I think your table and chairs, the china cabinet, and even the chandelier (maybe with different color shades) look great. The green drapes look lovely too. While the drapes are not wide enough to draw, they look fine as stationary panels. IMO, the sheers are not needed, but if you keep them, I would increase their width dramatically.

Due to your home's interior architecture, the moldings have no logical place to terminate, and so they look disjointed. Similarly, with the change in paint color. I would remove all the thin moldings and paint the dining room the same color as the foyer. Or paint both of them the same new color if you like.

Your foyer rug is lovely, and I could see picking one or some colors from it for a rug for your dining room. I think you will want a nice rug to add color and pattern, and also because the honey toned flooring will not really complement the wood tone of your furniture.

I like the black accents in your dining room -- I wonder if you would consider staining or painting the handrail and newel posts black. I don't remember who here has posted before and after shots of that, but it looked great. The size of your artwork is good, and I like the black and gold frame. Artwork is personal, so just look until you find something that you really like.

The end of the trim seems pronounced because its painted white. Id like to see the bottom of the wall all white and upper sections dark, it adds drama. But the ending of the trim as is prevents that option. I agree with the above post by mjlb, about going solid color for your room. I love the rug and the color, second the idea of using a color from that, and specifically I would use that lovely silvery grey, its very pretty. Perhaps the trim will just add architectural interest painted the same color as the wall if you just paint it all. I like your color choices so far. The color of the drapes can come in with decor and plants.

I think MJLB is right on!

It's "dark" because it doesn't have enough light to read as "dramatic". I would want a shallow buffet cabinet under the painting with a mirror above instead of the painting and two buffet lamps. I would also want rope lighting above your top molding, and double check to see if you have enough recessed lighting, with that recessed being on dimmers. The chandelier's shades need to go away and it needs to be able to work in the space naked. It it's too much glare without the shades, then you need a different type of chandelier. One that is purely an uplight, or a downlight, or that has a large shade might work better at providing glare free lighting.

Another alternative would be to create a shade around the current chandelier. That would give it a more contemporary feel.

Pretty room. Mind if I ask where you got the rug in your foyer?

Thanks.

To create a very pretty dining room with that VERY pretty chandelier -- simply paint the whole room in fresh milky white.

Yes -- the whole room! That simple change will create a far more cohesive visual space. And it will blend in all of the vents and light switches etc.

And consider adding a ceiling medallion before you hang the new chandelier!

And a vote to paint out the top railing of your staircase in the same white (but in high gloss for easy cleaning!) to create a smoother visual on that side of the room.

Consider finding a long thin console table for the main wall. A console table will help to "fill" that long space and provide a place for a couple of buffet lamps.

And move the pretty china cabinet to the end wall where the artwork is currently placed.

Add a grid of pale and pretty botanicals over the new console table.

If it were my room, I would extend the chair rail molding on the 2 short walls where it doesn't exist. Then I'd paint the wall below the chair rail the same color as the molding. Also paint the wall between the crown and thin molding the same color.

I like LWO's idea for the uplighting above crown.

Remove shades on chandelier, or replace with different color.

I would try the cabinet on one of the shorter walls. It seems kind of lost on that long wall.

Pretty rug! You have a great start.

IDK.. I like the walls, but not the molding.

I would paint the chair rail and the molding under it the same color as the walls (or remove the 'boxes' entirely).
Oh, and the heating vent would be the same color as the walls... no need for it to stand out as a design feature!
I would get drapes that were not solid.
I would replace the chandelier, or at the very least get rid of the shades.

If it were my room, I would paint all the moldings the same as the walls, unless they are removable and then I would do that. I would get white drapes...no sheers, Or just put up sheers and no drapes for a light airy look. The shades on the chandelier should be either white or taken off. Hang the thing you have on top of your china cabinet or take it away completely. Put a pretty centerpiece on your table, in either yellows, pinks or green.

Not what you asked, but I would also address the column and stair intersection. The stair newel post and part of the first couple of stairs appear to be partially buried in the column. That looks like a construction defect, and if it were me, I'd really want to change it. Even if it didn't bother me, I'd be concerned about it for resale.

One solution would be to remove the offending column and replace it with a beefed up structural beam spanning the entire dining room depth. You would need a structural engineer for this, and it could be costly and disruptive. Or possibly the column can be shifted just a bit to be free of the stair. Or come to think of it, maybe shifting the lower portion of the staircase is an option, especially since you'll be re-doing flooring.

Kind of like this (but your's would be rotated)

[traditional staircase design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-staircase-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_745~s_2107) by chicago kitchen and bath Stonebreaker Builders & Remodelers

Since you like floral and want to brighten the room, my choice would be a super pale yellow for the walls, while leaving the railings white. I would also extend the railings on the short walls.

I agree about moving the cabinet to a shorter wall, then put a buffet in it's place, with two lamps.

I'm not fond of the curtains though. I know you don't want country, but buffalo checks would be beautiful!

Pretty room! Love that foyer rug!

I would paint the wall below the chair rail in the same color as the trim and then paint above the chair rail in a color that is lighter than the current color. Maybe pull the new color from the rug?

I'd also hang the drapes a little wider...they seem to be covering part of the window. It might make the window look bigger, and add in more light, if they didn't cover the window so much.

I agree with the others about moving the china cabinet to the shorter wall where the art currently hangs, and then getting a buffet or something similar for the long wall. A grouping of botanicals, birds, vintage maps, or similar would look great on that long wall above a buffet. Maybe you could frame them in a gold similar to the new chandelier...I picture thin, simple, gold frames, like the second picture of this blog entry (see link).

You have a beautiful room to work with!

Here is a link that might be useful: See second pic of gold-framed art

You know you are not happy with the wall color and that the drapery color does not work with it. So you know the wall color must change.

If you want to keep the drapes you will have to work the new wall color around them. If you decide to replace them, you might want to find the new drapes before committing to your wall color.

If you are going to keep the sheers, they should be at least twice as full as they are now.

The red or orange chandelier shades are out of place in the current color scheme of the room.

Then as everyone else said, either bring the chair rail onto the shorter walls, or paint it the same as the wall color to make it blend in.

You could really transform what you already have just by repainting the walls. The furniture and chandelier are great so it won't take much to give the room a facelift. Good luck!

The biggest change I'd do is to get something big and dramatic on the large wall. A mirror flanked by prints or sconces with a buffet table underneath.

Wow! I'm floored by all the awesome feedback. Thank you all so much for your wonderful ideas and encouragement. There is a lot to think about here and I am feeling so inspired already!

I think I am leaning toward repainting. The color feels so murky even by day, I'm just ready for something lighter. The idea of light green is appealing because perhaps I could find something that would allow me to keep my drapes. I'm not feeling ready to make another investment in drapes with young children running around the house. The ideas to paint a neutral color or a light yellow are also tempting. Though, I already have so much cream and khaki and camel in the house my husband calls it "tanland" :) I will definitely look into more fabric in the sheers as well.

I have been wanting a buffet/ console, but did not know where to put my cabinet. I'd have to move my table towards the foyer if I wanted to put the cabinet on the same wall as my door. Not enough room behind the table otherwise. I could move the chandelier with it pretty easily, but I'm not sure how I'll feel about the table being off center with the window. Perhaps its time for the cabinet to find a place upstairs. I also love the idea of lamps and gold framed prints that I could change out with the seasons.

The rug is the Brice rug from Pottery Barn to the person who asked. It looks like it is no longer available though.

There is so much to think about here. Thank you all again for your help. I'm still open for more feedback too if there is anyone who has more to add!

The cabinet is too pretty to hide upstairs. What about putting it in your LR, and use it as a curio cabinet or bookshelf?

Hello!

I've been thinking about your room since you posted your photo yesterday. Here is my take..

-the undertones of the drapes and the paint don't agree. The paint is cool, and the drapes are warm. One of them has to go and since you said you want to paint...
-the carpet color is too similar to the walls which help give it that "cave" feeling
-there is a hard visual line between your entry way and your dining room also contributing to the cave like feeling. To get more flow you could change the floor or paint color to be more complimentary to one another Right now they both starkly contrast.
-Just my personal opinion but I wouldn't put honey oak floors with that table as they don't agree in tone or style.
-What if you painted your dining room a more intense shade of what you have in the entry way? Then add a carpet of some sort under your table to bring in some more of that color?

Generally- the goal would be to get flow to that room by adding similar color, texture, pattern that you have in a near by room.

personally, I like the chandelier that you have now, but the red shades are not heping. I'd try removing the shades and get chandelier bulb covers, or new shades that compliment the new paint color.

Good luck and post pics as you progress!

-

You have a beautiful room, just needs some tweeking.

I would remove all the smaller wood trim.
The crown is nice - let it be the star. Remove the skinnier piece below the crown.

Keep the chair rail, but extend it to ALL the sections of walls that join (bring it on around under the stair on one side and extend it to the wall all the way to the hall.

Remove the skinnier pieces of trim that form the decorative rectangles - they are chopping up your walls.

Not liking the zig-zag white trim along the stair steps. Don't know how I would finish that out.

My DD had a lot of decorative molding like this in her DR and it only served to chop up the room. It did require a little skim coating when they removed it. Wasn't too difficult.

I understand wanting a color with all the other tan - perhaps a lighter sage or green/gray. The light green in the rug would look nice with the tan hall.

Your chairs are beautiful, but I personally would add some color to the seats. An easy fix to bring in some color.

The problem with the molding isn't the molding's fault. It's the painter's fault. If all of the wall below the chair rail was painted the trim color, the molding would actually resemble the raised panel molding that it's trying to mimic. It's the same with the molding line below the crown. The bit of wall in between it and the crown should be trim color. That makes the whole ensemble work as a single piece rather than the chopped up look it has now.

I would place your cabinet against the stairs. I don't like how it's open to the DR. There is such a thing as too open, and this is it. The cabinet is a temp screening solution, and I'd close it in with drywall, leaving it open to the entry only.