When we bought our house, my dining room and study were one long, formal sitting room. I felt like this was a waste of space, so we split the rooms up by adding a wall with french doors. We also ripped out the buckling vinyl flooring and put in real wood. Here are a few pictures of the process before, during, and after.

After

At first I was hesitant to go this dark, but I balanced the charcoal walls out with a glass top table and white chairs. When painting with a color this bold, be sure to get a good brush for cutting in (I like Wooster), as every mistake is more evident against a stark white ceiling or window trim. Here are a couple other tricks that may help you out:

To get a nice sharp corner or for hard to reach places, use an ordinary paintbrush.

If you need to stop but haven’t finished rolling yet, cover the roller with plastic wrap, or wax paper and it will stay good for hours, even overnight.

A sparkling chandelier contrasts the dark walls beautifully.

My room still needs artwork to add a little color to this very neutral gray palate, and walls this dark are perfect for something bright. This is what I plan to hang in my dining room as soon as my husband finishes making its frame. We got this painting in Thailand, because it was done by an elephant.

Didn’t believe me? Here she is painting it.

In the far left of the picture there is a baby elephant who is also painting a picture. Cutest thing ever.