Dining Room Paint Colours That Create Atmosphere in North London Homes

The dining room — or dining end of a kitchen-diner — is the room most receptive to atmospheric, bold colour. It's typically used in the evening when artificial lighting creates a different quality of ambiance to daytime; it benefits from a cocoon-like quality that encourages lingering conversation; and it doesn't need to function as a workspace or relaxation space in the way a bedroom or living room does. These factors make the dining room the ideal space for brave colour choices.

Why Dining Rooms Suit Bold Colours

Candle and pendant light bouncing off a deep wall colour creates a quality of warmth and atmosphere impossible to replicate in a pale scheme. Deep terracotta, oxblood red, midnight blue, and forest green all excel in dining rooms for this reason. During the day, these same colours anchor the room and give it a settled, deliberate quality that makes eating feel like an event rather than a necessity.

Our Top Dining Room Colour Recommendations

Farrow & Ball Picture Gallery Red: The quintessential dining room colour — rich, warm, and deeply atmospheric. It was literally designed for the dining rooms of the National Portrait Gallery.

Little Greene Obsidian Green: A very deep, near-black forest green. The walls effectively disappear in the evening, leaving the candlelight and the table as the focus.

Farrow & Ball Eating Room Green: Another historically-named choice — a rich, dark Edwardian green that reads beautifully in North London period dining rooms.

Little Greene Bone China Blue: A slightly unexpected choice — a deep, sophisticated teal that works beautifully in south-facing dining rooms with warm artificial lighting.

Free dining room colour consultation with every Hampstead Painting Company project. Call 020 3874 2670.