We need to paint a dining room in a stand Florida stucco house that overlooks a screened pool room. The rest of the house I used the seaside retreat colors but a lot of folks seem to find the colors too soft/pastel. The room doesn't get much direct sunlight due to the enclosure. Can anyone give me any direction to start? My daughter likes taupes, I thought about a pale/ice blue or an antique white? med oak dining room furniture and sandy carpet.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: CluelessinFlorida,

take a look at ben moore colors for blue - yarmouth blue, palladian blue, woodlawn blue, summer shower, and in the aura/affinity line, serenata

I like the idea of an antique white, especially if you want to brighten a room that doesn't get much sunlight. Then bring in colorful accents and fabrics or wall mirrors to brighten this neutral color palette.

Have you thought of applying a neutral colored grass cloth (or faux grasscloth)to your walls to carry through the soft tropical look? For a cost-effective approach, add a chair rail; paint the bottom in antique white to look like wainscotting, and cover the upper walls with grasscloth. If you are handy, you can apply molding trim on the lower walls to look like panels which you can paint.

Here is an inspiration picture. Designer is Laura Green.

I agree that the Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue would look lovely with the oak furniture.
http://www.houzz.com/photos/27...s-stains-and-glazes-

It has been my experience that cooler colors can look drab in rooms with diffused light.Beiges may wind up looking taupe and taupes can look downright gray. Perhaps I am relying on outdated tricks, but it has always been my preference to use warmer tones in shady or north facing rooms. I also feel warmer colors are more conducive to a relaxed dining atmosphere.Certainly reds, pinks and oranges are well known to stimulate the appetite and are often used in dining rooms. But, JMHO.

Had some of the same thoughts when I first saw your post and would also recommend warmer, more vivid shades/tones, depending on how you use the room. For example, do you use it for intimate, evening dining? Or, luncheons? Simple, daily dining?

Nice, IMHO, to make the d/r special and differentiate it from the other rooms. You can easily create flow with continuity of only 1 or 2 items, e.g. flooring, accessory colors and/or selecting colors from the same paint family/paint chips, among other things.

Either you or your dd's ideas sound terrific! (Personally, I wouldn't worry about the "lot of folks".) You could select either a darker taupe or vivid, deep blue or various combinations, thereof. A chair rail and/or crown will amp up the elegance, too - if that's your style. BTW, red's supposed to stimulate appetite.

So, I would start with the seaside retreat line you previously used and go from there. Obviously, you'll want to obtain several paint samples and try them out for several days in the room itself, checking them at various times of the day, in the various light(s). That will allow you to focus on the times you typically use the room, too.

As usual, it's all JMHO. Best of luck to you -

P.S. Doesn't hurt to haul samples of the carpeting, furniture and any other colors/tones when you visit the paint store.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: AguaBella,

Thank you all for your responses. The house is up for sale so we do want to stay neutral. The Seaside Retreat paint line seems to have been discontinued. We are switching a dining room and an office/formal living room based on realtor feedback. So the office is going to get the chandelier and chair rail and dining room furniture.The dining room is going to become a formal living/welcoming area as its the first room u see. It is currently two tone, the bottom crushed coral and the top half a paler tangarine color,(think bottom might be shrimp toast and top crushed coral) with chair rail. So do we put the ceiling fan from the office into the living room? is the chair rail and the two/tone paint okay there? thought about using at least one of those colors in the new dining area but not really neutral. Halls are slipper shell, kind of pale peach.And the other room you can see is garden fairy green.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: CluelessinFlorida,

current dining room to be living/sitting room?

dining room into foyer/hall now that i've posted these pictures, I'm thinking it is just too many colors. DH is willing to paint any or all of the office and/or dining room. Prefer to leave the slipper shell alone since it's all hallways. so bring the slipper shell into one of the other rooms or paint the office and dining room same color(s)? or ??

Oops, that changes things. I would probably take my carpet sample in and select a few samples of boring beige - probably taupe. You might consider going darker under the chair rails and lighter above.

The other room appears a little smaller. How's the scale of your table in that room? (Can't tell if it has a leaf that can be removed.) Might be a good idea to either move or store the hutch, if possible. In addition, I would probably go with only 4 chairs - the darker ones.

If you like, it's o.k. to use a chandelier in a living room. Or, you could simply replace it with an inexpensive flush mount in the new l/r. Or, if you'd like to take the current chandy to your new home, you could also pack it up and purchase 2 inexpensive, coordinating lights for these 2 rooms.

Hope something helps you out. It's already a beautiful home!

Good Luck!

Thank you for your response. The rooms are identical in size. I think I'll go with the flushmount for the new sitting area and move the chandelier to the new dining room. Can't really use the ceiling fan/light kit in either room.