Is this hall colour too dark??

[Whatsnewwithyou]

I finally got around to painting my hall and I feel like I've chosen a colour for below the dado rail that is much too dark. It would be a pain to redo it but better now than once I've tidied everything up.

So what do you think? Should I have gone lighter? I am terrible with colour and could really use some advice please! Maybe I can put one coat of lighter paint in a similar colour over the top?

If I can leave it as is (hopefully!) then any advice on decoration like pictures etc for the walls would be great please. Thank you!

If you have children then it’s ideal. I did mine light grey in summer already wrecked from mucky paws.

I like it actually.

I think it does look quite dark. Is it brown? I don’t think it adds anything to the room and looks quite dated but just my opinion!

I don't think it's too dark, more that it's just a poor colour choice and I agree with a PP that it looks dated. A dark blue would look really smart.

I don’t think it’s too dark for the bottom half —but I’m flummoxed that you would leave pictures on the wall when decorating—

Not too dark, but the colour does nothing for the house, which has great bones! Agree it looks dated. Dark blue or emerald green or a very dark grey would look amazing – you've got the high ceilings and cornicing to carry off a dramatic dark colour. Even black! Then a good white (not brilliant, more creamy) on top to harness the light.

I put the pictures back up when I finished just to see how they would look against the colour.

Oh what a shame that it looks dated. It is F&B smoked trout but I had to have it colour matched as it had been discontinued...I guess then its no surprise it's dated. DH is going to kill me....any more ideas of good colours please? What about a very light blue?

I guess a dark blue might go on quite easily ...the walls are a horrible textured wallpaper as I didn't want the hassle of replastering. Does that make a difference to colour choice?

Dark blue will cover it much more easily than light (speaking as someone currently painting white over a blackboard wall – gah!).

Texture shouldn't make a difference to colour – paint over textured wallpaper can look nice so long as it's matt, not sheeny – though I think dark over texture looks classier/nicer than pale.

What made you choose the Smoked Trout? Go for what YOU like – have a look on Pinterest & Instagram, rifle through your wardrobe to figure out your favourite colours.

I think it's the contrast with the white or cream, it makes it look very dated, I'm sorry but I'd have thought that was a before pic, not after.

I'd go for a pale eu de nil, Laura Ashley does a fab one, it's like a more greeny duck egg, and will match well with the white above and the property itself.

Agree with all the dated comments. Have you got a clearer picture too? It's hard to tell from a blurry photo.

Sorry OP, if just looks 'brown'. And a bit 70s. But as it's dark I'd get a nice navy to go over it and that will contrast nicely against the upper colour.

I think it looks lovely.

Definitely do not go paler if you do decide to 're-do, a hall/stairs takes a lot of wear and tear. I agree difficult to tell from picture with floor covering covered (helpful tip, treat yourself to a dust sheet!). I think it might work if you can draw the eye with some dramatic colourful art.

I agree with the above, it does look a little dated.
Try a navy or dark green - the canvas on the left looks like it might have a nice green in it. Pull out a colour from the artwork and go with that.

Sorry, ignore my photo comment. It isn't blurry but I only just realised that when I enlarged the photo. Now I can see it properly, it looks even worse! If I'm seeing right, your stair carpet is brown-y and your hall is pine-ish floorboards. Add in the brown paint and it all just looks so drab. On that basis, you definitely need a different colour. Any of the suggestions so far would be an improvement.

It’s the contrast that makes it look dated, it will be the same with dark blue.

Paint above the dado something darker than what you have and it will be much better.

What are you doing with the stairs? Runner? What colour?

Oh hang on, the stairs are carpeted.

In that case it might get dark when you paint the top as well.

Definitely dark blue with a nice light colour on the top. It’ll be lovely.

Pics when it’s done.

It does look dated, but the whole area looks like a before picture, although if you look at the individual bits they look quite nice. The lighting is terrible, can you remove all the decorating paper and retake a clearer picture in brighter daylight? It may look much better. I googled the colour and it looks much less dated and a more modern brown than your picture shows. It’s also very hard to judge colour tone from a picture on a computer screen, we will all see slightly different tones of it anyway. Whether it’s dated or not can be a very subtle tone variation and you can best judge that in person. It isn’t too dark.

A dark ish green would cover this well, farrow and ball Calke Green would look very stylish

We have a white below our dado - we used an eggshell finish so it can be washed.

The colour is dark and dated. A blue or grey or dark or light sage green would be better.

I think it is a little dark, yes. It's not a million miles from Dulux heartwood,which was their colour of the year quite recently and they are still promoting it heavily. Maybe have a Google of heartwood for inspiration of what you can do with it.

One way to get a lighter, complimentary colour is to mix some of your leftover paint into white. Always start with white and add small amounts of the colour to it until you get a colour you like. Remember it will dry lighter or darker than in looks when wet so do some tester patches along the way.

Thanks for all the ideas and feedback. Here is another photo showing the colour in better light on a sunny day. I like it in the sunshine and I'm starting to think the colour isn't the issue..it's the lighting (which is harder to fix).