Actually, I think you could have gone darker. But it's beautiful!

I don't think that brown color is too dark but i think that the chocolate sofa competes with the wall color.

I don't think it's too dark, but you could consider painting the doors lighter somehow or adding another light colored pillow (sans brown) to the couch. Maybe even just a white pillow.

Wow, cute Belted Galloway pillows.

I don't think it's too dark. I wish it was a different color from the sofa. Visually the sofa and wall merge.

I think you've done a great job - very nice.

One comment - will the bookcase in pic #2 fit against the narrow wall, so that the viewer would see into the bookcase if sitting on the sofa? Furniture all lined up against a wall bothers me. Also, if moving the bookcase is possible, you could do a nice display that would be seen in the rest of the room.

I'm working on my LR now. It's very small, and my goal is the same as yours - big impact in a small space. Great ideas!

Nope - it's not too dark...
...but the 3rd color in the dining area is too much - paint that either blue or brown too.

I agree with everyone else -- the wall is great, if you want to lighten things up do something with the couch.

I think it's too dark only because it matches so much of the other furniture. Personally I'd go with a shade of green deeper than the other walls, so that the wood and leather in your furniture stands out more.

love those purple lamps!

The brown wall color is actually really nice; I don't find it too dark at all. The couch -- and it's dark brown color -- is what's creating the dissonance. Somehow figure out how to tone down that couch with a luxurious throw, more pillows, something to diffuse the competing browns.

I'd consider painting the doors white, so the accent wall would stand out more. Your dark cabinets would balance it out.

I like the brown wall. BUT I LOVE the purple lamps. What would happen if you painted the brown wall that aubergine, purpley, grapejelly color?

The purple has the same blue undertone as the blue wall and it might be enough of a contrast to the chocolate brown couch that the couch will pop more.

JMHO though, what you've done so far is really nice, the dining area is just gorgeous.

I think you should make the accent wall a lighter color...its cheaper than a new sofa:)

Beautiful, l love the dining area and those lamps. The sofa and wall are just too closely matched in color. A mirror with a print border would probably give the visual separation I think you wanted.

I am using the same color as an accent wall in my home. I am using it with a khaki green and a white with white trim. For my tastes at first I too, thought the color was a little to dark, but as I looked at it more and more it has grown on me and most people just love the color combination. I even have the dark doors, the one thing that I wish that I could do is change the flooring out to a wood laminate flooring. I have the nasty beige carpeting that is put in most apartments. I am looking for area rugs to cover some of the sea of beige because I am unable to change that part of the apartment.

Don't change a thing, I would add a little more color on the throw pillows on the couch otherwise it is a dramatic look in a small area that works for me.

I don't think the wall color is too dark, but maybe consider painting the doors a different color/shade? In this picture they look a bit matchy-matchy with the accent wall.

I agree with tullymama - change the wall color, not the sofa! It is all a little too matchy-matchy. I would probably just paint the brown wall the same color as the dining room walls (pics make it hard to tell what the other colors truly are).

I also agree with magicsbm about turning the bookcase!

I love the purple lamps too. Very nice apartment and good luck! :)

I am liking it, in fact, my apt is a similar shape and I always wondered if it would look too choppy if I added an accent wall or two, but yours looks great!

I second the motion to paint the chocolate wall the same lovely shade of purple as your dining room buffet lamps. Gorgeous job!

Ah, Venus and Mars!

Is this wall too dark?

Do these jeans make my butt look big?

Do you think the new girl is cute?

You know it looks good, darlin', I'm not going to get in trouble by saying too much! :-p

don't change a thing... the photos probably don't do it justice

Possibly this has been said before but the sofa and the rest of the furniture is too dark for the room. The dark wall would not be too dark if the rest of the furniture were lighter.

This photo is so pink it's difficult to comment on colors. You might want to find a friend who can help you adjust the gamma settings on your computer and show you how to adjust colors in a photo until they match "real life" colors. I think you'd get more accurate feedback.

the location is jarring. photo 1 you see three different colors on four walls. plus the white trim. it seems too much.

I don't know the technical parts. I'm going by feel, and this room feels nice. Especially the POP of lavender in the lamps.

I'm seconding the folks who say try lighter pillows for a lighter feel. A big light colored throw could make it feel different, too.

The colors are fine, but like said before you have competition with the doors and the sofa, so the effect is diminished. Maybe just the same color for the doors as the trim, and maybe a neutral slip cover for the sofa.

Oh, and you should know that my comment is coming from a girl who frequently has a BLACK accent wall. Makes art pop and sexes things up. :) So I'm partial to BOLD color choices, even if you have to compensate in other places (pillows, throw, etc)

The wall is fine, but to lessen the matchy with the couch, paint the doors white and swap the mirror on the brown wall for a large, pale picture with some of the dining room purple in it.

I don't think it's too dark, but I do think it's the wrong color. Or too aggressive, I don't know... I think it makes that block of wall stand out weirdly. If you painted the wall facing to the left in the picture sea foam, it would look better.

But I think brown walls always look kind of poopy, so maybe my advice is no good.

Paint the doors white and you're done.

As a side note, i'm a little shocked that this apartment belongs to a guy. It's very feminine.

My entire living is done in brown, actually a slightly darker brown. I also have a brown leather couch, I love it and get many compliments on the color. Though I love your pillows, I would add color there. I have some blue pillows from Restoration Hardware on my couch. Beautiful room!!

I like the shade of brown. I think what will make it work is painting the trim the same color, but in a semigloss. Then your doors will look more like they belong to the whole scheme.

PAINT THE DOORS WHITE!!!!

PAINT THE DOORS WHITE!!!!

PAINT THE DOORS WHITE!!!!

I love the dark chocalate wall. I agree maybe lightening the the sofa or using throws or pillows to add something to it.

I love the brown/blue combination. Strong colors are a big favorite of mine. In our home we try to use colors that are the same tonal value (in the same position on the paint sample cards). You don't get so much visual vibration or stark contrast this way. But I also think painting the doors white will pull everything together.

1. I agree with lots of other people: paint the doors white.

2. Where did you get the tiny table under the round mirror??

Agree with above comment - paint the wall a deep aubergine colour. It will still be dark and dramatic but will complement rather than compete with the couch and dark furniture. And paint the doors if you can. I'm not a fan of the light blue colour on the walls; I would consider carrying the dining area colour throughout the rest of the space to make everything a bit more cohesive.

Looks great- love the brown doors- they balance the large brown wall and tie in with the brown sofa- giving the eye a nice path around the roo.

Great job.

Room

If you can, here's what I would do
-nix the leather sofa in favour of a fabric sofa in a lighter colour
-extend the brown over the wall that opens to the dining room - it would make a neat frame visually
- paint the front and closet doors white. or maybe paint the trim the same brown so they all blend in together. your choice!

and if you can't do any of those things, I like BetterOffNow's idea of changing the dark colour to a rich dark purple to compliment the great lamps and quit competing with the rest of the furniture.

I love it! I think you have done a great job! Don't change the wall! ;)

The dining area looks much more finished, calm, and soothing than the living room space. Despite your nice living room furnishings, photos #1 and #2 look busy and choppy because of the multiple colors on the walls, doors, and trim.

I would advise painting the doors and door trim green so they blend into the walls before deciding if the brown accent wall should stay or go. Personally I would nix the accent wall since it detracts from the cohesive look you've already achieved in the dining room.

I too think the couch and wall compete for attention. Painting would be cheaper than replacing the couch, and it would be a shame to lose such a beautiful piece of furniture.

Where are those purple lamps from? They are beautiful.

It looks great in the pictures. From your description, I fear that I can't really judge the colors because the other wall looks robin's egg blue to me, and you day it's sea foam.

Personally, I love the brown wall. I think it gives a lot of vitality and sexiness to the room. I would say to paint the dining room to match the main color. The carpet and the open arch will serve as enough of a delineation to make it a separate room, but it will bring the whole space together and make it look larger.

Maybe paint the doors the main color as well. I would not paint the door frames brown because I like the crisp geometric form of the brown accent wall. I think the way you turned the corner with it really sells it. If you made the trim brown, it would not keep the nice delineation, but I understand why you resist making them white. They usually look cheap that way. I say, paint them sea foam and they wil disappear.

The only thing that makes me worried about your sofa competing with your wall is that it appears to be black while the wall and pillows are brown. You can decrease the competition by providing more visual separation: drape a light-colored throw over the arm and back towards the accent wall.

Using the dining room lamp shades for color inspiration could also be a good idea if your brown just feels off in the space.

I think the brown accent wall is visually intrusive and makes your living room way too matchy.

I have a very BOLD bathroom color (turquoise) and found that the best way for me to dial down the color was to install wall paneling.

I was thinking the same thing might work for that wall. Underneath the mirror is a little table that blends in with the wall color. Also, the mirror isn't 'enough' for that space (as far as directing the eye to what you're showcasing and not to the wall).

I suspect that adding a larger print in place of the mirror, or a larger mirror with a stronger frame, as well as adding a lighter/larger table or bookcase in place of the table you have would solve the problem without any need for getting rid of your sofa or painting any doorways.

*After reading the comments, I do think that aubergine might be an interesting way to go but I still think you need a stronger focus in that area.

Must all the furniture be wenge color? Too matchy matchy for me.

I am thinking to prevent sofa from competing with the wall you might try adding pillows with brighter colors instead of the ones you have in place now.

It's not the brown (like it!), it's the green. Paint the green walls the same color as the dining room, leave the doors alone (they look good) and bring some of the awesome purple into the living room.

All of the browns are slightly different shades. Personally I'm not a fan of brown in a room. I know stylistically it looks chocolately and rich, but for me it just looks muddy and depressing. However if you're going to go with brown, find browns that don't compete with each other. The sofa and the wall and the pillows are all fighting for dominance.

this looks great! but i think you can make it even better. my suggestion is to paint the doors white, it will brighten up the place, and make a stronger contrast with your accent dark wall. Also I think 3 colours for the walls in the same room is too much, the blue walls you should paint them in the same colour as they are in your dining area, which, by the way, looks gorgeous! love the round mirror and the two purple lamps, you should use more purple in your place, it would look great, maybe some pillows or a throw/blanket for the couch...

Definitely paint the doors white! Too much brown otherwise. :)

It's really funny that so many of you can't distinguish brown from black! The sofa is not brown, it's black. And does not blend into the brown pillows or wall at all.Now.. I will be replacing the black sofa for a white one by the years end.

I love the color of the wall behind your dining table and the purple lamps. The whole place s/b that color and just dark brown on the doors. Also, an accent color is just that, an accent, not an overwhelming amount. Plus,too much brown gets very dull.

Not too dark at all. I recommend replacing the round mirror with something a lot bigger to break up all the brown, though. Go with a gigantic canvas/framed print or a series of smaller wall art. You could even do a set of smaller mirrors that will add a lot of light to the space.

I don't think it's too dark, but it look like you've got a big brown box is taking up space in your room. You don't have one accent wall, you've got two, with two brown doors. I'd paint the surrounding doors and walls one color, and then have only the face of the big wall painted brown.

You did a great job. Just the doors need to be lightened in color and like many others i love the purple lamps.