Here is another photo of the room from a larger scale

I think your dining room just needs to lose some weight. Remove the valance, swan swan, hydrangeas and some of the decor on the sideboard. China cabinet- can you remove some of the plain white and add in some colored pieces? Change the fan to a chandelier on a dimmer.

This was an photo that I found that was shaping my vision.

Here are some beautifullly stylef duncan phyfe dining rooms. Easy changes like decluttering, changing the lighting, removing or swapping the rug and losing the valance and hanging just panels will go far.

And I agree 100% that decluttering is a must! And the fan has been there for 14 yrs (since we moved in) and the color matched and should have been addressed eons ago!

My table top is also somewhat messed up - any ideas how to bring it back to life to make it look beautiful without a tablecloth?

It isn’t the furniture that is dating your dining room; it’s everything else. Your set is classic and lovely. New light fixture, new paint and decluttering will renew your dining space.

Some suggestions for the entire room. The problem isn't the china cabinet or dining furniture but red wall color, stuff on top of surfaces, tablecloth, curtain valences, outdated lampshade, ceiling fan instead of pendant light.

Stuff to remove or replace: extra chairs (put away until needed); lampshade, curtains, tablecloth, all stuff on surfaces, especially on top of china cabinet, fan, (remove and replace), rug.

--You don't need to paint the furniture but should paint the walls in a white/ivory that harmonizes with your golden floors. No chair rail.

--Get floor to ceiling linen drapes on a new rod that match new light wall color. No valences or swaggy add-ons.

--Don't keep a tablecloth on the table except if you need one when company comes over. It makes the room look dowdy. Remove all dried flowers.

--Get ivory seat covers for seat or seat and back (not long) covers for your dining chairs. Remove your rug. If you can't part with it, then wallpaper the back of your china cabinet in light colors pulled from the rug.

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--Get a white/ivory drum shade for your buffet lamp.

--Remove/rehome all the objects on top of the china cabinet and sideboard. Don't add anything to the china cabinet top at all and only interesting, functional pieces on top of the sideboard.

Hutch without glass front which has wallpaper backing. Ignore the suitcases and globe. Just plain is the way to go for your dining room. Nothing on top.

--Get a transitional style chandelier. Take note of the creamy wall color, light dining chairs, window treatment, no rug. Use some of your china cabinet pieces on the table .

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To sum up: Creamy white walls without a chair rail; remove tablecloth; relocate extra chairs; remove rug and stuff on surfaces; wallpaper china cabinet and posibbly remove glass doors; get drapes to match new wall paint. Get rectangular lighting in transitional style over dining table. Get short ivory slipcovers for dining chairs, either just the seats or with chair backs (but don't get the floor length ones+ Resist the urge to add stuff for a while until you get used to an airier room.

Here's an interesting Before and After: https://carlaaston.com/designed/how-to-update-your-dining-room-decor-without-redoing-it-all-2-examples

I agree with mcbmd3 above.

There is nothing wrong with the furniture.......it's the wrong color room, the terrible window treatments, the area rug, that lack of a chandelier.

Here are Federal Dining sets in Blue rooms that illustrate how good your furniture can look.

A few photos of our DR in the home we sold last year. Plantation shutters replaced previous draperies to open the room.

Hi Christine!

Beverly’s picks show the perfect blue — I know Williamsburg prefers the red, but if you are doing an update and decide to keep the wood finish as is, blue walls, stunning!

Great rug, please do keep, a classic ❤️

And now I am going to say the really awful thing —

Paint the cabinet, bureau, table, chairs, all woods — WHITE

(If you do so, give fair warning to the household. Chalky white wood looks so good, and makes you so

happy, paint will be EVERYWHERE )

Good luck! Happy Holidays!

❤️

(p.s. Buy a really terrific sparkling chandelier for the duck to gaze upon? Keep the hydrangea? so he feels not too overwhelmed in the new and fashionable glamour! ❤️)

For the table top ... look for a Furniture Medic franchise near you. When movers damage fine furniture, these are the guys that the insurance carriers call in to make repairs.

https://www.furnituremedic.com/

Your furniture is what it is. Just tweak things a bit. Your china is lovely...were the pieces from your "registry"?.

Choose a funky, modern chandelier; change the red paint to more of a coral; remove all window treatments; edit the china in the cabinet.

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https://stacyling.com/how-to-arrange-a-china-cabinet-hutch-in-7-easy-steps/

From BeverlyFLADeziner, this one is my favourite!

The navy wall & wainscotting, the chandelier, new chair upholstery, natural fibre rug, decor...

I think you could freshen up your room without going to the expense or bother of painting either the walls or the furniture. Take a weekend and maybe rethink how the room is laid out and the decor pieces. For instance maybe the sideboard could go on the window wall with plants on it (if you like plants), or if you have a leaves in your table you could remove them and make a cosier table for everyday or ... My mother always used to wipe the table with some kind of restorer every few months that would help make any scratches less noticible. It didn't take long. I'm going to look for something like that for my table too.

With all your beautiful white dishes..I would go monochromatic and paint the room a warm white…add a light rug…2 .upholstered chairs at head of table to lighten it all up..new chandelier and black framed wall art.

Christine you definitely can do something similar to your inspiration pic using the same wall color and your existing furniture.

When considering big changes in any room, it’s important to think big picture first. Then consider budget (take into account having to refurnish table’s surface) and the effort you want to put in overall. Next step is looking at inspiration rooms and finding the overall feel you want and how it was achieved: color, window treatment, accessories. Do you prefer light or dark, more casual or traditional and start there.

When accessorizing, again look on line for ideas and consider second hand for more unique and affordable items.

With eight foot ceilings I would not add a wainscot, to me it just lowers the ceiling. I agree with all the advice above- the furniture is fine, remove all the clutter, restage the china, new drapes, new lights. FAR cheaper than new furniture. If you live near ikea you can’t beat them for cheap curtains!

I think @Home Interiors hit the nail on the head for your inspiration.