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I'd put a mirror on the wall behind the buffet in between the lamps and some artwork on the walls. Maybe a table runner in red with a large bowl centered on it. Lower shutters only if privacy is an issue. A large potted plant in the corner between the windows and call it a day. It's a great space and love the wainscoting and fun chandelier.

We used to have a round mirror in that spot before redoing the room. My issue now is that hanging it over the moulding puts it high enough that's it's not functional as a mirror but also very close to that air return higher up on the wall. You can kind of see it in the background here in one of our "during" pics of the dining room remodel.

I think you could still hang it where it's half over the top of the wainscoting. I know these aren't dining rooms, but you still get the idea:
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Such a nice room already. I think I would start with the chairs. Why only 3? Is that a bench? I would get more chairs and separate them, one at each head and two on the sides for balance. Love the chandalier too. I would add a drapery panel to the window at the other end and some art above the buffet.

That dark chocolate color on top is really really dark, isn't it? I love the tall wainscoting. What I suggest to help marry the top and bottom of your room is to put plantation shutters on your windows, all of them in the dining room. Wide louvers about 4 inches, with the tilt bars on either side, not in the middle. They provide some control over the bareness of the windows and can keep the glare from intruding into your dining space. Then in front of that wainscoting, how about some low dark pieces of furniture like a buffet table or side table there? Of course, a great huge potted tall palm in either a silver metal or brass metal would be great in one or two corners.

My dear husband loved molding too, and he put it everywhere in his house, and then painted it all the same color. I went back through and picked out the trim in white paint, but put the main portion of the wainscoting (the low part) into just about the same dark chocolate color you used. The top, however I painted with Behr Only Natural, again picking out the frames of the molding with white. If your wainscoting had ended in a wider top board, like in shaker style, you could use that as a shelf for displaying large platters or plates, or even placing paintings--a big plus since you won't need to put HOLES in your walls.

On your upper dark painted wall, it might be great to find square-framed geometric subjects to add visual contrast to the dark regions of the room. I'm thinking, depending on your furniture style, to make it like silhouettes for a traditional home, black and white prints with lots of white in them, frames the gallery style. I'm fond of the zebra look, but that might be too bohemian for your likes.
Whatever you do, I think if you have upholstered seats at the dining table, make the host's chair something to knock your socks off. This is a very dramatic color scheme and needs only a few furnishings and strong ones. To warm it up, the live plants could help, also softening it a bit. You want to be able to feel relaxed and comfortable, and digest your food with pleasure.

And now that you have that wainscoting, you can add some nice wide crown molding, very simple and straight forward, but the dark chocolate will look like a yummy cake with icing then!

Someone mentioned the chairs. I think you might find having an upholstered armed HOST chair for the time being the best solution for your room. And, move one of the three upholstered side chairs down to the spot in front of the console/buffet. The larger chair at the end away from the buffet and the two lamps would help balance the weight of the room.

Consider redoing the three chairs or adding white slip covers to them. It should be an easy thing to find them ready made. Even if you'd rather a different color, a simple change like that can bring the room together better. I betcha that in less than a year, you'll be moving that bench to another room. It may be useful in the entry, mudroom, or as a coffee table in the family room--putting feet up on it would not harm it in the least. I gather your family is young, because older people do not sit comfortably on a bench after a certain age. And it is always nice to see the people you are dining with, without leaning over another person to chat with them. At a table for 8, where 3 are on each side, you have folks all around to chat with. Then, if the adults are all lined up on one side of the table, make the view they are looking at really great.

So like someone else said, consider painting the spindles of your stair rail white, leaving the top a high shining wood finish. Pretty space. Love what you are doing with it.

Try the mirror where the bicycle painting is now. Maybe add a couple of sconces either side of the mirror, not light sconces, just for candles. This will be the view the folks who sit in the upholstered side chairs will see. Plus, in the mirror they will see the reflection of whatever you add at the other end of the room, above the buffet. A pair of botanicals could work, check for proportion. And on the buffet itself, something large and dark to stand out against the white wainscoting. Maybe a pot of magnolia leaves and blossoms. Those are huge, green, creamy white, and dark brown.

Note: I like the bicycle painting, but its subject matter is more for the family room than the dining room. A painting of a black and white spotted cow would work, be very graphic, and have a bold look to it. After all, you can eat a cow but not a bicycle. :)

The art on the wall by the stairs needs to be lowered so it is not above the top of the opening. That is kind of like having art mounted above a door or window frame. Your table seems small for three chairs and a bench. I'd separate them all, reupholster them and add a matching cushion for the bench. Agree with plantation shutters all around for a finished look, as well as crown molding. A huge blown glass red bowl in the center of the table would be a finishing touch. When you get around to shopping for a drum chandy, let us help you out.

Love the wainscoting, we just put it up in our dining room also but went with a lighter color up top. Have you looked at pottery barn or ballard designs for color ideas, something warm and williamsburgy. I like the gent's idea of painting the hand railing going up the stairs, keep all trim consistent which will also lighten it up. This would allow your chairs to work into the room - I believe all it needs is lighter walls. I can see where you are going with this. Attaching a bad photo of the same concept with the wainscoting.

Thanks for all the comments! They've definitely got me thinking in new ways about the space. The bench table definitely worked better in the layout of our old house. Thinking I might lose it, add a fourth chair (two on each side) and add a coordinating "host" chair on the end opposite the buffet. Something definitely needs to go over the buffet. But even though I don't mind the look of the mirrors that cross over the moulding, the way the kitchen entrance lines up you would see the "gap" every time you went by.

As for the stairs, I definitely want the spindles to go white, but first I want to replace them and the newel post with a more square craftsman-style. We had the risers and mop boards painted (see attached photos), but with over 40 spindles to replace and have painted, that's an "at-a-later-date" project.

We have a fairly open main floor at our house, so I have a color palate that I am trying to stick to on the main level. It's based off Pottery Barn's Duncan stripe fabric which I have furniture, pillows and window treatments in our breakfast and family rooms. The dark brown comes from that, and the chair print fabric coordinates with it as well. We are also cycling enthusiasts, so almost all the artwork in our home has a bicycle in it, some are more obvious than others :)

Ah yes, cyclists in the house! If I have a chance to drive by a closed cycle shop, they have a fence made out of the pipe framework of the old timy big wheeled cycles ---it provided an ornamental barrier to keep drivers from backing off an embankment . I'll try to take a good picture of it so you can see how it is done.

Truly, Rome wasn't built in a day, and tweaking a house takes time as well. It is always a process, so enjoy the ride.

A round mirror above the buffet, and between the lamps...... the color/style is completely dependent on taste...... The red version....... http://www.lampsplus.com/products/Sao-Paulo-Ribbed-Metallic-red-46-inch-Round-Wall-Mirror__R2196.html A neutral transitional option............. http://www.eurostylelighting.com/eu91552.htm A colorful option that blends all in any style.... http://www.wayfair.co.uk/Fresh-Cargo-Green-Mill-Round-Mirror-RP001-FHN1000.html And last but not least, more modern, but yet sill, transitional....... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mirror-Round-Wall-Mirror-Large-Modern-Contemporary-Wall-Mirror-Black-Gold-/110855472621

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Vincent-Beige-Linen-Modern-Accent-Chair/6758122/product.html
http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Deco-Bacall-Velvet-Dark-Minky-Grey-Side-Chair/6007923/product.html

What about one of these as a "host" chair that would go at the end of table. Would get fourth side chair, put two on each side, and eliminate the bench.