Is this a multipurpose room? (Lots of kid's stuff). What is your style? Does the fireplace work? Any inspiration photos?

I would add a rug...lots of easy care rugs available now (since you obviously have kids). You can upload pics of your room to many rug sites and try different rugs in your room.

You didn't mention it, but I would also change the light fixture. The shadows it throws in the room are very distracting and I think you could do much better than what's there. '

Love the kids' gallery wall, but am wondering if there isn't a better room for kids' stuff, including the aquarium? If you can relocate some of those things, maybe add a piece of adult art with a console or buffet under it instead of the dresser? It's pretty, but seems more suited to a bedroom.

Your home looks lovely!

This is an indoor outdoor rug, easy care. Just to show how much difference a rug can make - not necessarily this one:

more traditional, also indoor/outdoor. Lots and lots of other choices

agree with olychick. Your room already has beautiful architectural features so leave as is and paint if needed. Ledge under window appears too narrow for seating so remove cusion and pillows. Also, hanging planters should go and add long drapes from a very higg rod making sure when open they do not cover the windows. If your chairs are in good shape keep them they look like they work with the table very well. If you do need to keep kids items in the room buy some furniture pieces to house toys, etc in baskets that coordinate with table and you may be able to use as a buffet server.

Anything childish should go. Chairs should be two to a side, not one on each side. No hanging baskets or aquarium. The child dresser should go. Is that a working fireplace?

I have to agree that the white dresser and paintings don’t feel right in this room. Also, I love aquariums (at one point we had seven!) but not in the dining room!

I love the window seat! Play that up.

Easy answer: A new rug and light fixture will change the room. I agree to remove the children’s items, aquarium and white dresser.

Choosing a paint color can take a long time. Just spend an hour on Houzz and you’ll see. Sure, you can buy a color you both like and get that room painted in your time frame, but thoughtfulness goes a long way in home design. Unless you and your husband have talked about painting the dining room a certain color but never did it.

If you’re aching for change, just move the furniture (some of it to another space). I just had my office repainted - same color - and moved the pieces around. Feels bigger and brand new.

Get a rug first and then think about whether you need to paint. I can't recommend anything specifically without knowing what would fit with how the rest of your house (at least the first floor). The wall color is currently nice and neutral. However, I don't see anything wrong with having the dining room a different color than the other rooms on the first floor if you want something different. You certainly don't need paneling in this room. It's certainly not something you should throw up in a short amount of time while DH is away. What if he didn't like it? If you do paneling, this is the type of paneling that might fit with your house based on the limited amount of information provided.

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Thanks everyone! I think this is off to a great start. Firstly, no need to worry about the surprise aspect! We've been married a long time with a bunch of kids and he hasn't once batted an eyelid at any changes I've made around the house. He cares about only two things: that I'm happy, and that I didn't spend too much money 😜 On that note, I think it's reasonable to keep my walls the way they are since people are commenting that it looks quite nice as is. If anyone has any paint color suggestions, feel free to shoot them my way though.

I'd like to change it from being a multipurpose room to a dining room haven. I'm 100% down with moving all the kids stuff and aquarium out. The dresser and aquarium and Calix with all the boxes and it will go. Suggested changes that I'm happy to make, and would welcome specific product suggestions for:

• New rug
• something to replace the white dresser
• Light fixture
• Adult art/something to go over whatever replaces the white dresser
• should I keep the dining room chairs?
• One suggestion that I'm a little concerned about is the windowsill. I can't imagine any specific drapes that would fit there, especially given that there is a storage closet on one corner of the window, so putting drapes up might be a little challenging. But if anyone has specific examples of pretty drapes over a seating area, I might be able to figure out how to hang the drapes.

I don't necessarily have much of a style… That's why I'm reaching out to you all for help!

Here’s my idea. I would change chandelier to linear style that is “transitional in style” like this one. (Imagine it running lengthwise-I couldn’t find picture to properly depict that in this mock up). That is key element in this room. I would move the console that is squeezed in on that short wall and hand antiqued multi-panel mirror large on size. It will reflect both sides of your room and chandelier on this line of sight. Remove all other furniture but but that console (buffet?) where fish tank is now. Add rug with grays and beiges and blues. Add fabric Roman shades to windows in blue gray tones. Remove hanging baskets. Add tall plant on other end of dining room toward corner. Add art over buffet in pretty outdoor landscape scene. Add 3 low vases with blue hydrangeas for finishing touch. Or pale green (celadon) ginger jars on table. Like these white ones only subtle green.

Here’s rough view in other line of sight. Here’s large mirror.

You can do all this for right around your budget.

Here is rug. 9 x 12.

Aj, how fortunate you are to have a table built by your DH! and to have these great architectural features! Your fireplace is gorgeous! You can definitely surprise your DH with some of these changes by the time he returns. Do you have someone to help you move out the pieces suggested by several Houzzers here? And do you have places for them? That alone will be a great change! Then you can take your time finding and getting an area rug, chandelier, antique mirror and art. And surprise him several more times!

As an early childood specialist, I encourage you to frame a few artworks by your children and hang them in your kitchen, entry or frequently used hallway, showing them that you value their creativity. Also, you may be able to arrange your mantel to include a couple of children's art pieces as accents to a few main pieces. These might be small framed prints or tiny sculptures. More ideas for your mantel once you have removed suggested pieces, I'm sure. To start, do you have vases you love?

Flo's suggestion for Roman shades is great soultion for your windows, given the location of the closet you mentioned as being an obstacle for drapery panels. Just shades work very well with your architecture and the Craftsman style of your chairs. I think you can keep your chairs if you are happy with the quality and if the style works with furnishings in your living or family room.

If you like the Craftsman or Mission style, you might look for lighting, area rug and art that lean into that style. This rug is not described as high performance, but I'm sharing it to give you an idea.

https://www.etsy.com/market/craftsman_style_art_prints

This is an example of a piece that I think your children would likely enjoy, too. To me, it's a way of making the room an adult space while keeping them in mind.

Best of luck!

I would keep the chairs at least for now. They work well now so you’ve got that covered and avoid hasty replacements that may be less quality.

Most of the other suggestions are for new updated products you’ll want to shop for/ install/ move stuff out, and one thin or an, like rug, mag suggest other ideas.
That way you have a good likelihood of making areal impact within your timeline and budget, and have functional dining, and can consider other changes, if any, after you see how it’s coming together.

Sounds like your family is perfect for a Ruggable area rug in this dining room. Here are some 9x12 ideas but you should scour their website. These are washable!

Your dining room inspires a traditional look, but you may fall in love with something more contemporary.

Two Ore. I love the Morris one….

Thanks everyone! What about suggestions for what to replace the white dresser with?

Where the kids toys are now, you could add a corner hutch. maybe find a sideboard and corner hutch in the same wood tone as the fireplace.

You might have missed that I suggested moving that sideboard (dark wood) that is on the short wall to where the white chest is now.

If you must keep white chest in this room could you paint it. A nice sage green might help reduce is visual volume.

Yes, definitely consider painting the white chest if it serves an important purpose. If not, move it out for now.

Maybe you and (now surprised hubby) can shop for something else in that space. Or, you can live with less furniture in there for a while..... :)

I did see that suggestion to move the sideboard, thank you! I think it's quite short for that space. But I do like the suggestion of painting the chest sage green! That's the color I'm really going for right now :)

With fireplace on that wall a shorter cabinet beside it is desirable. Keeps fireplace the main feature. Will the white cabinet fit on wall to right of entry into other room? That would be ideal. Avoid lining walls with furniture if possible. Makes thinks feel too crowded.

With smaller buffet next to fireplace, you might be able to pull end chairs from table and put one on each side of sideboard. Then just two chairs either side of table to visually open space up. With a nice linear chandelier, this would be great. In my thinking, less is more for this room. I looked harder at your photos and it appears the white chest is too big for other wall beside opening to room. I would go to local antique shops and look for a piece that would fit and meet storage needs. Great bargains out there and quality furniture.

@Flo thanks for taking the time to scrutinize my photos! Great suggestions. I'm thinking a linear chandelier will open up the room more as well. I hadn't thought of that before. Thanks!

Would this toy storage piece go in same location as the old one? That seems off to me. Flo, might you show us how that could look? Depending on the shape, I might want something next to window to balance the closet on the other side? Maybe I'm misunderstanding. I'm terrible at visualizing, so mockups really help.

Aj, is this the main room where your children play? Would it work to have this storage in your living or family room? I'm guessing there is a reason it isn't already in that location.

Consider Ivory short slipcovers over the current chairs to lighten the room.

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Dsimber could you post ikea unit you suggested above please.

Flo, maybe someone else suggested an IKEA unit?

Please, no IKEA or self-assemble storage units - the storage in this grown up room needs to be real wood to complement the quality of the handmade dining table. I like suggestion to look in consignment stores and thrift shops for quality at a bargain price

There are lots of doors in this room. Is this a 2nd door into Kitchen? If yes, in long term plan consider walling this door up.

@marylut: Nope, that's the door to the living area bathroom

A short term way to give all the doors less visual impact is to paint the doors (and window area and baseboards) the same color as the walls and add thicker crown molding.

@dsimber. When I read “would this storage piece go…” I interpreted that you were going to post a picture. My mistake. I still like the idea of moving the existing brown piece now between the two exists to the kitchen to be moved to side of fireplace where existing white dresser and fish tank are located. Move that chest out to another room. Get new linear chandelier and step back and assess and adjust if needed. It’s a “process”! You have to give it time. Then, shop the second hand shops for period furniture and see what you can find!

Sometimes less really is more. So, would suggest you declutter first. You might consider removing everthing from the room except the table and then selectively moving pieces back in to see what really coordinates and what doesn't/