Dining Room Debate: Light or Bright?

Is your dream dining room serving up pops of bright color, fun fabrics and fixtures? Or perhaps neutral tones and coastal inspired textures are your preferred dining room design menu? That is the question of this post, as we look at dining rooms styles from light to bright. No matter your style, we’re pretty sure there is one you will love!

Our dining room debate arose as we started a project to refresh an adorable dining nook. We knew we wanted to take the walls from the current dirty brown shade to an airy white hue, so first it was time to prime. To cover the light brown paint color, we chose KILZ 2^® All-Purpose primer. This water-based primer offers excellent adhesion and easily covers light to medium colors. After properly priming the walls (and allowing them to dry!), we top coated with KILZ Tribute^® Paint in Architectural White. This sugar white shade has a cotton underdone and appears as a soft white in most light. For full step-by-step directions on covering both light and dark paint colors head over to our post Pro Tips for Painting Over a Dark or Light Wall.

The fresh white walls created a perfect blank canvas that could easily be the backdrop for a variety of color palettes. Inspired by the existing table and chairs, we started with a California Casual design style and played with neutral tones and textures. A new jute rug under the table anchored the space, while a fun basket-weave chandelier, sea-glass colored vase and ocean-inspired accessories completed the look.

Next up, it was time to turn this style on its head and go from light to bright! We brought in a bright white table and chalk-painted blue wooden chairs and an over-sized teal rug. Striped cushions and colorful brightened up the dining bench, while an array of three playful chandeliers came together to create a fun statement chandelier.

The newly primed and painted walls were the perfect backdrop for these two design styles, proving that white walls are far from boring. From bold and colorful, to sophisticated and neutral, the right white shade on your walls can open up a space to a myriad of design possibilities. Which style spoke to you?

Always remember to refer to our website kilz.com or product back labels for additional information on which primer is right for your project and detailed instructions on how to apply our products.