Color Feast: Yes, You Can Use Blue in the Dining Room

Most of us turn to warm hues — shades of red, gold and tan — when picking a color palette for a dining room. These colors tend to feel cozy and inviting and work well for rooms where we gather, converse and eat. However, I am going to make the case for the oft-overlooked blue hue for dining spaces. Now there are some legitimate reasons why people avoid incorporating blue into their dining room color palette — it's thought to be an appetite suppressant and it can also feel cold and uninviting. To make blue work, you need to find ways to warm it up.

Read on to see my blue paint picks, as well as seven sensational examples of blue dining rooms, along with tips on how to use blue in your own dining space.

Blue paint picks for dining rooms (clockwise from top left):

1. Misty Surf 740E-2, Behr
2. Sky's the Limit KM3803-1, Kelly-Moore
3. Chambray Blue 029-2, Mythic Paint
4. Debonair 23-3, Pratt & Lambert
5. Cool Aqua 2056-40, Benjamin Moore
6. Crystal Lake 353-4, Pittsburgh Paints
7. Leisure Blue SW6515, Sherwin-Williams
8. Mystified 4011-8, Valspar


The sea and the sky — what could be more blissful to behold? If, like me, you lack a water view from your dining area, you can fake it with a soft, watery blue color on your wall. Paired with light greens and sandy hues, it will bring a dining-at-the-beach vibe into your space.


I'm just not tiring of turquoise. It's a fun blue hue that looks young, modern and fresh. And I like how it stands up to darker neutrals, such as rich chocolate browns.


A sky-blue hue on the wall adds a little zing to an otherwise neutral palette of light grays and wood tones. The exposed beams are gorgeous, but they bring quite a bit of darkness to the ceiling, making it appear lower than it actually is. But the wall of windows (and view beyond) and splash of light blue on the wall balance the beams out nicely.


Here is another appealing yet simple color palette featuring sky blue with white and various wood tones. This particular shade of blue can serve as a neutral backdrop for your favorite artwork. Or, if you have interesting architectural elements to show off, use a fetching blue hue to draw the eye in and up.


I'm a huge fan of dark, inky blue hues for interiors. It's admittedly a daring choice for a dining room, but if you balance it with a good dose of white or other light hues, as well as plenty of natural light, it offers such nice contrast and drama without feeling too heavy and claustrophobic.


If you want your ceiling to appear taller and more expansive, don't paint it white, paint it blue! Cool colors tend to recede, and we associate blue ceilings with the sky above, so it's the perfect color to give you an open-air vibe. I am also digging the mix of cream and soft blue dining chairs in this charming dining room.


This is a color combination I've been seeing quite a bit of lately: light blue with a small accent of deep red. It's a fantastic palette for a modern dining room. If you are wary of following color trends that quickly come and go, my advice is to limit the trendy color or colors for items you can easily and affordably change out. Stick to tried-and-true neutrals for your flooring and expensive dining room finishes and furnishings, but have fun with wall paint colors and relatively affordable decorative accessories.

More guides on how to use blue.

Are you cool with blue in the dining room? Please share a photo in the Comments section below!

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