3 Colors You Should Paint Your Dining Room — And 3 to Avoid

You'll be surprised by how important this choice is to your guests' appetites.

By Lauren Smith, HouseBeautiful

No one who hosts a dinner party wants friends or family leaving hungry. Luckily, color is on your side. According to Sally Augustin, a principal at Design With Science who partnered with Sherwin-Williams, the shade you choose for your dining room has a dramatic effect on how much guests eat and the status of their appetite by the time they head home.

Increase Appetites: Yellows

If you want your guests to clear their plates (and then some), think about temperatures. "Research indicates that warm colors makes us feel hungry," says Augustin. This includes yellow, which designer Ann Pyne used in this Southampton dining room.
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Increase Appetites: Oranges

According to Augustin, oranges also rev up appetites. But if you don't want your formal space to feel like Halloween, go with a subtle shade, like cantaloupe. Here it blends beautifully into this 1936 Georgian-style home in Louisiana, which was designed by Melissa Rufty.

Increase Appetites: Reds

The color in this London townhouse, designed by Rob Southern, will also make guests' stomachs rumble. Augustin says red will give people a boost of strength too, so make sure you have enough food for seconds.

Decrease Appetites: Blues

"Blue is associated with rest and provides a cooling environment," says Augustin, which leads to a decreased appetite. This might mean your guests will be hungry by the time they get home.
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Decrease Appetites: Light Pinks

Another calming color that might stop your guests from enjoying your delicious cooking to the fullest, is light pink with gray or blue tones.

Decrease Appetites: Emerald Greens

Colors that are saturated, but not too bright, energize us — like emerald green. "But after long periods of being energized by this color, people get tired," says Augustin. Meaning this shade will may make guests want to leave your dinner party early.