IMHO, the 2 things that I find to be "off" are that the light fixture seems to be too high above the tabletop. And the wall color seems too stark.

I think if the room was painted a warmer color, and the light fixture lowered, the the rooms sense of proportion would seem more intimate and inviting.

I think the size of the furniture is fine. If you like it I would keep it. But as the size and scale of the furniture is about right for the footprint of the room, I think you would still feel the room didn't look right even if you had new furniture. You could get a slightly larger table, but even with a larger table, the "volume" that the table takes up in the high-ceiling room won't change very much.

If this were my home, I would paint, lower the light, and add an area rug. Maybe curtains. Trees don't bother me, but don't seem necessary either.

I wonder if painting the room might help it be more to your liking...what colors do you like or have elsewhere in your home? I like how you have it arranged, but it is heavy on one side. Are you able to place small accent tables on the short angled walls opposite the wall where the hutch is and maybe hang an couple of pictures there too?

Ditch the palms....lower the light....and get some small piece of furniture to put on the wall opposite the wall with the hutch.
I think you thought the room looked stark so you tried to soften it with palms and ended up with too much fake greenery.
Lower the light, put a chair of a different sort in that area near the louvered doors, put a serving cart next to the hutch, put some interesting "stuff" on top of the hutch. i think your paint is fine....but you need a picture or 2 or 3 on the walls.

That is a pretty but difficult room to decorate. It has a distinct style of its own, with the high ceiling and ceramic tile floor. Your antique or country or cottage style furniture is the right size but seems at odds with the room. And then there's that chandelier waaaay up there.

Honestly, even if I were starting with a blank slate, I don't know how I would decorate that room. Adding large, bold artwork might help, but you don't seem to have the wall space. Line the walls with bookshelves? Venetian plaster the walls? Dramatic drapes? I'm stumped.

I think you have gotten some great advice.

Get some paint on the walls in a warmer color. Your furniture is warm, but the walls and window are very cold.

Lower the chandelier - it looks like it is hung for an entry hall. It should be about 40" above the table, given the higher ceilings.

Get an area rug to bring some softness, warmth and color.

Get rid of the moulding above the hutch - it feels lost, and only makes that side of the room heavier than it already is.

I think the existing furniture fits the space very well.

Get rid of at least one palm. One is a decorating accessory, two are a jungle. Move it away from the hutch. You could move it down close to the window, or use it on the angled wall on the left side of the window.

Once you move the palms, consider art on either side of the hutch. A larger canvas on either side, or a vertical stack of three pieces of art on either side.

If you find yourself needing additional seating often, consider replacing the end chairs with upholstered host chairs, and put the existing armchairs on the angled corners on the wall opposite the hutch. That will bring the weight of some wood to that side of the room.

Consider adding panels on either side of the window (stationary) and also on each side of the arches (portieres) to bring some weight and color and softness to those areas.

Lower the light for sure!, then room is off balance because everything is on one side, try moving tree to right corner of hutch, then position the other one between column and that other corner, catty corner of first one, or get a shorter plant for there, look around your other rooms, for what might work across the room..I like the tile, and would not use a rug.

Here are your pics

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I wonder if you could do two tone walls and paint the ceiling and upper part of walls a darker color if that would help. Take the molding off wall above cabinet. Lower lighting fixture, maybe get a bigger one or spray paint the one you have black or a darker color. Area rug. Maybe some drape panels on window starting from above the top window. Don't have to be functional ones, just panels, with a nice chunky drape rod.

I think the effect of the fishtail palms and the hutch all being on one side is that of all the mass on one side of the room. The palms almost feel like they are hovering over the table getting ready to push it into the foyer.

Have you tried the palms in the Opposite corners to balance the mass of the hutch from the other side of the room?

I'm usually a fan of white walls, but that's too white, even for me. I don't think warm=dark, either. I would maybe try a shade or two lighter than that ceiling color, if you want to keep it light.

I agree that the light is too high, and the room would benefit greatly from some kind of window treatment. I don't care for the palms, and don't think they add anything to the room.

I also would paint the room in a warm color. I would probably remove the decorative piece above the hutch and paint the room the color of the center section on the ceiling which is lovely.

I suspect that part of why you are unhappy is that, as susieq and palimpsest pointed out, all the weight is on one side, so the left side (as you look at it in your picture) is completely barren. A rug and moving at least one palm if you intend to keep them or adding a small side table under the black sconce would help balance the room. Agree that you need to lower the chandelier and if $ allows, look for one that ties in better with your furniture-I could also see painting it black to match the sconce and losing the shades if a new one isn't in the budget.

Oh, I think the panel moulding over the hutch is a nice reiteration of the window, but I would probably not feature it with color, the subtle effect of picking it up as a shadowline could be quite nice.

Your walls appear to be the same color as the "wall" portion of the coved ceiling. Is it?

What is the color of other rooms in your beautiful home?
If the other rooms are light you may not want to darken the walls in this one room.

I agree that the plants are too large and bulky. However, can you elevate them so that the bulk goes above the hutch?

Try darkening the shades of the chandelier (wrap temporarily with some cloth or construction paper). Black would connect with the sconce(s). If you like it, then get some permanent ones in the color you like.

Panels of drapes would look great along side the window, pick something that has the colors of your room, some red of the chairs, a little black, etc.

Leave the arch treatment above the hutch, if you like it. It seems okay to me, I like it. But add a colorful large plate and perhaps an ivy type plant to connect the hutch to the arch.

I think you are doing great, I love the chairs with your table!!

Thanks to all of you who posted the great suggestions!
1. The walls actually have more color than it appears in the photo. They are painted in Glidden/ICI Seed Pearl, a light cream without too much yellow. I do, however, agree with the recommendation that the area should be repainted in a warmer color.
2. Oh, yes, the light fixture - now it all comes back to me! Originally, it was installed at the typical 40 inches above the table. Later, another decorator said it should be moved up to 50 inches. She did not like the way it hung down in front of the hutch or the way it looked hanging below the arch in the opening. She thought that raising and framing it with the wall accent that reflected the arch transom design on the adjacent window wall would serve to balance the effect of the 12-foot ceiling soaring above the furniture. Obviously, it was not a good solution. If I lower the light fixture, then adding accents on top of the hutch should help to balance it.
3. Yes. I should install a window treatment. It does look barren with just the plantation shutters.
4. I not fond of the furniture. My DH of 23 years purchased it prior to "us." Nostalgia for his family's summer house in CT influenced his choice. Oh, I would love to replace it, but that's not happening.
5. Due to some of the comments about rearranging the furniture, I realized that I need to post some new photos to better represent the room layout. There are only two full walls. The space is open (except for wall arches) to the foyer and to the living room.
6. I like the idea of finding upholstered chairs to place at the table ends. The existing armchairs will fit on the angled walls of the arch columns and I agree that it will add some needed weight over there.
7. I will definitely remove one of the palms... or both, and start looking for art. I don't think that a serving cart or accent table would work by the hutch. I would be reluctant to add any more furniture to that wall.
8. About the rug - we are probably going to move in a couple of years, so I would prefer to minimize investment. On the other hand, I'm sure that it would warm it up and anchor the furnishings.
I take some new photos to post. I appreciate your help.

The light fixture needs to be lower. A simpler one - fewer lamps - would be in better scale for the table and block the view of the hutch less.

I'd remove the palms and hang art on either side of the hutch. I wouldn't add anything to the top of the hutch. It draws the eye up, which you don't need it that room.

A different color paint will help, but you'll still have all of those hard surfaces. The room needs textiles. An area rug is a good option because you can take it with you. Draperies are expensive unless you sew well enough to make them yourself, and they aren't likely to fit in the next house.

Based on the other photos in your album, you seem to prefer furniture that's more formal that what's in the dining room. That difference may be part of what you dislike about the dining room. You could make the dining room less casual by adding upholstered host chairs as les917 suggested. The ladder-back chairs scream at me. You might try wrapping the backs in towels to test whether having upholstered seat backs would appeal to you. If it does you could replace the chairs or at least slipcover them.

I revised the photos to show more of the architecture and layout of the foyer/dining room/living room area of the house.

Here is a link that might be useful: New DR photos

Your home is lovely. You've already read the comments to lose the plants (trees) and lower the light fixture. And after looking at how colorful and warm your living room is, yes, the dining room tends to look like the forelorn, forgotten step-child.

I would love to see you use something blue - and maybe yellow - in the dining room. The single wall of blue in the living room might be repeated somewhere in the dining room - to tie the two together - make it flow. Maybe even something as simple as yellow chair pads. And would something more colorful than your present plates in the hutch lend some spunk and interest to the area?

I understand your reluctance to invest much $ if you're not going to be there long, but while you're there - make it yours. Since both rooms are so open and visible to one another, make them a team and I think you'll feel better about the table and chairs - which I, personally, love. Lost the shades on the fixture, lose the molding detail above the hutch (you're going to paint, anyway, right? lol)

You're right in your 'gut feeling' that something's not right - but look at all the advice you've gotten. Bet sure to let us know what you decide. It WILL be more to your liking and beautiful!

I agree about the area rug and lowering the light.
My first impression is that you need darker furniture if you are going to keep it very light. I am thinking it has a slight Mediterranean vibe (arches, ceramic floor and light color) and the wood furniture is not a strong enough shade. Putting a light wash on it could also work as long as you tone down the yellowness of the wood.

If you paint the room something with more color, then my suggestion would not hold up for going with darker wood. You could still go lighter....and a little more rustic.

Again, I want to thank all of you who took the time to post your helpful and insightful advice. DH has just about forbidden me to spend $$$, but I have my ways. I think that several of the suggestions would be relatively inexpensive and would allow me to make the space less objectionable for the remainder of our stay here. Today we spent some time looking at beautiful furniture and accessories on the shops of our 'antique row.' DH agreed with me that all of the years of 'not throwing out' had created a split personality in our decor.

The ladder-back chairs do have cushions. I think the fabric is a Schumacher patter). I plan to take one of the cushions to designer fabric outlet in our area to search for a coordinating pattern for the window treatment and upholstery for arms chairs (hopefully I can locate some used ones).

Here is a link that might be useful: DR chair cushion fabric