A very pale neutral green is my go-to color.

I agree. A light olive or spring green would look great.

A light green or blue.

We moved into a very similar-looking craftsman bungalow 6 months ago with a living room, dining room, and parlor all open to each other. We chose Behr's Sandstone Cliff, which is a light grey/khaki and it looks awesome. Warms up the space while remaining neutral and highlighting the woodwork. Good luck!

BM: Coastal Fog everywhere
Except Kitchen: BM Calming Aloe
Keep the trim natural & use simple drapes and wood blinds to match trim.
Great House!

I think a mid-tone turquoise could look really beautiful - the coolness would really help offset all the warm tones from the trim and the adjoining rooms' paint colors.

What about a nice burnt orange? Could be lighter than the red, but still bring out the party atmosphere of a dining room. :)

Consider using one of the lighter shades in your Bakhtiari rug but keep the same color in the living and dining areas to visually unite the rooms. With all of the gorgeous golden oak woodwork that you have, a warm tone would work especially well. For more decorating options that would complement the existing architectural elements of your new home, check out this link: http://artsandcraftshomes.com.

i'm a fan of greige. it looks good with wood trim and blends well if you have another room in beige

I'm not sure it's the red that's making the room seem dark. The red itself seems quite vibrant and goes well with the yellow. If anything, it's the weird cream color that's out of place. It makes the space seem a little dingy... I'd paint that bright white (notice how the white in the door frame really sets off the red). It'll lighten the whole space, and also highlight the beautiful wood...

ajstud, I second that, it would make everything look fresh. All that tan/beige feels monotonous. You need some contrast.

I'd go with a light neutral grey green - There looks to be one in the area rug- I think it would harmonize well with the other spaces.

I'd do tones of grey in each room - progressing up or down the card. I can see silver in the closest room, then maybe a darker grey in the next room. Good luck - post pictures when you are done!

I like that idea...progressive tones of the same color. The floor is tying everything together so each room flows into the next, the walls are breaking it apart.

Yep, I agree with what others have said, go with a light gray. It goes with any color, and would instantly update the space. Plus it will make the wood elements pop.

I always think green is a great neutral - every colour flower looks good on a green plant :)

Honestly, the dining room bothers me the least of all the wall colors shown--I think it's the tan and yellow that make it feel dated. However, if you don't want to repaint the other rooms (which is reasonable), I'd go with white or off-white in the dining room to brighten and modernize everything without competing with the beige and yellow rooms. Alternatively, I also support ajstud's suggestion of painting just the living room white. For the sake of full disclosure, my dining room is almost exactly the color of yours (painted that way by the previous owners) and I have a love hate relationship with it. Our house doesn't get a ton of natural light, so dark paint is a little scary, but honestly that room often feels brighter than others with lighter wall color, even with dark wood fireplace surround and furniture, because the carpet is light, the curtains are light, and we have other bright white accents around the room that pop (plates in the china cabinet, art on the walls, etc.).

Literally anything you do will be better

light federal blue

How did I know that at least 50% of the responses would be GRAY??

I think a light gray or green would help. We used BM Horizon Gray and really love it. http://myblissfulbites.com/biting-off-a-little-bit-more/

Talk to your landlord first. They may have a strong preference for _who_ paints your duplex, especially with the wood trim. An amateur painter can really mess up a room. They may also be using traditional bungalow colors, and offer you a choice of colors from their list.

Tonia329: Über-trendy types tend to prefer flavor-of-the-month colors.

Flavor-of-the-month colors are fine, as long as they fit the space. Gray looks good with white woodwork, not natural dark woodwork...just my opinion.

Agreed.