I would suggest painting the coral strip light gray and instead bringing in the coral color through window treatments, artwork, and accessories.

But I don't want to do gray, gray, and then more gray Elle! My kitchen is already a monochromatic grey, darks, lights, white scheme. I feel like I NEED something a little bolder to break this up as the kitchen flows into this room! Worse comes to worse, I could paint the stripe a deeper blueygreen? Lol or something?

How do you feel about painting a feature wall with coral only? That would give you the color you would like and it would look a lot better than just having a stripe of coral at the top of the wall and the rest of the wall gray. Then, you can choose drapes and accessories in coral or coral and gray!

I would suggest keeping the focus on the dining room as a whole vs. the ceiling perimeter. I think blues and greens would complement the furniture better than orange/coral. If the furniture were white, I think the coral/gray combo. would work better.

No to the striped curtains. You must use coral somewhere else in the room or it won't make sense.

I like the paint job. I would say no to the striped drapes.. Maybe go with a solid since you want to showcase the wall design.

Do not paint a stripe around the room. Too odd. Looks like you don't know what you're doing.

I'm sure you remember when people used to add a wallpaper border to their room whether there was any other wallpaper or not. Borders were usually put right up next to the ceiling. Lovely, That's what the stripe reminds me of.

I like the coral color and in fact recently painted my whole dining room in coral. I think the coral and white striped drapes might be too much with your striped walls. Perhaps something neutral like flax or white? Maybe you can find a rug with a print that picks up your wall colors and/or some art work with your colors too. I don't mind your stipe coral color close to ceiling. The important thing is if you like it and it makes you happy, that's all that matters. Once you find your drapes, rug and art, it will all come together and look great.

I think it's a lovely colour combo but just the one strip of coral looks off. Here are some examples of painted stripes and I think it would look better to try to replicate something like them. If you want patterned curtains I suggest a different pattern than more stripes like in the second photo.

I find it tough to choose multiple stripes Marlene as the dining room is more narrow and I don't wish to elongate it any further..... I actually don't HATE the coral colour, and it's even growing on my husband Paul, lol, but I don't want to go all out on something by adding window treatments or a rug I don't feel like I nailed...colour wise. Ugh!

I'll second the idea of painting the whole room coral, or possibly just the accent wall entirely coral. It's a gorgeous colour and goes beautifully with grey. Just don't let it be a colour orphan. Make sure you have touches of coral elsewhere in the room, and if possible in any rooms open to the dining room.

Here's an inspiration pic. Lots of ideas to draw from. Coral walls, white trim and ceiling, sisal rug, natural blinds, beige/coral fabric. I'm not sure from your posts if you have more grey or more beige in the adjoining rooms. If it's mostly grey this colour scheme could also work well with light grey.

I like your idea about the blinds Ted, and those in the pic are close I'm thinking Lisa!? Thanks for your input! I appreciate the helpful suggestions to make it better as opposed to ripping it all to shreds, lol. I don't mind the Navy idea either Ted! I contemplated a navy trellis rug?

@jodieallen, I don't think adding more stripes would change the narrow feel to the room necessarily. Even though your stripes are wide it still creates the horizontal lines. I'm not sure why you were considering more stripes in the curtains then. Vertical stripes may be better. You may just be reacting to the one stripe of coral too. It's a bold colour and with the room not completed there is nothing else to go with it.

I have stripes in the kitchen Marlene! Lol, I don't want to get too crazy with the stripes in every room! Check it out.

Obviously an unfinished project in itself, lol but VERY close!

Very close to the one photo I showed you, lol! Is that navy in the kitchen stripe? Navy goes well with coral and grey if you're considering continuing kitchen colour to DR.

Some questions. Just wondering what style you are looking for? You mentioned chairs, is that for fabric choice for seats? Here are some inspiration photos with coral accents. Are there any you're drawn to, or elements of any of them you like?

I used to have a coral/white dinning and living room.

My suggestion:

Paint one complete wall with coral. Eliminate the strip. Paint the other walls with neutral colors. The longest wall in a warm white shade and the rest with a light gray.

Accesorize with coral and gray but try to balance the palette. If the window is on the white wall you can select a fabric with coral/gray combination. If your window is on the coral wall, try some light see-trough fabric in gray with silver touches.

I think you have a lot of furniture for the space. Try to edit. Eliminate a piece of furniture (like the big one behind the table) and hang some paintings according to your block color. Maybe something abstract, maybe some orange/coral flowers.

For the table, a contemporary table runner and a silver vase with lilies would warm up your cold (gray) and hot (coral) palette.

Show us your final results!

Alex
Architect/Interior designer

My issue where the furniture is concerned is that my husband Paul in NO way wants me touching the table and hutch. *sigh* it is solid oak and there is no way he is getting rid of it. There is a window on every wall and it is an elongated space. With soon too be 5 children under 8 white would not be my wisest choice for an overall paint colour! I HAD a "feature" wall previously in chocolate brown...was trying to steer away from doing it again. Going with something new, you know? Accessorising with coral might be the easier task :) I, looking at my paint choices, thought grey WAS a neutral colour Alex?!

Maybe you'd like to add different widths in paint a few moves up or down the paint strip........ I like it. Seems fun and young.

With furniture and books going on, etc... I wonder about sticking to one color: coral in its lighter and darker versions. Simpler for the eyes! Navy would be sharp and contrasting, but try a deeper coral too.

If you're keeping the hanging shelf which is dark, what if that horizontal paint is a darker more subdued coral - it'd be part of the stripe visually? that sort of thing.

I see where you got your inspiration, I found this on behrs site. Nothing wrong with that, but everdebz pointed out the hutch and bookcase being so dark and notice in the behr photo they've used white. Is the room also used as an office/homework room? I think you need to edit some of the dark furniture and keep it light in there.

That was good work Marlene. :) The white and rug is a different look than yours.

What do your kitchen cabinets look like - stained, painted?

Oh - I just noticed your sconce at left - how many are there?!! I assume they're staying...

Based on the room's small size and lighting as well as the strong yellow tones of the furniture, I would still not suggest a coral stripe, even more stripes, or coral walls because I think it will be visually too much. I still think light gray walls with coral accents will keep it more elegant.

I think your coral stripe hits at an awkward level in the room that is throwing things off. If you brought the coral down to the tops of the Windows I think it would balance better. Then add paisley/floral/patterned drapes, not stripes, to pull it all together.

The coral is SCREAMING at the furniture. Light touches of it n rug or drapes might work.

As your ceiling isn't very high, you should try the soft grey in alternating matte and glossy VERTICAL stripes about 12"-16" wide.

Sorry but the stripe and the coral color doesn't fit the other furnishing. Those bold stripes of color work better in bare open spaces and coral needs cool white or gray furnishings. your black pieces could work with coral but your really nice furniture is warm wood tones in a mission or craftsman style. Those good wood pieces work better with blues and greens. Even the plain gray looks too cold against those pieces.
Hard to say what color would work with adjacent rooms, but a mossy or sage green would be better than grey with your furniture. With the green you could add coral accents like art work, curtains, cushions and flowers maybe even paint a small shelf or chair.
The other option is a total re do with white or grey furniture. repainting the stripe would be easier.

wow just saw you are painting while expecting you 5 little one. Serious nesting. I can see why you want a dose of energy that a coral color would bring.
And why calming blue greens would help with a house full of energetic kids.
Good luck with what ever colors you choose.

I would hold off on doing any more painting now yourself since you are expecting. :)

Elle, lol, oh honey! You don't know the stuff I get accomplished while pregnant! I did the same painting frenzy while pregnant the first time around - then I turned that energy the next time into a large landscaping job! What can I say? I super nest. Lol I'm ready to throw this project in the garbage Kathleen! It looks so quiet and boring without any extra colour and the blueygreen is sounding better all the time than fighting this coral with furniture pieces I have no choice but to keep!!!!

Hmmm...

I think if you are able to edit out the dark pieces of furniture/shelves, then it might be calmer.

It looks a little hectic now.

What about a different light fixture, too?

Everdebz, I have grey cabinets too, lol. The countertops are being switched out in the next 2 weeks to match the island we just got. Tiny kitchen too! Ha. Below is the adjoing space. I have to be common sense and practical. I just wanted a new paint job - I'll worry about it looking "put together" with fancy furnishings in the "new house" as we say, lol.

Adjoining

Lol ted

Hi

Two suggestions would be to do coral silk drapes or a gray.

If you do gray pull in the coral with art and accessories.

Best of luck !

KHB Interiors in New Orleans

Please do me a huge favor and follow us on Houzz!


https://www.houzz.com/khbinteriors

I'm thinking she thought they would look nice or go well Ted, lol, not about practicality! I think most people who commented on this dilemma don't realize just the plain functionality of the "pieces" like a bookcase God forbid filled with children's books, or that stupid, massive hutch that we use to house all "breakable" dishes and trinkets. I don't keep all these pieces because I think they are lovely. Just functional right now. I WAS heading for a monochromatic scheme Ted throughout the house as far as paint choices. Trying not to stray too far from the gray scale I started with, as I'm not a designer/decorator etc. I just wanted a paint colour that looked nice and was complimentary to the grey I already had.

I'm wondering if the chair fabric, rug, and window treatments are awash anyway what with everyone focusing on the paint colour! Lol

Hey - I saw something nice in just the chair-rail height division of 2 colors - did you? Then your sconces etc. could abide in peace higher on the walls..... maybe bring in your countertop blue over into this room. The 'cabana' doesn't seem to fit somehow....

By now, maybe you've painted the coral by the sconces - maybe it's good?

Do you like blue toile for curtains?

Or these with pattern within the fabric in a warm navy kind of:

yeah what is about men and oak? The joke is I can paint the cave of oak paneling when he dies.
Have you thought about some quick HGTV type DiY s like spray painting the the sconces and things like desk accessories in coral? Without the coral the walls are a calmer backdrop but will look bare until you start adding back furniture and art work. Cover a couple piece or foam board or a cheap corkboard with a coral fabric. ( Latex paint works on fabric and cork.) Then display some of your kids art work on them. Paint an old louvered shutter coral and use it like a message board and to hang desk supplies above the reach of little busy fingers.
Maybe these crazy ideas can help you find a way to bring in some color with less work than a full paint job.

Go treat yourself to a robe and gown set in coral and relax as much as you can.

depending on your style..could be a nice fabric choose.

These might not be 'too much' - is this too far off from your coral ambition? Sorry I wish I could stop over and see your place....

http://www.houzz.com/photos/products/query/Ikea-Stockholm-Blad-Pair-of-Curtains

Not terrible everdebz! I don't mind those at all. I actually like that pattern Rubyroses! Pretty. The flooring is ugly and cracked tile Ted, would love to change that too in the future.

How did the counters turn out? Did the baby come?