I am debating a big change in my dining room. It’s going to happen; I can feel it. And it’s going to be epic…if I actually go through with it.I can’t shake the idea of painting the whole room white. “What?? Are you crazy? Paint over all that work?” This is the reaction most people have given me so far, but I hope my blog friends will hear me out.
Here’s why I’m strongly considering it:
1. White will reflect more light in the room.
2. White is a great backdrop to a gallery wall of art and family photos.
3. I’m hoping it will feel fresh and modern.
Here’s my concern:
1. White might feel stark. And boring…and I might miss my stencil.
When I look at these gorgeous white washed rooms, they are so far from boring. Are they not just perfect?? I just don’t know if I can pull it off in my own home.
Ok, yes. Recreating this look will take more than a can of paint, but a can of paint is what I can afford right now. We have a table being made by a friend who is new to the wood working game, and I have a Pinterest board with other things I hope to fill the room with eventually. I’m getting ancy to start, but don’t want to take off before I have a clear idea of what’s going in the room.
Alright, you’ve heard my pitch. What say you, paint it white or leave it alone?
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If your keeping the existing dark furniture, go for it! You can add pops of color as accent pieces with the chair cushions and the centerpiece etc. I love the #4 photo from above. Add a fun bright rug under the table. You can have so much fun with the accessories! I say go for it!
Are you mad woman, your dining room is beautiful! You want more light, then turn it on!
Anne-Marie
Haha! You sound just like some of my friends. I know…I Know.
If you’ll do it, I’ll do it!! Yes that’s a dare!! I have the EXACT same problem with my dining room and if you GO FOR IT then I’ll have to do the same!! Good Luck!!
Ha! Well, if I do I will definitely be posting all about it. Maybe you can learn form my mistakes. (there are bound to be some I fear.)
My house is also dark, in fact I’m blogging about it today – I say paint it, get the white on 🙂
I think as long as you keep some dark things in the room – such as the darker table and chairs, some black frames etc. it would look good. Or, you could always embrase the darkness of the room and go with a darker color. A romantic nighttime dinner type room. No matter what you do I know it will look great!
That’s funny. I’ve been contemplating the white wall thing in my family room for the same reason. And it’s those inspiring pics of white rooms that make me want to do it too. Love that look. But I go through the “can I pull it off thing” too. From what I’ve seen of your stuff, I think you can, me….well, I’m not so sure;). Go for it. If anything, you’ll be out a can of paint.
You can make any look amazing, so I have no doubt you’ll do the same with a new, white-washed look! And if you need a painting buddy… I think I know a good one you’ve used a couple times who won’t be that busy the next couple of weeks 😉
I think your dining room would be lovely in white!
I say go for white! One thing about paint is that if you don’t like it, you can always redo it.
Go for it! You have to feel good in your home and it has to function for you. I painted my living room a chocolate brown to warm it up but it was too dark for pictures so now it’s gray. Can’t wait to see what you decide…
I love white walls. You never get tired of white. Anyway, you can always add a touch of colour with frames, photos, furniture, etc… Paint it!!
White will be perfect. It is sad to see your stencil all go. I read that post, It looked like a lot of work. But I know that feeling of wanting to change things.
Yes, I say go for it! Paint a nice white wall and create a beautiful art gallery. It will add so much to the space!
Yes, I say go for it! Paint a nice white wall and create a beautiful art gallery. It will add so much to the space!
Yes, I say go for it! Paint a nice white wall and create a beautiful art gallery. It will add so much to the space!
Yes, I say go for it! Paint a nice white wall and create a beautiful art gallery. It will add so much to the space!
Yes, I say go for it! Paint a nice white wall and create a beautiful art gallery. It will add so much to the space!
Yes, I say go for it! Paint a nice white wall and create a beautiful art gallery. It will add so much to the space!
Go for the white; you can always redo the stencil…or something else if you hate it.
I love love love your current wall—but I do think you should go for it. I do love a lot of light in my homes too—-and I think you are right about the light. Plus–I love the idea of a great gallery wall!
OK, this is great feedback guys! It seems like the majority of you say it’s worth risking. I’m probably going to buy paint samples this weekend just to test the waters…No commitment yet.
I think gallery walls are a passing trend, whereas your stenciled wall is fun and timeless. Keep the walls and paint your furniture!
come on, your stenciled wall looks beautiful! the pictures of all the rooms done in white look extremely BORING — especially the one with nothing but empty frames, what’s with that? oh yeah, here’s our wedding day, there’s my son — basically, nobody! you want sterile, ‘no germs’ here walls — than go with it. you did a great job on that wall and it adds warmth and creativity, shows personality. get over it and let it be.
I have a lot of friends who are on your side Rita!
We just installed dark floors and painted our walls ‘Lamb’ by Martha Stewart. The best way to describe the wall color is like baby powder…a very soft white, not stark. We love it! What if you paint the other walls white and hang white curtains along the stenciled wall to try out the look before painting over it? MK
This is good to know! I’m looking at good “whites”. Thanks;)
I like that suggestion to paint the other walls and change other things before you take the step to paint over the stencil. Also you might try some different artwork & accessories after painting the 3 walls to see if you can add some color. Good luck! You will make it beautiful no matter what you decide!
What of you glaze over it to lighten it up an make it feel “whiter” but still have a little of the pattern subtlety displayed? If it’s still not white enough you could still paint over it, but I would test a small section with the glaze first. It could look really cool and all your work wouldn’t be wasted 🙂 Good luck!
That’s a good idea that I hadn’t thought of before. Thanks!
I love both options. I’d probably paint it white though.
Love your site-first time commenting. I love the white and how adding artwork and accessories see to just POP and because of your dark furniture it think it would be a GREAT thing!!
IDEA: since you love your stencil work, why not paint that onto a large canvas or 3 smaller canvas- this way you have both 🙂
Cant wait to see what you decide….Maria
Thanks for commenting Maria. The canvas idea is a good One, especially since it wouldn’t take as much time as a whole wall.
Life’s too short..I say if you feel like you need a change-go for it! It can really freshen up a room and is a very economical way of re-decorating. I would love to do the same in our home but my husband has a huge disliking for white walls 🙁 I still plan on doing a photo wall though and highly recommend sifting through thrift stores for some very inexpensive frames.
Have you thought of using two different whites and a silver, using a dry brush and just “muddling” them together? That’s what I do. I can’t stand the look of a one color wall in my house and I want texture and depth without using wallpaper. This method works wonderfully. I have a silver/grey paint from Martha Stewart that I would say is almost reflective.
Best wishes on whatever you choose! I love the look of your stencils, and it must have been a ton of work, but I can understand your need for light!
Kate
Paint it WHITE! I’m trying to get up enough guts to do this to my own kitchen right now. I think it will look beautiful in your dining area 🙂
I am actually also going through the same “what-to-paint-this-dark-room” colour and dilemma. In Montreal, majority of the housing is on the loooong side where the living spaces in the middle of the floor plan don’t get a lot of sun-lovin!
However, in all of those pictures, you will notice the rooms are flooded in light because of a giant window in proximity. From personal experience, white looks good and not flat only because it is flooded in light….
But maybe someone out there has any additional ideas!
What are the colors in the rooms that look into your dining room? If they are a strong color then white might be too stark. Try mixing in a touch of the color from, say, the living room into the white to tone it down.
Oh, please don’t paint over those beautiful quatrefoils! I stenciled a wall in my living room a very similar pattern, and the hardest part about selling our home in a few months will be leaving my wall behind.
And I love the idea a previous commenter left about glazing over it if you’re wanting a blank, white canvas. I can’t wait to see what you decide to do!
I love the idea of the white EXCEPT that if you don’t have much natural lighting in there, it is NOT going to look bright and fresh. My walls are white with little natural light, and it is sad. I think the bright white look only goes well with huge windows. Every picture you will find of that style has tons of natural lighting or an industrial architecture. Not a little room in a little house.
This is a very good point that I had not thought of before, Chloe! Oh man, depressing…
How about painting only the top half and preserving all of your hard work on the bottom? Kinda like a chair rail.