apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Eh, paint the walls, it's not that big of a deal.

Don't you DARE touch that wood though.

Just not the wood, right?

Love the color, leave it alone. But then again you could consider going for another bold color, but I would stay in the warm tones.

It's a gorgeous colour, but you're right, it does suck in light. Can you accent wall it and then do another colour? Or do a cream like colour all over the room? Beautiful bones to work with :)

I might lighten the room so as to show off the beautiful wood furniture and doorways. With the intense berry paint, the room seems heavy and dark and I imagine that you'd like to emphasize the beautiful pieces in there. I suggest a warm cappuchino color or interesting khaki.

I would just hang a large neutral/white piece of art in there.

I'd paint it for sure. You can still achieve a cozy feeling in the evenings with candlelight.

I actually love sky (not powder!) blue tones against oak like that.

It's lovely vivid in one sense, but in another your eyes will still read it as neutral because we're all used to thinking of the sky as a goes-with-anything backdrop.

The oak looks warmer and more "grounded" in contrast to the airy blue shade, and the walls remind you of sunlight rather than sucking in light.

I think painting the dining room a soft white will bring out the features of the wood in the room... Gloomy is the feeling I get from this room. It has a lot of potential, however I think letting the wood be the center of the room will give it more charm.

I think the wall color is awful with the wood color, which has orange, gold, warm brown tones. What about cream or pale golden yellow walls? Depending on how strong a color you like, a red-brown color might work.

You can check the light reflective value of any paint color, if you ask. The higher the number, the more light that's reflected with that color; the lower you go, the more the light is absorbed.

The room has a lot of potential.

If anything go darker on the ceiling and lighter on the walls. heather gray on the walls and a warmer complimentary gray on the ceiling.

Yes, paint the walls.
I'd choose a medium chocolate brown.

Paint. You could go with another intense color, but the current color clashes with the wood. I'm always a fan of deep warm greys but I'm not sure how that would work in this case.

I don't think the walls go well with the wood. It's too dark and they aren't in the same color palette.

I'd suggest one of two things:

(1) Paint the wood white and leave the walls pink.

(2) Stain the wood darker (to match the table) and paint the walls white or some other light color.

Personally, I'd do #1, although I know a lot of people would shoot me over that.

the clor on the walls is fine with the woodwork but not fine with your furniture. So i guess you need to decide weather you want to keep there things (the paint) or your things (the table). If you keep the paint, I would recommend a large piece of black and white artwork where the majority of the field is white. This piece of artwork should be significantly larger than what you have there now. I would also change out the light fixture (which I would hang about 1.5-2 feet lower) and get a large mirror and hang it on the wall opposite the hutch. Finally get a linen table cloth and keep it on the table/

I like the burgandy....but the color is beginning to feel a little dated. Another softer warm shade would probably compliment all that fabulous wood and your furnishings better. If you don't like it as much, you can always paint it the current color again. It is just paint.
Just don't touch the wood....it is wonderful.

The color is very nice, but really does not match the wood. I would go for a nice warm cream color or a very pale bluish green. If you want bold, try a rich moss green or peacock blue. I love the idea of a color on the ceiling as well. If you choose light color, try a shade darker above, and a pale version of the dark color if you want to go deep on the walls.

I agree with magicsbm (in part:). Pale golden yellow would be perfect. It would play up the colors in the ceiling fixture and add a lot of warmth to the room.

I also agree with kristian about the art and the mirror. Reflecting light is a great way to bring more of it into a dark room.

Paint it something warm and light.
That color is dreadful, dreary Victorian with all the wood.
Also, how about a couple of nice upholstered chairs for the ends of your table. It would do a lot to soften up the room!

Too dark! I agree, it's sucking the light out of the room.

How about a nice sunflower or marigold color? Caramel? something warm and rich.

As above... just.don't.touch.the.wood!!

It's a beautiful room!!

DO NOT PAINT! PLEASE! WHAT YOU HAVE CAN'T BE REPLACED.

I don't want to yell, but it would be a sin to paint over such beauty. Rid your house of draperies. Use only white sheers to soften and lighten the rooms. You will have lighting issues, but don't paint.

The next generation thanks you.

screw neutral!

You could do what they did when the building was built: slipcover the furniture in white duck and the chandeliers in netting during the summer months. That alone will brighten up the place. Come winter, the room may feel just right.

Don't paint the wood.

If you want a similarly deep color that looks 'fresher' than the burgundy, you can try peacock blue (as someone above suggested), which would make the lovely golden tones in your woodwork stand out, or an emerald green. These would be just as cozy, but as cool colors, not quite so heavy-feeling.

I think you can go either way and either keep the color or change. I think it looks quite stately painted that deep red color. But it would also work with many other colorways as well. I guess my advice to you would be to by-pass the intellectual aspects of design and simply ask yourself how you feel when you first go into the room - what is your response to the color? If it is a positive response, keep it. If it is a negative response, find a color that you like better.

Leave wood alone, definitely lighten up the wall color.

I think you should paint all of the wood in a high-gloss teal to really make it pop!

Ha! Kidding.

A deep, delicious red like that makes the woodwork come alive, and if it's the only coloured room in the house it makes it "special" rather than "clashing".

If you're worried about light, I think you'd be amazed at the difference that a light-coloured table runner and some artworks with bigger white mats will make.

That said, it's only paint: it can be done and undone with ease. But I like the red.

I am also insanely jealous of your architectural features.

I think a very pale lime on the walls would go beautifully with the dark wood.

I lived in an apartment like that - dark burgundy walls in a suede finish ultra matte paint. and north facing. It was depressing.
I was going to paint it a dk red metallic finish to bounce off the light so the color would still go with the dark wood accents. I ended up moving instead.
When I went back to pick something up, the owner had painted it white or off white - it made the room so much brighter!

BTW, I am not suggesting to paint the room white, just that a lighter color would make a huge difference.

Before painting I'd try out a white tablecloth with a glass vase of colorful flowers or a striking white orchid. Or at least put the candelabra from the the bookcase in the center of the table.
The dark furniture is absorbing a lot of light, but maybe a large mirror above the sideboard to reflect the light coming in and lamps on the side board can lighten it up for a lot less hassle than painting.

Paint the room. The current feeling is as if you dropped into a black hole. Leave the woodwork alone. It will never look as good anything but natural. I'm breaking with everyone here and recommending a dove gray, Scandinavian style.

Totally love it - Just as it is! Live with it a while and see if it grows on you... What about a large classical mirror opposite the windows to generate some more light.

I've always found that in a dark room you go for a dark or more intense colour. The colour of your room is just perfect for one that doesn't get a lot of natural light - don't change a thing. A lamp on the chest of drawers or in the corner on the shelves and a spotlight directed onto the hutch would be a good start. If you paint it a light colour it will look grey. I've proved it. The hall in my house is dark and I painted it a parchment colour (a sort of light warm yellow) with the result that it is dull and I hate it. To be honest, I'd love a room like yours!

I think a beige or light chartreuse would look smashing.

It sounds like you could break your concerns out into three questions:
1. Do you like color on the walls at all?
2. Do you want this burgundy color?
3. How to make room look lighter?

If you just really prefer rooms be painted white, then ignore everyone on this site (who lean towards liking color on walls) and paint them white.

If you decided you do like color on the walls, instead of a more neutral palette, I like the suggestions of sunflower yellow or dark green. These being the two classic colors of french earthenware (search "confit earthenware" on rubylane.com) would look great with the wide grained french provencial oak. I don't think these would be enough of an improvement over the burgundy to be worth the effort, unless you just really dislike the color burgundy but do still want color in this room.

Here is a picture of grey, burgundy and oak together:
www.dreamhomedecorating.com/provence-interiors.html

Compare those colors with a range of whites:
www.ralphlaurenhome.com/rlhome/products/paint/items.asp?haid=49&f=lp&start=0

On the seperate concern of making for a lighter room, the first thing to do is turn on the chandlier rather than curse the darkness. If that still isn't bright enough, try putting in a higher wattage bulb. Also, a tablecloth would soften the darkest thing in the room (the table). Finally, large hanging mirrors would both tone down the wall color (by covering it) and brighten and expand the rooms. Either gold frames or oak.

The room is dark, so I would paint the walls (only!) a light color. The original woodwork is stunning...so please leave it as it.

I like the wood and the colour, but can understand your desire for more light. How about hanging a large mirror on a wall to reflect any light that the room may capture through a window or a doorway.

don't forget to paint the ceiling.

Please don't paint the wood. I think the berry paint color is fighting with the golden tones in the wood and doesn't provide enough contrast. Whether you go lighter or darker with a different color, just make sure there's enough contrast with the wood. I think some deep dark browns/charcoals or simple off-whites would both be great options.

THE COLOR IS BEAUTIFUL. Please reconsider not the color or the original structure of the room, think about what is IN the room. I wasn't a fan of the ceiling fixture until you said it was original and i saw the other picture where it's lit. I love it as well as the table and benches. The rest however.... a rocking chair in a dining room? The wall filled with small frames.... that bookcase... the "bikini girls!?" (didn't we have enough of that during american idol?), the drapes (way too short). If you have storage problems, (i guess, because of the stuff you have around the room), probably instead of that bench under bikini girls, you could try a trunk, it will add continuity and storage.

New longer, richer curtains. The white section of crown moulding can be improved greatly with some simple diy. (You should check some projects online). One big artwork on one side, one big mirror on the other.

Sinces the room is so amazing, there is little for you to do to make it grand... just some good sense and respect for the space.

The beautiful wood is getting upstaged by the darkness of the red. My inclination would be to go for a deep, rich yellow - in the ochre or butterscotch or marigold range (or first try one of each as samples and see which works best with the wood.)

I would not paint the walls. I like the look and feel of it now. What is wrong with one dark room? There is such a thing as too much "neutral". LEAVE IT! I think its gorgeous.



http://kwils.blogspot.com

I'd suggest living w/it first. You will find your happiness level rises in a red room.

paint the walls something in the light blue or light green range, a nice Jadeite green or aqua would go great with all of the woodwork, there is no reason you should be stuck with the previous occupants color choices, also lighten up the picture frames and accessories, consider a white table runner

I do not care for the berry color at all; it competes with the warm wood, too. You should paint it a cool color. I'd probably go for white, but if you want a color, I'd go with a blue or green.

dear god, yes, paint it. i'd say a yellowy green that looks good with the wood. many colors would look better with the wood.

Painting in a lighter colour would make the room bland, and I think you would feel disappointed. Deep red is a popular colour for dining rooms because of the drama and warmth it creates.

While it is very hard to judge on my screen whether this is the right shade of red for the room, I wouldn't change its intensity. It may be a touch too raspberry -- if so, this shade of oxblood will be perfect -- it has enough brown in it to coordinate well with the wood in your room:

http://www.coxpaint.com/store/cart.php?target=product&product_id=18737&category_id=255

I have this colour in my own home, and it is amazing (have gotten loads of compliments on it) -- it is simply the most beautiful red I have ever found. It changes with different lighting conditions -- instead of seeming greyer in low-light situations, it actually changes colour (it is a full-spectrum paint, composed of many different colour pigments).

As others have pointed out, a good part of what is sucking the light out of the room is what you have -- and have not -- placed on the walls and other surfaces. A beautiful white table cloth would work wonders, as would large artworks with a lot of white. An idea would be to have historic photographs matted with very large 12 ply mats, and either oak, walnut or white gallery frames:

http://www.metroframe.com/

You can find great historic photos at the Library of Congress for surprisingly low prices:

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpcoop/ichihtml/cdnhome.html

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/fsahtml/fahome.html

Check out architectural salvage places for Victorian light fixtures, or check out this place, which has loads of great reconditioned Victorian pieces for reasonable prices:

http://www.oldhouselights.com/homepage.htm

I'd also look into finding a huge Victorian mirror in an architectural salvage place, and maybe a sideboard (marble on top would look great). The long wall opposite the window needs to be more coherent and dramatic than it is -- perhaps a sideboard with either the mirror or a wall of same sized and framed photos.

Another more -- expensive option -- would be to wallpaper with historic wallpaper.

Good luck! It is an amazing space!

Take your cue from Sarah Richardson of design inc.
http://www.designinc.ca/tr/tr.php?id=40&season=03

That dining room was dark with wood panneling. They painted that pale and used some great wallpaper to give it warmth.

You could keep the berry red and paint the wood in a pale colour like cream or white.

Or if you really like the wood keep it. But paint the walls blue-grey it'll fit better with the orangey wood tone.

Wow, thanks for all the suggestions! No, I promise I won't paint the wood -- that was never even in question, but I guess I didn't make that clear, so I totally understand the outcry. :) The original woodwork (built-ins, pocket doors, transoms) is what made me swoon over this apartment in the first place. Sadly, it's the only apartment in the building (built 1891) that still has any of these original features unpainted, so we're definitely keeping them in their natural state. But I do think I'll try one of your shade suggestions and change the walls to better coordinate with the tone of the wood and to freshen the room. I like the idea of going for either a blue/green or an ochre yellow/gold or maybe even the dove grey. I also love the suggestion to paint the ceiling-- great idea, especially for a dining room, where I do want to maintain a cozy atmosphere for tucking into feasts.

As for the decor, it's still very much a work in progress. The table, bench, and buffet are all staying (and the hutch is built-in). Some of the other pieces are no longer there. I like the suggestion of putting two upholstered chairs on either end of the table to soften the room; I actually have two that will work well.

(I'm not sure I get the American Idol reference, but the piece in question is from Art Werger's Swimmers series of etchings; it is his version of the Three Graces. http://www.wergerprint.com/etching/swim/swim.html)

Thanks again for all the input!

darlingrose -- Just in case you come back this way, please think about adding more lighting to the room whether you decide to change the color or not. Perhaps a pair of sconces -- complimenting the original chandelier -- could go on one wall, add an art light over your artwork, maybe install a couple illuminated glass shelves in that (built in?) dresser's hutch ... I think that will go a loooong way toward making it feel less cave-like.

The wall colour is sucking the colour out of the wood. You need something lighter to show off the beautiful woodwork. It may sound bland, but a simple cream would bring the light in and let the wood see better days. If not, I would go with a sunny shade of yellow or a lighter lime green. In any case, I would get rid of the overly serious and rich wall colour you have now.

Just make sure whatever colour you choose will support the wood rather than compete with it.

darlingrose, go ahead and prime the ways then put samples of each of your color options on the wall, any of those 3 you listed could work well depending on the lighting and how the go with the woodwork, please share the results!

I love the red just not the tone of it. The current wall color has a purple tone to it and you need something that has more of a warm tone to it. I'd repaint in a warmer red (red that has yellow undertones).

You could always try to leave the color on the lower half of the wall, usually around waist-height, and then paint the upper 3/4 of the wall white or a bright color. That way, the warm color will be at eye level when sitting at the table for an intimate meal but it won't feel so encroaching.

I don't know how I feel about the warm reds mixed with the browns in this room... I think they kinda run into each other. I think this room would be awesome with something ranging in the lighter blues or turquoises. This would help that beautiful wood stand out!!

Are you more likely to use the room in daylight or at night? If at night, add glitz with mirrors and metallics and leave it dark. If in daylight, paint a color that looks great with the oak -- a warm gold, maybe, or a pretty warm green. Then use a lot of white accents.

If you keep the dark, go for opulance -- and richer more traditional art. Silver or crystal candelabras, white damask table cloth, fresh flowers, nothing that seems "cheap" (regardless of the actual price.)

If you go light, you could still use some of the glitz, along with simple white items.

If you don't overload them, I think any wood tones look fine together -- the bigger conflict can be with style. So if you keep your dark furniture, don't choose more than one or two main accents colors, and keep the lines simple.

I think the beautiful wood gets lost in that red... maybe a very warm golden yellow. when the sun comes it it will fill the room with warmth... It would also make your wood look rich and earthy... I wish I had a room like this... Maybe something like mango gold... yummy

I would leave the color... it is a beautiful shade and IMO, highlights all that wood. What I would do without a doubt is... LEAVE THE WOOD TRIM!!!
Paint the area of the walls under the moulding a few shades lighter than that of the walls. Then use another shade in the same color family and paint the ceiling. Walls dark, strip around the ceiling the lightest shade and the ceiling the medium shade. Very striking way of toning down the strong color while adding an interesting 'color flow'.
My DR and LR have the same wall/ceiling set up (coved walls and a 1/2" drop ceiling at the meeting point of the coved portion) and it looks great with three shades of SW Martha Stewart (now discontinued) collection in a greenish/brown shade. The color changes a lot with different lighting...natural light I get greenish tones...lamps I get a brown shade. All of my accessories/furnishings are wood in different shades and it works well. Anyway....back to your room!! Sorry, like talking about my house!!
The next thing I would do it to remove those drapes in favor of sheers of light color (beige or camel perhaps) to bring more light into the room. I would have a hidden tension rod at both top and bottom and pull them tight against the window. You need to open up those windows as much as possible to bring in light.
Have you seen the stick on decorative window film at Home Depot? I have it on all three bedroom's windows and it adds trememdously to the look of the rooms while allowing 1) natural day light 2) allowing the original-to-the-house wood frames to show.
The design I selected is in the Frank Lloyd Wright/Mission style...tans/gold with black gemometric lines. They allow a nice shade of light in, but you cannot see in/out. While I was selecting the window film , I saw two styles that would work for you. One is simply a frosted shade, the other is of a very colorful, multi colored mosiac design. It looks like a jewelled mosiac window...very unique and they would add a rich look to your room.
I have never been a fan of curtains or blinds so using this expensive faux stained glass covering for my windows is a perfect fit for me. I have received glowing compliments from all who have seen them. They are very durable as well as I have had them on for four years and they are sticking with no pull away from the window surface. Look into it, but HD would be my first try as online the prices are too high for lower quality product.
I really do love this room and with some moulding & ceiling painting and some window attention, it would really work!!
Please return with 'after' pics as I am sure we would love to see what you decided on! Good Luck and have fun!!