It depends on how much you want to spend or how much effort you want to put into it.

I woud start with some of what you have and sell the rest, because it looks like you have some solid pieces which someone would love.

First center the rug in the room and buy a good pad for it and you should keep the table and chairs and the china cabinet. The cabinet could be painted a brighter color.

Add wainscoting and paint all the woodwork a soft while...B.M. Simply White is good and above the wainscoting paint a light neutral of the rug. I can't see the art, but the frames are too dark and heavy. If not of value, shop around for something you love.

I think we need to see the space as it usually is to start. IMO china cabinets are dated ,I see no point in 2 other cabinets and especailly when they do not match. A nice new chandelier that actually lights the table not the ceiling .I think the rug needs to be bigger but hard to tell until you put things back where they belong. Post pics after all the Christmas stuff is gone then we can really help . In the meantime think about how much of that storage you really need in the space and how much updating you want to do.Please post thepics in a comment here do not start another post.

It would be easier to offer suggestions once the holiday decor is put away - do you normally have a tablecloth on the main table? i think there are a lot of storage pieces in the room - i would likely clear out at least one -

Because the wall is so long and your china cabinet is not very big you can make it appear larger by placing chairs on either side of the cabinet with either art or wall light sconces above to take up more room on the wall.

Take all the xmas away in the coming week. Add pictures of the adjoining space.....living room etc. Get rid of all table cloths, doilies and re post on same thread.

Post some inspo pics of a dining area you love. My bet is you are a long way from it now: ) Do it anyway.

Right off the bat, even with Xmas furniture gone, there are too many credenzas in awkward locations. The carpet looks a bit too large for the dining set but It could be an illusion from the angle. In the last picture it does look better but you have the table set misaligned with the carpet. Try to center the table and chairs more. 

 The credenzas all have different colors and styles. So nothing looks uniform in this room other than everything being made of wood. Curtains as well are sheer it seems and don't carry enough weight to be cohesive with the wood furniture. 

I think once the Xmas items are gone, you will have a better idea of what you want. It is too cluttered right now to be able to give concrete advice. However, the walls are a nice canvas to work with.

What is your particular style or goal?

Too. Much. Furniture. No offense intended, but it looks like Granny’s hanging onto every family piece she ever had. (Hey, I’m a Granny too, but I’ve learned to pick and choose. I give pieces to my kids; if they don’t want it, I sell it.)

What has to stay? I know the Christmas will be removed and that extra table…

There are still a few smaller things to go away but this is the structure that is used out of the holiday season

This one should go. You have too much and this one doesn’t seem to belong with the others.

Place the China cabinet on the wall opposite the window to balance the weight of the windows in the room. I agree the drapes should be more substantial and colorful, and the curtain rod should be about 4" from the ceiling and probably about as wide as the room so the drapes can open all the way without blocking the glass.

Keep the "fine"...... let go of the rest, that drags your lovely table DOWN.

Keep the lovely table

Keep the matching chairs, add a host and hostess.

Paint the china hutch! Ten million people have them. You can't "give" them away. It's too small for the big long wall. It's not great enough to be a focal point. Adding more pieces to the wall isn't helping ( over near the window )

Do something wonderful to walls. Especially the big YAWN wall. You clearly want storage. Maybe build in. Low in the middle for a big serving area, and tall both sides for storage. Art/lamps in the middle: ) A VIEW. Softness. Glowing lamp light.

Shorten the sheers a bit, add a complementary decorative panels over. Big windows are a day time blessing, and an evening curse. The blackness turns sheers dingy.

In short, there are a million ways to be traditional, and not get granny's dining room. Nobody can give you a specific do this, buy this. That depends you. Address the storage and get a lovely view

Lose granny; ) keep tradition , elegantly

Now we're suggesting "banning" certain ceiling heights? Ha! This place is so nutty sometimes! ;-)

This is a lovely home, and indicative of what countless live with and have to work with. How nice to have a separate dining room. My home is newer with a more open floor plan, and I often long for the days when I had a separate dining room instead of simply an area adjacent to my kitchen. You have some beautiful furniture, and I agree with the suggestion to remove the smaller buffet near the window. What jumps out at me the most, however, is the lack of artwork in this space. Do you love the framed pieces hanging over the buffets? Are you open to hanging more artwork in this room? It would certainly go a long way towards adding character and giving a glimpse of your personality -- so long as you chose pieces that reflect who you are and what you love (in other words, no mass-produced/"dentist office waiting room" art).

You mean like the OP was doing by bravely sharing their home with the 8' ceiling?

It depends on how far and how much you are interested in. Easy: exchange hutch with opposite buffet. Remove pine piece and centre buffet.

New drapes and chandelier. Add a rod near ceiling and if sheers are fine, add rings like below. If needing new sheers or drapes, try Ikea.

Repeat the same metal choice.

Appropriately sized and less heavy art over the sideboards Remove runners and rethink accessories. Less is more and look on line for ideas that appeal to you. Try Homesense/Marshalls for interesting and inexpensive items.

If you want to splurg, a new colorful rug tto complement your art and your room will be transformed. It’s exciting and take your time planning and buy in stages.

Your table is really lovely and it's such a grand room.

I agree with the suggestions to get rid of the extra buffets/cabinets that have a slightly different wood tone. Put the china cabinet across from the window on the narrower wall where it will help fill the wall rather than look skinny and tall because the wall is so long.

I also love the suggestions to consider some thicker/fuller drapes to the ceiling.

Would you consider a new chandelier? I wonder if something linear vs round would fit better with the shape of the room and the table and be more contemporary.

If you're willing to take on the expense, I do think some built in storage along the long wall could help add some balance to the room. If not, perhaps you'd consider adding wainscoting instead.

I love the photos with wall murals. It makes the room seem more spacious. I think your long table needs a rectangular chandelier. I like shaded bulbs to reduce glare.

"especially when people are honestly expressing their personal life experience and trying to be realistic".

Realistically, probably 60% of US housing was built with 8 foot ceilings. Enough/ comfortable clearance for a six foot tall human. Enough to accommodate drywall @ 4 x 8 . Doors at 80 inches h. So......we tear them all down?

Gonna be a lot of dumpsters dotting the landscape.......... should we throw in the historic places with an inch or two above seven feet?

Given all the pieces in that room I am assuming you have storage issues and or a love for dishes! I would remove any add ons since you bought your beautiful dining set. China cabinets may be have been out for a few years now but things I read recently say they are making a come back. DO NOT PAINT beautiful wood pieces. Your table is fabulous of course you do not hide it day in and day out and of course you would protect it for holidays!! What to do with all the things you are storing will be a larger issue. Once you reduce your dining area to the original pieces look at how much room you have. The shape of the piece behind the head of the table looks vintage, but the finish not so much. I am on the fence about keeping it. Your curtains need hemming and some color and design on them could bring some life to the room. The chandy isn't too frumpy but swapping it out might give you an easy lift to the room. Very easy DIY!! It's a HUGE space once you really look at what you have. I can see where you might have room for some upholstered chairs to break up all the wood. Your base pieces can work well. It's how you style them that will bring a modern feel to the room!!

Regarding ceiling heights, it seems as if the person who originally posted some comment about that has deleted it. That being said, I have 8 foot ceilings in my 1920s Colonial Revival home and it's perfectly fine for the proportions of the rooms (which are good-sized but not large). Even my 6'3" husband has no complaints!

You’re so blessed to have this large space! Love that it’s not matchy-matchy.

Later on: Paint the ceiling the ivory color; white ceiling reflects dark gray shadows. Walls and mouldings look good in same ivory. (Check out crown mouldings situated on the ceilings instead of the wall and flush-ceiling chandeliers.)

Agree with Trace-china cabinet opposite the window. Then replace it with the wider, dark buffet. Tall slender buffet lamps and a large, tall modern art piece would be a great contrast to the room and ”blend” height from the china cab & new drapery—kids could probably come up with a real conversation starter!

Two upholstered dining chairs would be pretty in front of the windows—extra seating. If you need the smaller table, stain it dark or (if no sentimental value) paint it a crazy accent color from the kids’ art and use it between the chairs???

I’d use the sideboard where the dark buffet is now. Darker stain later?

(Metal conduit=cheap strong curtain rod; maybe spraypaint it to match the new lamps.)

Why is my heart saying to whitewash the sideboard and put it in front of the window during gatherings for a dessert table? On that note, It’s time for me to leave. I’ll see myself out.