Also, the ceiling light is temporary as we search for a chandelier

I found one photo with striped wallpaper above the plate rail. Most dining room photos show painted either all same colour or white below and colour above the plate rail as in below photo. I think a green/grey above rail and white below, and then adding in some blue/white pottery would look really nice with your furniture.

Thanks for the pics! Do you think it would look weird to have the bottom wall painted white like that even though there is no wainscoting?

I would paint top and bottom of chair rail all the same color. Two toned like that in the pictures, makes the ceilings look short, and they arent. Hopefully, you can find a vintage type chandelier so you can keep the room true to it and the furniture. Since, I am very tired of looking at all the white walls that everyone seems to want, I would suggest, a very light clean looking yellow. Something that makes the room, bright, and fresh, and cheerful to spend time in. No grayed colors, that look dingy.

You might brighten your room by removing the valence and roller shades. Shades can be mounted bottom up the block the view without blocking light. Cafe curtains are very out of fashion but I like them here, especially when they are sheer. Easy and inexpensive fix to try before a lot of paint and paper.

Thanks, our initial thought was something whiter on bottom with something bluish or cool temperature but subtle up top so as not to contrast too much. Kinda trying to go away from the yellow as that’s what most of the house is painted now, but maybe a different yellow would seem fresher.

On the point about cafe curtains, thanks I hadn’t thought of those, something like this could look nice

What a lovely space! I adore old homes. So much charm and character. You could do so many things with that room.

In terms of brightening the space, You could get a rug to break up the sea of brown and also maybe add some curtains and light sheers? Or maybe just sheers alone? I am also a massive fan of lamps and you can add some here and there in the space. A new chandy will be great as well.

I think adding a runner on the table with a nice centerpiece could also help in breaking up all of the wood.

Are you keeping the upholstery on the chairs?

Are you drawn to any specific colors or wallpaper?

I think everyone has that one thing that is there starting point. It might be a rug or a color or pattern... differs for all of us. Maybe you have one?

Amy

Thanks Amy, I think we are leaning towards blue tones somewhere, that’s a good idea to find one piece and work from there

Main factor is get new chandelier in first. A linear would be great and at least 8 lights. That will effect your wall color etc. Are you staying with traditional style or want a more “transitional look”? Many people think dark rooms are because of low natural light. But mainly poor inside lighting is key.

Absolutely a light-colored rug under the table and chairs. Very large, maybe 9x12?

Toss the valances and I love the idea of bottom-up shades.

I can’t tell for sure - are there multiple little pieces of furniture crowding the room? The little table under the windows, a quilt display maybe? These items add to the dark and heavy feel.

Flo, I’m back and forth on traditional vs transitional/modern. kind of leaning towards more modern for the chandelier to sort of contrast the look of the furniture.

Little bug, looking at light colored rugs now, there are some smaller furniture pieces, some are not permanent, but the small table under the window is a bar cart which we were planning on keeping. I do agree that these clutter things a bit, we will experiment with moving things around

Thanks!

Instead of trying to make the room something it never will be, embrace its natural essence and go for dark and dramatic instead of light and airy.

David, the dining room is beautiful! That is actually a “plate shelf” so keep the wall color same above and below. I will see if I can find a good chandelier for you. Bbl

You might want to consider a saturated color. Here’s what I did in our home. This is BM Van Deusen Blue. Love it. It’s such a great color. Used it in our powder room too. Also did another client’s dining room with it. I will dig up a photo of that home. Bbl

First, your heirloom furniture is lovely. Doing light colored decor and new lights around these pieces will work.

I agree that a large light colored rug under the table will do wonders. Consider recovering the chairs in a light color as well. For the windows, cafe curtains in a light fabric will give you privacy but allow light to come in from the top. Remove everything else from the windows. In my 1925 colonial I only had half cafe curtains because the neighbors were close and I needed more light inside.

Once you’ve gotten a chandelier and perhaps a small light for the side hutch, you can consider Flo’s suggestion to do saturated color on the walls. I wouldn’t go Uber modern on the chandelier, but you don’t need to do something old-fashioned and ornate. Something like what Flo initially showed you will work without feeling heavy.

Your room is very inviting. It needs a little “lift” but that’s not hard.

Some 9x12’s

More

Maybe something modern?
I think light green looks great with your antique furniture. Changing the fabric on your chairs can be super easy. Most seats just pop out, you can rip off the existing fabric and staple on a new one yourself. Having it done professionally isn’t that expensive (usually). I’ve done both.

Perhaps move the small chest to a different room and move the bar cart to that space but on the adjacent wall.

Here is quick mock up using a open transitional chandelier with beautiful lines. How wide is your table? Looks about 42”? You can accessorize with whites for your table and buffet. Or go with more colors. I see some blue pillows in the living room? You could pull color from there too.

Examples of other choices. How high is the ceiling? Not sure what your budget is for this chandelier but these are great looks. Have to verify sizing once I know width of table and ceiling height. TIP: don’t hang future too high. Common mistake. For your table probably need bottom of chandelier about 32-34” above table.

Here’s another favorite of mine. I have a friend who actually found this on a market Facebook for a fraction of the price. She added black shades.

Wow thanks flo! I think it’s going to be hard to convince my wife to go with a darker wall color like that blue but we will see…

The table is 42” wide, I do like those chandeliers you shared, we also liked the white one you shared before so that definitely gives us a direction to go with the chandelier.

I just took down the valence and it looks much better already

Great. Here is another room with the chandelier I posted. I assure you, a deeper color with your white trim will transform this room in a gorgeous way and you can pick whatever color works best for your home. It’s a gorgeous home. Step it up and no better room to die it than a dining room. Creates a intimate but inviting entertaining spot! Fits with your historical home too.

I would also consider recovering dining chair seats with neutral color unless those were recently redone? They look pretty but seem to have more browns? Lighter rug will be nice. Need the rug to be sized to have 24” from edge of table all around so chair legs stay on rug when pushing back from table.

Chairs will be recovered lighter, previous owner left those behind and had a lot of browns in the decor as you can see from the valence. Ceilings are almost 10’ tall, so I think any of those taller chandeliers should work, will look for something similar as that’s probably a little over our budget

Sure. I totally understand. Do watch on your local Facebook marketplace and similar sources. Just make sure there is enough wire length. That is key variable. We can always get more chain. Now that I know your ceiling height that opens up lots of possibilities.

Hi David, what finish are you wanting for your chandelier. You can find some really nice ones for not that much money.

Hi Amy I think we’re between brass and white.

If you do darker walls, white fixture can work. If you do lighter walls, you need golds. White will disappear visually.

David, I saw your ideabook and this photo. I am not sure what it was you liked about it but wanted to ask if it might be the chandelier?

Dining Room · More Info

Here are a couple ideas more budget friendly.

Opps another mock up.

AmyKath, I think initially my wife had said she liked that style of chandelier but I think we have decided that would be too much for us with all the beads, preferring a more clean style.

Thanks for bringing up that photo though because it also shows some of the suggestions people have made here such as cafe curtains and lighter colored rug, in a room similar to ours

Flo, thanks for all the mockups, definitely helps to show the chandelier in place.

We have a lot of ideas to work with now, I appreciate all the suggestions!

Lighting brightens up a room, not paint. One chandelier will not solve the problem. Unless you install recessed lighting, you will struggle to keep this room lit up at night. A dining room is usually in use late in the day and into the night, so what you do with the windows will have less impact then what you do with the lighting . You’ll need brighter lights to clean and set up the room, and moodier lighting for dinner. The chandelier needs bright lights on a dimmer switch, and you’ll need a buffet with lamps at either end on the wall opposite the windows.

Find your area rug first. Take down valances, then pick wall color.

An idea to toy with would be Roman blinds in a sheer, or very light fabric (a light weight linen?)so you have some window dressing but light enough to let some light through. As you have found, removing the pelmuts has already improved the room, so if the next layer is not needed a sheer layer for privacy that can be raised, but not be heavy and light blocking when raised could give you more.