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    Going Dark in the Dining Room

    Dec 3, 2021 · Leave a Comment

    Every so often I get an idea for a change and I have to do it. Like an itch I can't not scratch. Currently, it's painting our dining room. And painting it DARK.

    American foursquare dining room with big window and craftsman trim

    I went to a Jean Stoffer home tour a few weeks ago, and if I had to pick a favorite element of her designs - and there are a LOT of favorites - it would be her use of dark colors, without things ever feeling drab.

    She often chooses dark paints for builts-ins, wainscoting, and bathrooms, and here's where seeing rooms in person versus just in photos makes such a difference, because I loved how it felt in those rooms. The depth and contrast it created elevated the whole room, and even made the whites feel brighter.

    Here is a built-in that I stared at for what some may call an uncomfortable length of time. But it couldn't be helped! The green was just so beautiful. One could say I got lost in it.

    So I got home with a hankering to paint something a deep, rich color, and the dining room feels like the perfect choice.

    Here's my vision:

    Currently, we eat all of our meals in our dining room. I'd like to change this to just a dinner location, with space for crafts/activities throughout the day, but mostly breakfasts and lunches happening at a kitchen table (yet to be sourced!).

    I like the idea of the dining room feeling a little more luxe, like every dinner is a little party after each day. And I want it to be a room that you want to sit in for hours, eating good food, drinking coffee, chatting, playing board games. The coziness and approachability levels should be high.

    And, the off white that's currently on the walls has started feeling washed out to me. Everything just looks kind of blah. I want something deep and saturated. Give me COLOR.

    Also, here is my side note where I promise you to never refer to this room as "moody," even though that is the go-to adjective when a room is painted in a dark color. I don't want any rooms in my home to be moody. Even-keeled, comfortable, even stoic, but definitely not moody.

    Okay, caveat: over.

    So I spent a day looking at paint colors online, got two samples, and swatched them on the wall behind my $5 pasture painting while my kids ate leftover Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches for lunch.

    Left: Benjamin Moore's Night Train, Right: Benjamin Moore's Polished Slate

    They both are beautiful on their own, but there is a clear winner. Josh and I both knew it, and paint decisions are never easier than when two parties have strong feelings, and they're the same strong feelings.

    Now the question is can I stave off the urge to paint until after Christmas?

    Ha! Who am I kidding? I definitely cannot.

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    Mandy Jackson

    hi, i'm mandy.

    A regular Midwest homebody. Here, I share recipes we love, and how we're thoughtfully renovating our 100-year-old American foursquare.

    Learn more about me.

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