In addition to accessories, the first thing I would consider if you canâÂÂt/donâÂÂt want to paint the ceiling to bring in more teal, and you are going to hate me for this, is to change the banding on the drapes to teal, or at least add a couple inch band of teal between the red and the print. That will also help the teal pop out of the drapery fabric. I would NOT paint the panels above the fireplace in the teal. What I would do is get a thicker piece for the mantel shelf, and drop it down so that the bottom of it starts at the top line of the tile, and paint it the same color as the rest of the panels (white?) I would then look for three platters or six smaller plates to hang in the panels with teal as the primary color. Or, use two of these on each of the outside panels, hung one over the other, and then a teal vase in the center with some branches and greenery to give some height. teal seashell plates Maybe this vase from Pier1: Teal reactive vase Pier1 will have all the faux and dried grasses, twigs and small floral accents to pull in the colors you want into the vase. If you donâÂÂt like the plates, look at the seashell and starfish/coral wall art pieces on the Pier 1 site - they would work instead of the plates on the two side panels. Please also take a little time to paint all the vents teal to disappear on the wall. They are not decorative items. :-) A taller more vertical mirror over the sideboard, and either one bigger lamp on one side, or a pair of lamps on either side. Consider finding something if you do a single larger lamp, that has a ceramic base. I know this is expensive, but I think it would be stunning there against the teal wall, and picks up the coral pattern in the drapery: coral porcelain temple jar lamp

Hi Jax. I am in the same position. Our kitchen is currently 11 1/2 x 12, L shaped and the dining room is 14 x 12. The dining room opens into the living room with just a decorative moulding separating the two rooms. I'm planning on taking down the wall between the dining room and kitchen and making a penisula but need to move the wall into the dining room for more space since I'll be losing the upper cabinetry. We're taking 12 - 15 inches from the dining room space. We can't take any more because we also have a very large box out window in the dining room and don't want to add to the expense of moving that window. So the dining room are will now be 13 x 12 which I think is still a decent size. Our advantage is we can extend into the living room if necessary for large get togethers. Hope this helped.

I think the warmer color is a great idea. But what stands out for me in the room is everything is angular, straight, hard lines. There's nothing soft and curvy (except the archways, which I love). Even your chairs have square backs; the rug has some curves, but overall reads geometric. For me, that makes the room feel stiff and uptight, not a place to linger and relax. Maybe lose the lamp and collection of little stuff on top of the sideboard and put something large and curvy up there--either on top or hanging on the wall behind. That would help incorporate the archways into the design, too.

If a small table is good for everyday, there are workarounds for occasional family get-togethers. Reading Sarah Susanka's books may give you some ideas for having your spaces live large. For example, she suggests 2 smallish tables that are the same height, that can be put together for occasional larger dining needs. For large meals we split people up between the kitchen and dining room tables, and the rule is that mid-meal you shuffle places so you have different dining companions for dessert. For holiday meals my MIL used to put tables end-to-end that covered the full length of living-dining room, such that the people on the far side needed to crawl under the table to get there. Obviously that was for the younger more nimble people. The kids loved it and still talk fondly about diving under the table. If your need is for a more elegant dining experience for couples, that obviously won't work LOL.