The rise in your ceiling is so gentle that I don't think it needs to be featured. If you are choosing a soft neutral color for your walls, I would paint the ceiling the same color, to make the shape of the walls seem more natural. Your room needs better lighting almost everywhere, and I agree that you need a larger, lower chandelier over your table. I'd also recommend the following steps, before you make a big investment in furniture. Move the big picture toward the corner cabinet, so that its center lines up with the center of the table, and hang it lower, so that the top of the frame lines up with the top of your china cabinet. If your corner cabinet is not a valuable antique, paint the inside to match the wall, which will lighten the look of that corner. Take everything off the top of it, too. Try shifting your loveseat another foot away from the wall, and move the console that is now along the long wall to stand behind the loveseat, facing into the dining room. Use that wall like an art gallery, and cover it with pictures you like, and your children's drawings in inexpensive frames. Add a more substantial end table between the loveseat and the wall, with a larger lamp. Try shifting your larger sofa forward into the room, at least a foot away from the railing, add a skinny table behind it, and a nice pair of floor lamps to stand behind the outer ends of the sofa. Find a big, rectangular mirror and hang that vertically over your drop-leaf table in the living room. It will open that wall visually, break up the space, and reflect light from the window into the room, as well as add some sparkle and glow. Consider replacing the two unrelated shelf cabinets in that end of the room with a pair of very tall, slender bookcases painted to match your walls, perhaps with a deep contrasting color inside the boxes. Move everything that's now in and on top of your two cases, as well as all the photos on the table, into those bookcases, to unclutter the surfaces, and pull all those things into some sort of order. Then you'll have room to put a lamp on that table as well. Those changes should pull your nice things together better, and solve the light issue, and then you will know what else you want to do.

I would paint the walls a warm toasty neutral, a light tan/mocha/warm "greige". Looks like you have some red/orange touches in the room. To add some pop, I would paint one small area a red/orange (like BM navajo red). Maybe just the wall that the small square picture is hanging on... And hang a nicely framed large piece of artwork or some large "pier oneish" plates for a little wow factor. I would leave the ceilings white. I think these colors will pull everything together and warm up the space. Good luck!

I think a different material would be even better. Polished concrete?? If you have your heart set on laminate, I'd suggest an oak color floor to contrast and complement the ceiling colors and work with the brick. Here is a wood ceiling with polished concrete floors... Here is a sample of a light oak color floor with a darker ceiling. I think you need contrast.

I think you can easily achieve your desired aesthetic in the room. The lighter paint color and new skylight will go a long way to brightening up the room. I would add the skylight first and then choose paint color since the lighting in the room will really change once you add it. I have vaulted ceilings as well and the advice I always see on here is to decorate where you live-9' and under. The open space gives the eye a place to rest. I don't think you need to add a surround but a nice thick wood mantel would look great. Do you have any furniture that's coming back into the room?