Is Hale Navy too dark for an entire room?

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

I want to change the color in our dining room. It is currently SW rain which has always looked too baby blue in there to me. We live in a century home with high ceilings and gorgeous woodwork. This room is south facing with a large bay window. I don’t have the best photo of the room but right now. We have a darker wood table (can seat up to 14...so big dining room) and almost black stained chairs. I got samples today of Hale navy and blue note by Benjamin Moore. Both look so dark on our wall. Is this too dark a color to paint an entire room? Is there another navy that gives the same dark blue look but not so dark? I don’t want another for of a medium blue.

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pink_peony

5 years ago

My pictures stink since it’s dark out but

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Comments (41)

latifeh hammad
5 years ago
Can you provide a picture
Krista O
Original Author
5 years ago
I’m trying. Is there a trick? It looks like it’s on there then I post and it’s not showing up.
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ilikefriday
5 years ago
Hale Navy is a beautiful color. I think what you do with the rest of the room will determine if it is is too dark for your space. IMO dark walls often look really awesome. You have to consider the entire space.
annied75
5 years ago
If you find hale navy too dark, then check out BM Van Deusen Blue. It's also from the historical collection.
annied75
5 years ago
BM Van Deusen Blue
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sheilaskb
5 years ago
I believe the color on the right in your photo is the better one because it is brighter and has more "life" to it. All the white trim will make the dark blue shade pop, and I believe it will be lovely. White in the curtain fabric, table cloth, and chair pads will stand out and look fresh against the dark blue.
Kris Bruesehoff
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Hale Navy is our Library color, I love it!
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Flo Mangan
5 years ago
BM Gentlemen's Gray is a beautiful darker color (don't let the name fool you) for your dining room and your white trim and natural light is going to make it gorgeous!
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Flo Mangan
5 years ago
It isn’t as saturated as Hale but really beautiful. Van Deusen is a fav of mine but it isn’t quite as deep.
K R
5 years ago
On your walls those blues look muddy. I agree try the other blues that are a little lighter with a little more depth. I think a navy room would look lovely!
Krista O
Original Author
5 years ago
Here’s a better photo of the room in the daylight. For those that recommended the VanDusen blue, does it still look navy or lean more toward royal blue?
Rawketgrl
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Try BM Old Navy it is a less grayed Navy.
housegal200
5 years ago
Do keep in mind that you have very dark chairs, table, and floor. You are going to need contrast in lighting, art, rug--can't really see yours. Most of the rooms shown have much lighter visual areas in furnishings or wall or floor features. It does help that you have a lot of white molding. This is the second posting today where there's not enough visual information. Do you have a sideboard? What's your overhead lighting?
Krista O thanked housegal200
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Flo Mangan
5 years ago
I wouldn't call Van Deusen Blue a "navy" blue, it is more of a medium to dark blue. I can get the exact color notations for it if you wish.
annied75
5 years ago
I have my master painted BM Hale Navy. I love it!
decoenthusiaste
5 years ago

Great DR color if your family has weight issues to address. Otherwise, it is too calming a color to use in a room where you want people to enjoy eating and having lively dinner conversation.
ilikefriday
5 years ago
As long as the food is delicious and the conversation is interesting I dont think the color of the walls will come into play....
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Flo Mangan
5 years ago
I have had dark blue dining rooms and they are my favorite and have had wonderful times in the room. I agree that some colors invoke certain emotions, if you have a lovely dinner party or reception/buffet, the dining room color that will impact most is the food colors and presentations!
annied75
5 years ago
Lol! If blue suppresses eating, then wouldn't everyone just paint their living spaces blue? No more need for dieting and exercising!
decoenthusiaste
5 years ago
Maybe they just haven't figured out that angle and all the diet fad companies would fold! Kind of like the cancer industry. Fat chance (pun intended) they'll ever find a cure! They'd all have to find new jobs!
cpaul1
5 years ago
Yes. Way.
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Mafi International Rugs
5 years ago
A dark wall can be really beautiful, especially paired with trim that makes it pop. Also consider using a rug to ground the whole look together and bring more life to the room!
pink_peony
5 years ago
No. Its lovely. I just did my new study in Van Deusen blue which is a bit lighter and has a "dusty" quality to it compared to Hale Navy (which I also considered along with SW Naval) . I couldn't be happier with my choice. I did everything in the space this color, walls, casing, moulding, shelves, cabinets etc. and plan on wallpapering the ceiling. Tried to post a picture but Houzz is throwing a temper tantrum. Will try from my phone.
Krista O
Original Author
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago

I tried to post this earlier but for some reason its not uploading. I just got a sample of newbury blue. Would that be considered a navy? We have this rug which is probably going to stay for a while. It’s muted greens, greys and blues. There are places with a dark slate color in it. We have young children and can’t go too light for the rug anyway. I don’t have anything on the walls and we need to get a sideboard at some point.
pink_peony
5 years ago
Krista, beside the rug what other items are staying as is? Are the chairs black? Are they going to remain black? What about the light fixture? In the photo the rug looks tan and coral on my screen. Can you take a close up of the rug? I LOVE navy. That said looking at the elements of your room I am not convinced it is the best color choice for the space if all the other things in the room are remaining the same. Your chairs are going to disappear. The lighting fixture is going to fade into the walls too. The rug I cant tell.......looking at this last picture my immediate thought was a beautiful coral color would be stunning. Of course we need to see a shot of just the rug and the colors you have going on with it.
Krista O thanked pink_peony
jalarse
5 years ago
I love Newburyport blue, by Benjamin Moore. I used it in my master bedroom. You could also use a white chair rail molding to break up the blue or wainscoting.
dakotacharm
5 years ago
Krista, I have Newburyport Blue in a living room! It's gorgeous, I love it. It really absorbs light, so I think a dining room would be beautiful for it! and I totally feel in my living room that it's navy. Looks great with any colored metal, from brass to bronze.
Heather N
5 years ago
Our kitchen cabinets are painted Benjamin Moore Evening Sky, which is similar. Your room seems very dark right now with the table, chairs, rug, floor. Do you have any other lighting in there other than the chandelier? Sconces our lamps would be great. I don’t mind the current color, but I do love dark dining rooms - think they’re so nice in the evening when you linger around the table. My old dining room had light-colored walls and I didn’t like sitting there at night.
Heather N
5 years ago
Also, have you considered wallpaper? I just love wallpaper in a dining room
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Flo Mangan
5 years ago
For your dining room, given concerns expressed, I think the Van Deusen Blue would be perfect choice. Put some white ginger jars on your table with perhaps a branch or two of eucalyptus in one would create lively look tying in some sage green from your rug.
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Flo Mangan
5 years ago
With dark blue walls and your white trim you can take it in any direction you wish! Here are examples.
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Flo Mangan
5 years ago
Question? Do you see your kitchen cabinets from dining room? That BM cabinet color looks like it is in the Purple-Red Hue family so it might effect the dining room choice.
Krista O
Original Author
5 years ago
The dining room is very separate. The house was built in 1918 and is still configured how it would have been back then with live in maids.

The rug in the dining room is staying. It is kind of a light sage green with a burnt orange color around the border. Our chairs are stained but almost black. We won’t be changing those either.

As for lighting, we only have the overhead brass chandelier.
Heather N
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
If you’re keeping that rug, I don’t love navy for the walls. I don’t like it with the sage/orange colors. Also don’t like the black chairs against the navy wall. I do love your windows, however, so pretty!

I would add add some additional lighting if possible. If you can’t get some hardwired sconces, then plug-in sconces with a clean covered cord still look fine. Or lamps on a sideboard or small table. The room is going to look very dark if you paint the walls dark and only have 4 bulbs overhead in a single chandelier. Even if you don’t paint the room dark, having some more levels of lighting will be nice and make the room feel cozier. I don’t know what the other walls in the room look like in terms of where to place a fixture, but your photos look like they could use more lighting to me.
Krista O thanked Heather N
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COCo
5 years ago
I used Hale Navy this summer and loved it, I will use it again. However, I did do a very white bright trim and ceiling. And beautiful white velvet drapes. Very elegant. Bedroom.
tatts
5 years ago
Heather N is right about lighting. The dark walls will prevent the light from diffusing properly and everything will be shadowy. You need sconces or table lamps to fill in the shadows.
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Flo Mangan
5 years ago
A couple floor lamps strategically located with LED 4000 dimmable bulbs should be plenty. The dark blue walls with your rug and a beautiful table arrangement will be gorgeous!! Some accents of orange will enhance the rug and the room. Could be carmel color candles in several candkesticks. Gorgeous.
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Flo Mangan
5 years ago
Krista- this will be gorgeous. All kinds of ways to make the dark blue cohesive with your rug and chairs. Perhaps some gold rub and buff on the chair backs on edges to highlight their shape. I can see this in my minds eye and it is beautiful.
pink_peony
5 years ago
I think the colors will work together but i think you need to bring in a lot of warm whites/creams to balance all the dark color. Do you have a side board you can put two cream/off white ginger jar lamps on? Like Flos idea of white ginger jars on the table. Can you do some window treatments in a white as well? Would you consider getting chairs in a lighter color for the ends of your table? Something upholstered? What type of art work is in the room? Something with a lot of white in the back ground or large matting in white will help too.

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Flo Mangan
5 years ago
I tried to do a little mock up for you to show you how pretty your dining room can be. Drapery is a challenge so you might need a white woven or white roman shade at your windows but thus will help you visualize the darker walls with your beautiful white trim and some white accessories.
Krista O thanked Flo Mangan