Thanks for all the compliments! I'll be sure to direct Mr. Syn to this site since the chandelier and medallion were his ideas/choices. He's also the one who spent hours with a laser level taping off the stripes for painting. (Threedgrad, that's not wallpaper -- it's paint. And a much more painstaking and time consuming process than I realized when I first came up with the plan.) Nanny2a, you're not the only one who can't wait until it's finished! LOL We're down to the last few projects now. If he can get the crown moulding done today, I can finish the stenciling. Then we just have to do shoe moulding and hang the doors. I'm still planning to build a window seat with closets on either side, but until I get the plans finished we can put our dressers on that wall. I'm pushing to get this room done asap 'cause my parents are coming for a visit at the end of March. My mother informed me that she wants to eat in the dining room at a dining room table. No big deal except for the 600+ sq ft of oak flooring stacked in boxes, the antique sofa in the early stages of reupholstering, stripping the woodwork, removing the drop ceiling, installing the tin ceiling, painting, etc.... (And there's always so much "etc." *sigh*) Jejvtr, thanks for giving me an idea on the "vintage" of the chandelier. It was a CL find and the seller didn't know the age. And I *love* your dining room. The house I grew up in had corner cupboards in the DR -- I'm debating adding one in our house, but we already have a built-in china cabinet so I don't want it to be *too* much. Re: painting the ceiling gold.... I have a "thing" about white ceilings. And this one's already gone through a lot of crack-fixing, skim coating, sanding, more skim coating, more sanding...and a coat of "ceiling white." I may get little more adventurous/elaborate for the downstairs ceilings -- where we have a bit more height (9') to play with -- but I'll probably stick with white upstairs (8' ceilings). Time for another cup of coffee.... Lorree

fmnroberts, that is beautiful. Here are some I have in my WT album.... ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT NINE (This next one is on a sq window, but made to compliment #8. Great if you have two different kinds of windows in one room.) TEN ELEVEN (Close up of arch from #10.) TWELVE THIRTEEN

Live there for a year before making structural changes or drastic style changes. It's very likely that the arched entry and columns are part and parcel of the whole design for the house. Removing them is not likely to remove most of the 1990's style. New paint, window coverings and of course your own furnishings will make a huge difference. When you are ready in a year, hire an architect for a consultation and walk through about changing the house style.

Homeowner or Renter? If you own the home, remove the ceiling light for a chandelier. While I understand, your leaning for arches in this room, as the chair backs have reverse arches to them.... Those arched mirrors are too small for the window.... Echo the length of the window by hanging the two medallions within the same wall length. - as shown by BEV's post above Consider adding open frames around them to give them more substance on the wall. Plus, paint the inside of the open frames a lighter color to serve as a visual mat