inspired: blue/black dining rooms – would you dare go dark?

Where has the time gone?  I feel like I apologize more for not blogging as often as I did before baby than I actually post lately!  Lydia is an absolute doll (she started sleeping through the night at 7 weeks!) but being a momma is a lot of work; I’m enjoying my time off from work immensely right now but while I had planned to blog daily, sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day to squeeze that in, too.  So, please bear with me as I learn how to manage my time much better (something I wasn’t too great at pre-baby).  I promise to be back to normal with lots more DIY’s and a tour of my own house, room by room!  Today, though, we’re going to talk about dark-painted dining rooms!

As much as I absolutely love light, bright, WHITE spaces, there isn’t a dark-painted room that I haven’t loved.  Dining rooms are the perfect place for a little drama and I’m currently obsessed with dark, inky, almost-black/blue – the perfect choice for wall color!  While navy walls can tend to be a bit too nautical, blue/black walls are the perfect combination of moody, edgy and sophisticated.  I especially love it paired with a seagrass rug, gauzy white curtains, bamboo Roman blinds, some blue and white ginger jars and a mix of brass and chrome metals for a casual, pared down feel.  Here are some beautiful examples of inky dining rooms that get my pulse racing lately:

This is actually a kitchen –  Windsor Smith’s beauty, to be exact, which is one of my all-time favorites .  The cabinets, walls and trim are all painted deep, dark blue, a beautiful contrast to the white floors and stainless steel appliances.  I mean, even for someone like me who lives and dies by all-white kitchens can appreciate the stunning simplicity of this room!

Navy walls are a beautiful, neutral backdrop for art, greenery and a geometric rug in this dining room, designed by Jeffrey Alan Marks.  The combination of modern accents with the more traditional wall color feels fresh and laid back – I especially love the layered rugs for a more casual feel!

I love the brass chandelier and striped fabric on the chairs in this dining room designed by Black and Poole:

While not quite as dark as navy or black/blue, graphic designer Ashley Putman’s dining room is still a favorite – a brass chandelier, gauzy curtains and bamboo Roman blinds, striped dining chairs and slipcovered wingbacks create a cozy but elegant feel:

This dining room’s walls may very well be black grasscloth and not dark blue, but it’s a great example of how dark walls can still be light and bright.  Love the aqua chandelier, trellis rug, farmhouse table and Chippendale chairs are beautiful compliments to those gorgeous, textured walls!

Indigo walls, a wood chandelier, a ton of brass candlesticks and a fabulous cowhide rug?  Oh, Midcenturyjo, you know how to make quite a statement!

Here are my picks for creating an elegant, yet laid back feel in the dining room:

Ginger jars / Benjamin Moore “Soot” / Merete curtains / Bamboo Roman blinds /

fiddle leaf fig / seagrass basket / Devon chandelier / Pillow / Seagrass rug

Would you ever go dark in your dining room?