Congratulations on your new pretty home! 1) My preference is always to go with a chandelier over a dining table-it creates special atmosphere, and does better job on defining the area and making it feel cozier. They can be really bright-depends on amount of bulbs, and wattage of said bulbs. We keep just several of ours in"working" position, unless we have a dinner with guests. It's always a good idea to keep it(and other lights) on a dimmer-gives you so much control over how much light you'll get-bright, moody, or just a little bit of light. If you go for shades(which you probably won't-my impression from the pics in the link)-the light will be more diffused and thus more flattering. I wouldn't put a big rectangle there-I think it's too formal for a nook.. Between the fixtures you saved-I'd go with a Pottery Barn one, which is also visually light, see-through so to say, and you'll still be able to enjoy the mantel view. The drum one might be a nice idea too. As for wall art and furniture-there is no rules what has to come first(unless you have no table at all)) Just take into account that if you start with art-it will have to relate to the future sideboard/console/buffet. Art on a blank wall should correlate with people only-so that its center is approximately where your eyes will go when standing straight. Art over the furniture takes this furniture into account too. But if you don't mind some patching holes and touching with paint, and already have a beautiful art in mind-then there is no reason not to start with it. Now, in the dining area, where people mostly sit)) you'd rather see your art when you are sitting too. So in case of a dining or a nook-your art might be placed a tad lower than usual. No, it's not important to choose the dining table right now, but you'll need to keep it in mind. I mean, you'll need to keep in mind the whole room, your plan for it, and how you want it to be. A sideboard, to me, is always a great idea. And you can put a lamp on it too. Or sconces on the sides. But I'd start with a table probably, rather then a sideboard. Even though you have the table for now. Why? because the table is the major player. After you know which shape material and color your table will be-it will give you much better idea for a sideboard. Advice that you didn't ask for)) but I'll still say it-don't rush. I know how it is-you have new place, get this bug "faster! everything should be done!" But there is no urgency in decor, so take your time to think it over, plan, look for the right things for you. I waited for six years until I found a hutch that I consider ideal. I'm not saying you should also wait six years)) Just don't try to get everything at once. You don't have to. Go and purchase as you see something that makes your heart skip a little bit. It might be tomorrow, or in three months, who knows. When a room is not finished-it still is beautiful. It's like a bud. It will, at some point become a rose, but buds are pretty too. More than that-they have this promise inside of them. It is this promise that makes decorating(and other things in life) fun.

Ah, gotcha. I misunderstood. I still do like those rooms and would consider them inspirational, at least partly. I am working around a few constraints for the room so maybe that accounts for the differences? - I need to find a chandelier that has a single round canopy, due to the way our ceiling is. In searching for a chandelier, it's been hard to find something that I think works with the room and has a single round canopy. - I really like the paned mirror in the first inspo room, but I'm looking to put one of those in the foyer. - I would like to find an affordable table that looks like the first inspo pic. I'm searching a local store's inventory for the table and chairs to find something we could potentially really get (and afford) instead of incorporating a picture of the *perfect* table that I don't know the make/price of. - I would also like to use parsons chairs for all of the seats, but I already have two and doubt I'd be able to match them easily to another 6. I think a contrasting chair type would be a better fit because of that. In the second insp pic I like how the room is generally neutral but has subtle color to it. I like the lantern light fixtures in that room but realize they won't work for my space. I also like the artwork in the room and I could use something like in my room in place of the circular mirrors. For my room, I knew I wanted to find a rug with a neutral base that had a few bits of accent color. The accent colors in the rug shown in the mock-up might be more vivid than I pictured in my mind, but I think they work. I also like the idea of an oriental rug that's not so traditional. I hope that helps explain?!? Maybe those rooms aren't exact inspirations. I'm still on the lookout for room designs to help guide me. My unusual dining room doesn't make it easy to compare online dining rooms to my own.

Essenzza ignore issues of taste and home clutter. There is not one taste or one type of good style, and home decoration should be the artful arrangement of the ideas and functions YOU want in your home. The issue I find, with family photos, is that small framed ones wash out when viewed from far away, and there is a limit to how many large family photos you want displayed prominently in your home and where. My husband, god bless him, insists on large family photos on the shelving unit across from our bed in our small bedroom. His family is constantly staring at me! He finds it comforting, I find it a little less than restful. But I can live with it. So that's an example. I'd feel the same way about a large family photo in a living room or family room over a fireplace. It's just too much like "The Smith's survey the room!" On the other hand, slightly smaller in a less prominent space surrounded by some more casual shots, it might be "Remember those happy times when we were all together!" But anyway, I think you are talking about a collection of smaller photos. The issue with those is you can't really see them unless you can get up close to them, which is why I would not put them on either side of the TV. Given that parameter, I would put up a display shelf under the "Eat" sign in the dining room. Then I would either put the stuff on the dining room credenza on the shelf and put a collection of family photos in a mixture of nice frames on the credenza, OR put the family photo mixture on the shelf. I have seen both done well in dining room inspiration photos which you could probably find by googling "dining room family photos arrangement on shelf" or some such thing or by searching Houzz photos. That way people can stand up close to the photos and look at them if they want, and yet the montage still looks good from a distance. Again, I would shoot for more casual photos, not a dominant set of people staring straight ahead. I have a two-photo frame with a picture of both my grandmothers staring straight ahead on a credenza in my dining room, along with my tea set in an arrangement. That level of personal display is not overwhelming and doesn't dominate the look of the room and they are accompanied by other decorative elements so their steely gaze is softened by that somewhat! :)

No one looks at themselves in a mirror while eating, so if that's what you would like to hang there, by all means DO. A mirror is a classic dining room element that expands the space, reflects chandelier light and candle glow, as well as the people gathered around the table together. It's a lovely addition. Should you choose artwork instead, don't feel you must match your choice to artwork in another room. Art is much more interesting when you collect pieces that speak to you in some way; that have special meaning to you and say something about who you are as a person. Anything else and you might as well be in a dentist's waiting room. It's your home ... let it reflect who you are.