Green Dining Room?

My dining room walls are apricot. It isn’t a bad color…but it doesn’t mesh well with my things. As if I don’t have enough projects on my plate, I am considering painting the dining room. The question is: what color?

Currently, the dining room is filled with brown furnishings and accessories, with a few red items thrown in. I love the idea of a red dining room. A deep rich red appeals to my dramatic side. Red is supposed to stimulate the appetite and warm a room. However, I am afraid to use red on the walls because it will inevitably clash with my red accessories, which vary from tomato red to magenta.

Taupe is a nice neutral, but with brown floors, brown furnishings, and brown crystals in the chandelier, it would be a little too neutral. Brown, brown everywhere is boring and dark.

I thought a medium, sage green on the walls would be nice because it would coordinate with the brown and make the red accents “pop.” I can tie it into the current set-up with the bits of green in the future roman shades and plants. (I plan on replacing the bamboo shelf in the corner with a tall palm.) The green would nicely frame the view of our usually, very green backyard. Green supposedly makes the walls recede and a room look larger.

I have a few reservations about green, though. First, I am afraid that, if red stimulates the appetite, then its opposite, green, turns one’s stomach. If we were dieting, this could be advantageous. I am also worried that green walls and red accents will look too "Christmasy.” Finally, I’m worried that green will look as awkward as the current apricot.

Any suggestions or comments?