Wallpaper up close

How it looks now.

It’s going to make a huge difference once everything is painted and your furniture/rugs/accessories, etc, are in there. As you start putting your own style in, the lovely wall covering in the dining room, while still being traditional, will be a very cool and unique accent in your home. Eclectic and wonderfully individual.

I suggest doing some searches for inspiration, such as ‘traditional wallpaper in modern home’. Vary the search terms for lots of ideas.

I think I would push the paint treatment more modern- for instance a light grey on the ceiling and all the other woodwork including the wainscot a deep eggplant. Or if you want the white trim everywhere for consistency paint the ceiling gloss eggplant. You need to do something so the wallpaper looks intentional and the room doesn’t look like you forgot to remodel it.

Hallet I just suggested painting the ceiling! Do you think it would be too dark? And eggplant instead of radicchio? For the grey ceiling did you mean the dining room or in the living room and all trim everywhere eggplant?

Lovely house. I think changing your light fixture to something contemporary will make the most difference in updating your dining room. I'd probably paint under the wainscoting the same color as the trim throughout the rest of the house.

I was focused on the dining room- I think a dining room can have different finishes than the rest of the house because it is the one room used almost exclusively at night.

Good for you for keeping it, and what a beautiful home--great lines! I agree you can do a lot with paint! A dark grey/black with some purple undertones in it for the wainscotting and trim (as HALLET said, only in the DR) would make it a dramatically moody room and very inviting at night. A bold rug, modern light fixture and more modern table (since you say that's what your own furniture is) would then pop out against all the dark. Think maybe even about a white tulip table, like the photo below. Also, look at Anthropologie's website -- they're selling some quite traditional wallpapers but showcase them with modern furniture. It could help you find your vibe!

As you start putting your own style in, the lovely wall covering in the dining room, while still being traditional, will be a very cool and unique accent in your home.

Exactly what I was thinking. To my eye, one traditional element in a modern design can be a wonderful accent. A 50/50 mix of traditional and modern is likely to be jarring, although I'm sure that someone has done it successfully and will soon post examples.

I agree the room will change drastically once you paint etc. At fist glance I think painting the chair rail, wall below chair rail and baseboard molding all the same color would help; a darker & cooler color, maybe the blue from the wall covering? (Additionally, if you decide to keep the molding "painted", I would also paint the window trim. It doesn't help that it is stained while everything else is painted). Or, you might consider a more contemporary wall covering below the chair rail such as grass cloth? Or lastly, maybe a more modern style wainscotting such as board & batten below the chair rail. Again though, I would paint the chair rail trim and everything below it the same or similar color (including the window trim). I think keeping darker (not white) & cool will help you achieve a more modern vibe. Feel free to reach out if you want more detail on any of these ideas!

Posen design I like these ideas. I hadn’t thought about painting the window but that could brighten it up. So there is also a built in that matches that in the dining room. I had considered painting it, but then worried about chipping and taking away from the quality of the home. I only have a bad photo of it. I wish none of the woodwork was painted honestly!

I agree with Hallett & Co. now that I see the cabinet. Just paint the trim that is already painted.

I’m really digging the darker ceiling here, thanks for the great idea! Do you think a more purple (eggplant) color would be a better choice? And should I paint the upper trim?

Everyone was so helpful I wanted to provide an update on what we did with the paint! Now we just need to furnish.