Q: Our dining room is currently an annoying light green color. The surrounding walls were painted by the previous owners so I’m not exactly sure of the color but I would describe it as a natural oatmeal color. Our dining room and living room are basically one space and I want to get rid of the green without repainting the entire space (although this is not out of the question). What color would you suggest? What about wallpaper — good or bad idea?
Sent by Marin
Editor: Let Marin know what color you'd choose in the comments - thanks!
• Got a question? Email yours with pic attachments here (those with pics get answered first)
Smart & Simple Small Space Solution: Angela & Tania's "Murphy Table"
Monica & Austin's Charming Bungalow
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Ercol Bar Stool
Why I Became a 1-Gallon Homebrewer
True Greek Recipe: Paximadi Bread Salad with Tomatoes, Feta and Capers
Is it just the one wall that's green? I would just paint it over to match the rest of the walls; they look fine to me.
With that bright yellow art, I would go for something in the grey or taupe family as a contrast. Taupe can be unexpectedly warm feeling.
That dining room is so pretty. In the dining room I would suggest grey. I used to think grey was so boring but I have seen so much of it lately and now I really like it. It looks good with yellow. the problem is that in the living room it might look boring since there isn't too much color in there.
I'd go with either a dark taupe or charcoal. Either of those colors would work with the existing wall color, and that fabulous painting would really pop.
It might be hard to match, but that's what I'd try first.
The wall paper could be really nice. Maybe one with some texture like this one: http://www.homedepot.com/Decor-Wallpaper-Wallpaper/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbnn4/R-202655976/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
I would go for a deep, warm chocolate brown. It would make that awesome painting pop and add depth to the room against the oatmeal walls. (Those curtains in the second photo are FABULOUS by the way!) -Lindsay@Indigo-meets-violet.blogspot.com
With the painting, I would do either deep warm chocolate brown, as suggested above, or a light blue/gray.
Yellow and blue are complimentary colors, so I would go with a blue gray if you do gray (or a "cool" gray). Good luck. Love the painting!
I really like the suggestion of a dark taupe; I'd bring home several paint chips and pull one of the shades of brown/taupe out of the deer in the painting. for your accent wall.
I think that pairing such a statement piece with wallpaper would be too busy, even though the painting has a simple composition - they'd just end up competing with each other, and it's way too fun a painting to have to compete with something else! Wallpaper could definately be an option on the other walls, though.
If you're just going to paint the one wall, a dark color will actually make it recede and feel much bigger - like a cave at the end of your dining room. A dark grey or purply-blue (thinking of the yellow of the painting here) would work well.
Hey you have my Suzani curtains! Nice, aren't they? :-) Choc brown or a blue-gray - that gorgeous painting will pop! Love it.
indigo
The oatmeal color but two or three shades darker.
Aubergine or a deep merlot would make the painting stand out and complement the red accents in the living room.
Wallpaper
I love the idea of wallpaper.
Wallpaper on that wall sounds great - I'd go for a rich brown color as well - with a tone-on-tone texture to it.
Instead of matching the other walls, which might be tricky, what if you acted like they were the top of the paint chip and went three shades down? To a dark version? That way it relates but if its not exact its not a "so close and yet so far" thing, but intentional.
I am guessing that would be the aforementioned dark taupe but on my monitor all shades are kind of a mystery. ;)
But that or a bluish dark gray would be my choice.
I like the idea of wallpaper. I used to think grey was boring but now I like it. It looks really good with yellow. I am not sure it would look that good in the living room as there isn't that big pop of yellow color like you have in the dining room.
I'd go a dark chocolate brown, or a dark charcoal grey!
high gloss or metallic aubergine for fresh and modern touch or high gloss or metallic dark violet/lila-ish grey, if you want to really stand out. the high gloss wall will give nice contrast with that beautifull painting, and the cool color of grey will make it stand out even more, because allmost all of the colors i see in your pictures are "warm" and only combining a cold color will make the warm colors look even warmer, and the color grey has the most friendly habit of enforcing whatever color that's next to it. next to grey, yellow will show to be even more yellow.. glad to see most people share their colorvision ;-) and Marin,
good luck!
the color of the couch (light salmon?) would also work very well (more chairfull/bright look) and also the (gold-green/old lime) color i see in the chair by the window. (little more posh). and even baby blue (really original :-) if high gloss or metallic is not your style, you can also (painting it whatever color) use some effect that displays difference in texture) e.g. an old looking wall etc.
white
Navy blue in the dining room would look great behind the yellow deer painting.
The living room though almost looks as if it's in a different home. The furniture and accessories are very old fashioned in style, so I would go with an off white paint color. Try Navajo white. The afghan, drapes and tv stand are all enough color...
Late to the game, but personally, I LIKE the color on the wall behind the painting...I would paint the whole room that color. It brings up the painting so beautifully, and the warm burnished color of your dining table & chairs. (The credenza is a bit big for the room, though. I'd probably 86 it, at least in that room.)