Yknow, IMHO, I wish we all could drop the "D" word from our vocabulary. If we love it , if its well made, if its functional - then a place can be found for it, period. In other words - your china cab is just fine, and it does look good on the side rather than viewed head on. That said of course we like our rooms freshened up now and then - but I think you can jazz it up in other ways incl choosing a new color ILOVE greens/browns/tans, but the pea soup color Im kind of tired of. (or so it looks on my monitor anyway, which has been known to be wrong.) Definitely think about going deeper richer. Dont know if Penny's or Anglo's deep dark colors are good for you but it gives you an idea at least of what deeper/richer could do for you. If all else fails maybe you could just take the living room color and just go a few steps darker/more intense with it. Let the DR be cozy and intimate complete w/ a big china cabinet - why not? The DR should relate well to the LR, and that would be one way of doing it. Minor quibble - I would think about that wall space where the china cab was - is there a third pic that could fit in there? With cabinet moved, that wall becomes very significant. Not liking just the two pics , needs to be 3 I think..... Or some other wall decor or arrangement .... minor thing, so perhaps just wait for the inspiration or right thing to come along.

Just match the walls and use a SATIN finish. Not understanding the door color. Watch out for TOO much going on. I'd consider all trim to match the new built in....Or paint charcoal on that door, all trim the satin version of wall to match the new built in. . Looks awfully red. : )

Do you know a fantastically skilled finish carpenter? Or someone who can recommend one? If so, have him/her come in and take a look at your room and see what is involved in removing the scalloped edging from the book case and crown molding and if it can be done without damaging the bookcases and crown molding and what the cost would be, etc, and then you can decide about that. You can have a wood refinisher restore the wood back to its natural beauty if it has dried out and or alligatored, etc. Or you can have it painted. The sage green color Flo Mangan suggested is lovely. Just think about if you want to be married to that green color, because although you love the fabric on the little sofa now, you grow tired of it, or it will wear out and when you replace it, you may want to go for a totally different look, but you will be stuck with green woodwork. If you want to introduce a piece of furniture, say an armoire that is very functional for you but the quality of the wood is not that great, you can paint or stain that one. If the rest of your home is in greens, and if you have been a green gal your whole life, why then go for the green con gusto. If not, please think carefully about doing all the woodwork green. I like a wood floor with a beautiful handmade rug. I am partial to Orientals, and the prices on Persians are very good right now. You could get the paler colored Nain or Isfahan, but a brighter colored rug would look well too as it would stand up to the deep green and the deep coral in the sofa. An allover pattern is a good idea as a central medallion might get lost depending on the positioning of your furniture. An Aubusson (yes, they are still being made) or Aubusson look-alike would look great as well, but this hand-made authentic Aubusson requires a serious $ committment to green. Curtains to the floor would be a good idea. If you are willing to make a long-term commitment to green, then you can pick 1. Medium sized print with a botanical print such as a green leaf such as a fern on ivory, or 2. Green and ivory vertical stripe 3. All ivory with a wonderful embroidered ribbon trim along the inner edge, and the trim should incorporate the colors of green and ivory and one other color from your sofa, you decide. I like something that looks and feels and drapes like silk. I know you thought about about an upholstered desk chair, but you need to really think about the ergonomic aspects of a desk chair. It doesn't matter how beautiful the desk chair is if your back or hips hurt after sitting in it after a while. I strongly suggest going to every office supply place in town, and buy the most comfortable chair you can find, but sit in it at a desk in the store for a while. Even if you despise the fabric. You can always get it recovered in whatever fabric you like, or a supple leather. I suggest having a throw pillow made for your sofa is you think you would use one, and if you like to put your feet up, I would have an ottoman made, with the cushion in a floral print in the colors of the corals and green of your sofa, and a ruffle skirt in a medium green stripe to match the stripe of the curtain, or if you don't do a stripe in the curtain, pick one of the greens of the sofa. (I say sage, you say olive, but you know which shade I'm talking about.) And on the throw pillow and the ottoman you will use contrast pattern welting. And you can think about really going for broke with lavish fringe or tassels, etc. Take a look at the Scalamandre web site under trims. There are no prices listed on the Scalamandre website because if you have to ask their prices, you don't need to shop with them. Seriously though, their products are only available through a designer but you can see what you like there and get the best facsimile that you can afford elsewhere. Pink and green go very well together but a bit Palm Beach Lily Pulitzer. Coral pink and sage green go very well together and are tres chic. So if you really want the room to read feminine, you can paint the walls the coral pink that is in the sofa. But choose the pink carefully, because you don't want the room to look like a nursery. And the choose the green carefully too, because, well, split pea soup. A side table to hold a drink, a book, and a small plate would be useful. If you can corral a somewhat larger table from somewhere else in the house, or buy one from a garage sale that would be useful. You might want to bring up a tray from the kitchen and eat lunch in there or someday have someone in there for tea and to discuss a project and you can keep a tea set if you like on top of the table. So think about a small dresser for storage, or a small table, or a set of TV tables (is that what they are called?) This will be a really fun project, and keep us posted!

If you want some color and interest in the dining room, I would think about changing what is over the buffet and getting a marvelous piece of artwork. Either one large piece or a trio, that goes to the height of the door frame. I would also change what is in those cabinets to make for a more interesting display in terms of color, shape and texture. For example, on the left, you have all white objects, it looks like serving pieces or bowls, all lined up in a row. This is a snooze. If you do these two things, you may not feel the desperate need to paint those cabinets.