A little dark and lots of clutter but here it is

cinmer06, I totally believe you now. Move that table back and send any more suggestions to move it lengthwise my way. I'll tell them no way. lol.

I love the idea of the ledges in your dining area. It's a more intimate family area. Please place them in the long lengths as was shown earlier. That will look great. The room is looking wonderful.

Thank you for the encouragement. I’ve got to get my husband on board. He usually fights me and likes it later.

Long term I would like to replace my coffee table, console and end table. They are from our other house and are too chunky and dark for this space. They can go to my husbands man cave upstairs where anything goes 😂

Have you tried the picture ledges in the dining area?

Maybe others know if you're replacing either of the units next to the fireplace? with the 3 visuals [inc. fp] there's alot of visual weight there..... ??

I know along the stairs is your walkway into the house and to your sliding door, but have we considered moving the hutch across from the fireplace? Leave the couch where it is, but have the two upholstered chairs across from the sofa, side by side. I know that would mean making a wide step around the hutch, but could remove the heavy feeling on the one wall and redistribute the weight in the room. Moving furniture pieces perpendicular to the fireplace opens up the walkway a bit.
Thoughts?

Hi Lisa! I can’t move that there. There is absolutely no room ( you have to really trust me on this one!) I talked with a friend who owns a renovation business and she came over and gave me some tips. Her guys moved my mirror ( pic above) and it looks AMAZING! I put my couch back facing the tv with a chair on either side. That’s where it needs to be. She strongly suggested I paint the hutch Sherwin Williams urbane bronze. She says that should pull it together. With moving the mirror and putting a basket atop the hutch (plus painting it) it should create more balance.

Re the above comment, no I’m not planning on replacing any of these pieces. They are much loved pieces that we have had for awhile. We are working on a retirement budget as well. Maybe someday.

These changes are great! I’m glad the sofa told you it needed to go back. :)

Haha! For sure. It feels like it belongs there. Also my renovation friend loved my round accent table and we ended up bringing it back into the mix in the seating area. I’ve learned two things from this thread, at the end of the day, you have to live in\love your space and everyone’s tastes and sryles are different.

I also popped some fun wallpaper inside the back of the hutch just to see the effect and it looked really good. that could be something I consider after the hutch is painted. The color urbane bronze is a complimentary color to my walls. One last plan, at some point soon I’m going to have the ottoman recovered in a light colored, textured fabric. The idea is to use what we have rather than replace.

Really like your furniture as is -- you have a real treasure in your dining set.

If, however, if you want have already decided you want to to darken it, then on a bottom board not obviously visible (perhaps the sides of the feet of the cabinet), you could try some dark Old English spot cover applied with a lint free cloth and rubbed in as evenly as possible multiple times until it is as dark as you want. Doing that darkened my 1950s era china cabinet enough to blend with the "patch" I needed to make to a dented door. I like the effect but different wood and finish could respond differently.

Would recommend that you NOT strip/sand and refinish your dining room treasures since doing that can decrease their resale value considerably should you ever be put in a position to want/need to downsize and want/need to sell the larger furnishings.

If the wood finish on the chairs and china cabinet are the same, then you could try the product on a bottom rung of a chair or the side edge of a chair seat rather than on the china cabinet. Would not apply any product in an amount to try to accomplish your objective all at once.

cinmer06, lol. You've never lied to me before. I believe you!!! :)
Sounds like you've got a great plan. I can't wait for more photos of your changes.

Wait...you're painting the hutch??? :(

Here we go again :)

Lol! I am really enjoying all of you and you have been so helpful to me. My husband is dead against painting it and truth be told, I’m a bit intimidated. Part of me thinks it will just make everything in the room seem ‘heavier’. I’m considering it at this point. The finish on all of it is in EXCELLENT condition so that gives me pause. I’d hate to ruin it. My kids are not interested in inheriting it. I’ve asked. 😐. I am open to trying the darkening trick mentioned above.

And since we are all well acquainted at this point, I’ll drop a decorating bomb right in the middle of this thread. This week, we had shiplap added to the staircase wall behind the sofa and wrapped it around the wall into the kitchen (small wall). It looks amazing and I adore it so please don’t hate on the shiplap. i hesitated to mention it because I kbow people either love it or hate it. I dont plan to hang anything on it. It will be my calming wall. So there you go, full disclosure.

Just a thought!
Put black fabric or peel and stick wallpaper in your hutch back and shelves and consider changing to clear simple glass in the doors instead of the leased finish, or remove the doors.... the open look will reveal the black interior and that will be the focal point not the base. Plus modern black or ORB knobs/handles on the hutch would bring more dark into the mix.

Pictures?!!! Just found your thread today...enjoying catching up!!

I like reading your adventures in the house. And it's "calm for cinmer" ok!

OK. Glad you haven't committed to painting it. I think you'd regret it (or I'd regret it for you). Have you tried raising the light above your dining table? Something about it seems off but maybe just raising it to the height of the island lights would help (see below). I also "painted" your ottoman.

I'm on team husband. :) Just say no to painting the hutch. :)

The app is being a little wonky this morning. Hopefully I don’t flood you with duplicate pics. I’ve tried to send a bunch. Finally it’s working.

Definitely will change knobs and peel and stick wallpaper before committing to paint hutch. Also in process of ordering cream fabric to recover ottoman. The space seems less crowded with the shiplap and moving the black round table. It was originally on other side of couch. Too heavy for that space. I consider it like my entryway since I don’t have a foyer.

Better pic of wall behind seating area.

Looks great...and your dog is adorable! I would still try raising the dining room light.

I’m happy and excited!! Thanks all.

I guess it’s good that I’m not a professional. I just don’t see this as looking visually ‘heavy

the room has 10 foot ceilings and is very wide open. I think that makes it work, at least for us.

Looks much improved !!! Enjoy your “new space” :)
PS Cute dog and cute plants :)

Yes er612 to raising the light And thanks for painting in shelves and the lighter ottoman. Really helps with perspective!!!!!!

It is beautiful! A very lovely room. I like your black table back by the sofa and chair with that plant on it. Your console table in front of the window looks very nice.
I love that nothing is hung on the shiplap wall.

So in the end, what were the ultimate changes?
Furniture arrangement
Moved mirror over to above the black cabinet
Changed up what was on display in hutch
Added ship lap wall

You had so many things about this room right from the start. I hope you enjoy the room. This was a fun transformation to watch.

Yes that sums it up. I’ve just got to keep my husband from trying to hang something on the shiplap.

Last piece of this refresh is the wall over the dining table. I’m going to put a king shelf up, lean a big piece of art work (already open so don’t have to buy). Then two short shelves on either side of the art work to complete the space. The formation will follow the curve of my bench. (That’s there suggestions of my friend). I’ll put a few curated items on the shelves that tie to the artwork. Done!

This wall.

Typos above ....... long not king shelf and already own not open 🤦‍♀️

What a great transformation. It looks lovely.

Looks great! I don't think it looks heavy at all. In fact, painting the cabinet might make it heavy but definitely not in its current state. Enjoy!

Exactly and I’m currently scouting out some cool wallpaper to put in the hutch.

Cinmer06 - WOW! What an improvement!! I’ve been ”spying” on you silently during this process. Looks really nice. You’ve given me some “inspiration“ re: incorporating some items I’ve inherited fairly recently from my mom. I absolutely will NOT get rid of them (don’t want to paint any of the furniture) - but I don’t know what to do. Example - the old typewriter! I have one that looks almost identical- it’s hidden away right now in one of my guest bedrooms. Yours looks great on your black console/side board (whatever it’s is) - I also really LOVE that piece of furniture. I don’t need one - but I WANT one!

Haha! The story on the typewriter is that I received it from my sweet dad 40 some years ago. I was a secretary at the time and he used to love trolling flea markets. I also have a collection of antique milk bottles from New Jersey farms. I grew up in Philly. Cool thing is the typewriter says ‘Woodstock’ which I assume is the manufacturer and I currently live in the town of Woodstock (GA). A couple of neat little connections.

I've lived in Philly too. Yes I like typewriters, having used them decades ago. Your room seems so neutral that varying finishes, etc.. is "calm cinmer" :)

I like the look of your place I don't think anything looks bad you could always add colour if you want somewhere maybe your bench

You've been an amazingly good sport trying out all the differing ideas and picking and choosing what you like. Your space wasn't bad before, but the after is wonderful. I especially like the mirror over the console and the placement of the cabinet now.

Thanks so much olychick (and everyone else here). I’ve learned a lot. Still working on it so I’ll post pics with the last few updates/refreshes as they happen.

looks great

love the rearrangement. Slip covering the ottoman is a great idea. it's a nice way to lighten up. I have three simple slipcovers for mine that I change up with the seasons. sometimes I use a throw and that works also

Hello Houzz friends. Another update. we hung 3 shelves over the dining table. They are not decorated correctly yet so disregard that. I love the placement and it does a few things for me, 1. Fills the space without overwhelming it, 2. Allows for changing of decore and art when desired, 3. I didn’t buy anything new, just used what I had 4. Adds some color to my room which is predominantly black, white and grey.

we tried moving up the light in the space but it looked super weird. I think it stays where it is.

I ordered new knobs for the cabinet, they arrived today but were the wrong ones. 🙃

Last things to do for now are wallpaper inside the black hole that is the cabinet and recover the ottoman. A few throw pillows and good to go.