Need more and better pictures...no pressure though, I can't take a good pic of a room to save my life.

Use the HDR setting on your phone to take interior photos. It will help fill in the dark shadows.

What lovely wood in your dining room! You can break up the wood with color and fabrics, and including some small accessories will add visual interest.

When I see wood like that I think of rich colors and fabrics (think the Ralph Lauren Polo bar, the JP Morgan Library, and the rooms in Downtown Abbey). Have you considered rich, saturated colors (hunter green, teal, brick red or rose) for the walls?

Agreed with a previous poster to get a patterned rug, and you might want to start there and find one with one/some of those rich colors mentioned above. Take one of the colors from the rug and use it for the walls. Find fabric seat pads for the chairs that fit in with your color scheme (but maybe a different color than the paint, as it will look to monochromatic). Add a runner and some simple candles to the table and the buffets; some metallics will give some sparkle to the room and match your picture frame.

Have fun!

I wish I could see the room better, it looks extremely interesting and stately! It would be great if you could take more photos from different angles... :)

Agree with the above...Can you take the top/tops off of the buffets? Would allow you to add lamps for lighting and accessories. Fabric parsons for the host/ess chairs. Rug. Would have a nautical old world look.

Change the curtains! Make them lacy and light. Put a bright white table runner and a low vase with bright flowers on the table. Paint the walls white or beige. Finally, send us the after pictures!!!!

thank you all for the suggestions! I found a carpet on Kijiji, circa 1910, that I fell in love with. Its a perfect fit and has a ton of colours that I can work with. I'm debating painting the walls, sage green? I did my best with taking a new picture, in HDR, as suggested, but I'm not much of a photographer. Is this a slight improvement? =)

Great rug-congrats. The runner floral competes with the rug. The light background helped though. You didn't say if you could remove the top of the right buffet so you could add a pair of lamps for additional light in the room.

What a nice room you have to work with. Great step in the right direction: buying a rug you fell in love with. I do not think you will ever regret painting the wainscoting. It will bring your whole room to life, brighten and lighten it. Many, many people paint wainscoting. Painting is one of the least expensive ways to totally transform a room. I always say I hate to paint but love the results. Also, if those inherited pieces of furniture have only sentimental value and are not valuable antiques, be open minded about painting them. Don't completely rule it out. If your mom gave them to you, they are yours to use and update as you wish. Of course, you don't want to hurt her feelings, but her views should not dictate the way you develop the decor in your home. All that sad, once you paint the wainscoting, especially if it is the beige color you are considering, the buffets will pop and not blend into the wall, so you probably won't need to paint them.

Oops, sorry you said sage green walls (not beige) and that is a lovely color that looks nice in all seasons. I say go for it.

I would work with a very light sage...more into the celery colouring. Or perhaps a step darker than Sea Salt. If you feel it is dark, then you want to work with the lightest version of the colour you are thinking of.

Go ahead and get some paint cards and look at the colours that are a step or two LIGHTER than your natural inclination (the colour you would REALLY love to work with). With all that wood in the space, the walls will naturally darken. That's another reason why you want to work with a step or two lighter than you would normally work. It will appear darker once it is on the walls.