Dark dining room in a 70s house

[dynamitegirl]

Our dining room gets little natural light and, due to building work, will soon get even less. Until now, I've tried to keep it light & airy but it seems a bit artificial as it is so dark. Also, whilst we call it the dining room and it has the main table in it, for day to day eating, we're mainly in the kitchen. When we have friends or family over or staying then we eat in the dining room but only if it's not nice enough to eat outside so I wonder if trying to make it dark & cosy might work better anyway. In my mind, I have deep red walls but, whilst that works in period properties with high ceilings, I'm not sure in does in 70s suburbia.
Any suggestions welcome!

I agree that embracing the dark is probably the way to go. Orange, aubergine or olive green would fit with a 70s vibe, if that works with the rest of your home? Dark, rich browns would also fit with 70s and are on trend in 2022 but not to everyone's taste Dark wood panelling or orange pine would also be on trend and suit a 70s house.

Or you could go the other way and use light reflecting paint in a pale colour like Dulux light and space. F&B Borrowed Light and Skylight are also good at making a dark room feel airy.

What do you know, it seems orange and olive green are on trend too

www.homesandgardens.com/news/paint-trends-206929

Navy could also work, although that is a bit last year.

Why not ditch the table, and turn the room into something you'll use more?

I've just painted my was-dining-room-is-now-an-office-and-place-to-dry-washing-room in F&B sulking room pink. Moody as fuck! And there's something quite 70s about it...

A dark/bold colour, eg green, brown, turquoise with a lot of framed pictures on the walls and a lot of lamplight and candles would be fabulous and atmospheric. I'd really layer it up.

Or even go with a 70s disco theme and have v dark walls plus a glitter ball thingy and a lot of mirrors and a load of cheeseplants.

Friend of mine has a 70s house and painted dining room a really dark navy blue. maybe a bit last year @chesirecat99 but who paints their house every year ? - It's only paint you can put some other things around and see how it goes.

I think deep red is not very 70s appropriate though, you're right OP.

If you mainly use it in the winter you could go a bit Swiss chalet with wood and orange.

Shag pile carpet would be good. I'm a bit envious, I love 70s stuff.

Luxury ski lodge I mean. (lots of that on Pinterest)

Also (sorry) one of those gold palm tree standard lamps.

I totally agree, @BasiliskStare, you should paint your home whatever colour you like. But as OP isn't sure, there is nothing worse than picking a colour you think is okay because it suits the room but you don't love it, and that happens to be on trend so then it becomes ubiquitous and you get sick of the sight of it!

@chesirecat99 - Exactly and assuming you can afford a couple of tins of emulsion I would give it a go - if it's ubiquitous and you get sick of the sight of it - one big tin & a day ( well certainly in a house my size ) would get rid of it. I would choose a colour which may be ubiquitous despite that not because of it if I liked it . I keep looking at my little sitting room ( which is the main room , not apart from drawing room , library etc ) & thinking how a lovey Palma Grey ( light blue grey colour might look nice ) Not fashionable but I like it. I have done walls before when we could not afford a decorator - not so good with woodwork ) so I might give it a go - I have done things before when DH was working away - the problem with this is he is now WFH - he will come down for lunch and say - Oh in name of all that's Betsy - what are you doing Basilisk ? - Er - just painting the sitting room - nothing to see here , move along ... It has not been decorated for 7 years so something needs doing - a question of touching up or something different - I get no help from DH on colours etc which is fine by me - he has power of veto but doesn't tend to offer his own suggestions.

Whilst the house was built in the 70s, it isn't 70s in any other way and having grown up in a brown and orange house and spent my childhood wearing brown and orange, I get a fingers on a chalkboard feeling at the thought of going for those sorts of colours ... although a bit of me also thinks it would look fabulous and amuse me.
As for changing its function, we're fortunate enough to have a sitting room, playroom and study already so having a room with a large table is not only useful but a good use of space. The children would prefer that we turn it into a sort of indoor sports arena but that isn't happening!
I'm quite tempted by sulking room pink. Hmm... was about to go for chrome fittings but think brushed gold might look better in that case.

@dynamitegirl - sulking pink - I think there may be a market for that [fowers]

My school uniform was brown and orange - no way am I ever using those colours together - I care not how fashionable or retro