that there are neutral shades with a slightly warm or cool tone to them. If the other colors used in the dining room are predominantly cool or warm, choosing a neutral shade that is also slightly warm or cool can add a very complementary look.

Because dining room areas often connect other living areas, such as the kitchen and living room, using neutral shades as the overall backdrop in the dining room can provide a good transition area. If you are using more intense wall colors in the living room and kitchen, using neutrals in the dining room can help prevent the colors used in the other rooms from clashing against each other. This can provide a nice visual effect, especially if you can find a way to pick up small accent colors from both adjacent rooms, using them in the dining room to blend the colors together.

Warm neutral shades that have undertones of yellow, such as cream and warm beige shades can add a very inviting and welcoming look to the dining room area, while allowing the wall shades to blend with almost any other decorating accent colors. You can also use neutral shades for three walls within the room, and reserve an accent color, either in the form of paint or wallpaper, for just one wall. This can provide a very interesting look, as the darker wall will naturally become a focal point in the room.