How to Paint a Family Room & Dining Room Combination | Home Guides

A dining-and-family-room combination is a common layout in modern homes. But when it comes time to decorate the space, choosing a paint scheme can be a challenge. Whether you want to separate the rooms, unite the rooms or just create a look that wows friends and families, there are several options for creating a beautiful space.

Unite the Space

When your intention is to unite the dining and family room, there are a few ways to go about it. The first method is the simplest, which is to paint both rooms the same color. This creates a visually seamless room from one end to the next. To create a little more visual interest, paint an accent wall at the end of each room, creating a frame around the space. This works best when you paint the main area a neutral color, like a light gray, off-white or beige and paint the accent wall something bold, like a dark blue, purple or dark red.

Separate the Space

Sometimes the best way to decorate two joining rooms is to create intentional separation. The trick to accomplishing this is to use two complementary colors that work well without looking too similar. This could mean using a light blue in the family room and an off-white on the trim and ceiling, with off-white on the dining room walls as well. Or it can be something a little bolder, like using light yellow in the dining room and light blue in the family room. The trick to finding complementary colors is to check a color wheel and choose colors that are next to or across from each other. Choose a space equally between the rooms to create the division in color. A natural place to break is at an architectural feature such as a corner, beam or window.

Two-Tone Walls

Two-tone walls are often used to create the illusion of a chair rail or to divide vertical space, but it also works well to unite rooms. Typically this means painting a darker color on bottom and a lighter color on top, which is particularly nice in a dining room because the dark color hides bumps from dining room chairs. But don’t be afraid to use a darker color on top or two bright colors. The trick is to divide the wall into three equal horizontal spaces and paint two of the spaces one color and one space another. For example, paint the top two-thirds a light gray and the bottom third a dark blue.

Other Considerations

Traditionally, the walls in a room are painted one color and the ceiling and trim in the room is painted white or a light color. But you may also consider painting the ceiling and trim the same color as your walls, when your walls are a neutral color. This works particularly well in a long space like a dining and family room combination, because it creates the illusion of a room that is more square. Avoid painting the rooms in vertical stripes because it will exaggerate the length of the room and look busy.

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