@erinsabel44 I say...if you love the light then it's perfect. It's nice to have a guideline, but unless better homes and gardens is visiting then do what feels right to you. You are doing a great job!

Thanks for all the encouraging comments... I was starting to wonder if I had come to the wrong place for help! ;) This is really just a fun project for me, not something that I have the time to take overly seriously...so I'm really just here to learn a few things - and if I'm lucky, meet some nice people :) Thank you to everyone who has offered advice - I really appreciate it! Next up is chair and rug purchase. I tried turning the table the other way in the room - it did look better, but there wasn't quite enough room on the ends for chairs. It was close though.

@Donna Dixon - thanks for the link! The room is 11x13 and the light is 17.5x17.5. According to the recommendations, it seems like it could even go bigger ( not sure that would look very good though) it says a 12x12 room (the closest measurement) would ideally use a 26-27 inch wide chandelier. My inclination is that the light looks big because of the table/no chairs. Once I get chairs ill post a new photo, I'm thinking that will make a huge difference and even things out a bit. Fingers crossed!

Oh - and @Donna Dixon- I agree about the chandelier coming down another inch or 2... Just need to get someone over here who knows what they're doing. :)

Just wanted to say: "Love, love, love your house!"

Thank you pcmom1 :)

Your welcome erinisable44! Agreed once you get your chairs and rug it will balance out and be fab! Let us know the outcome and most of all have fun with it!

Loving the chairs ! I just wanted to let you know I have original paintings available - a lot of seascape and landscape pieces especially. I also offer custom paintings. Not sure if you had decided on a piece but feel free to take a look. Thanks - Cheers !

https://www.etsy.com/shop/gperillo

I'm not sure if i was supposed to start a new thread or just add onto this one, but i guess i'll just add on so you can see what the room previously looked like. As you can see, we added the chairs and some drapes. We also just got this rug yesterday - i'm on the fence with it. What are thoughts on it? It's 8x10 and the 2 end chairs can pull out for someone to sit without coming off the rug, but barely. The table currently has 1 of the leaves in it (there is another one that isn't in that i don't think we will use unless it's a very special occasion) so we could potentially take that leaf out unless we needed it. I'll post 2 other rugs that we really like that we are considering switching this one out for. Which one works best?!

Here are the two rugs that we're considering switching the current one out for:

I like the one on the right. It is more neutral and will show less dirt, food etc.

If you go with a neutral rug (I prefer the one on the left as it relates more with the chandelier) I hope you hang some colorful art. If you keep the current neutral art I would like to see a more colorful, less neutral rug.

Oh yes, I meant to say something about the art ... I only put the stuff up that's there because it was driving me crazy having the blank wall... I plan on buying some art- definitely colorful. It's just so hard to commit for me for some reason when it comes to art! Still can't decide if it should be a bunch of smaller pieces together or one large piece...?

Ok so the current one just isn't the right color then, right? I need to pack it up and ship it back... Darn, I thought it was going to be perfect!

I think its perfect!

I agree it looks wonderful!

I love your table,ask about art and rug and get replace table...wth

The rug is great! The chandy perfect! And love the drapes!

I like the current rug. What do you feel about the current rug? I really like the cabinet where you moved it back. The chairs are amazing!!!

DON'T get a rug if you have kids!!! If you want a rug effect, go for a painted floorcloth. They are washable & available in all styles. Also get wooden (no fabric) chairs! We've eaten every meal in our dining room for over 25 years without ever fussing or worrying about the furnishings. Wooden floor and comfortable wooden chairs look great. Table (solid wood) does need refinishing:).

I think your room looks beautiful! Can't go wrong with any of those rugs! LOVE the light and the table, although I'm late to the party on that subject. Where did you find those rugs? Sorry if you already said...

Thanks everyone for the comments! I do like the current rug, but i just don't love it. It seems to blend into the wall color a little too much - which is why i think i'm really leaning towards the first/left alternative in the pics i sent - i think it might really bring out the dark color of the leather in the chairs and of the chandelier like saratogaswizzlestick pointed out. I also think it will look great with a really colorful and large piece of artwork - which i'm on the lookout for! We don't have a ton of $$ to spend and we really don't know a lot about art... so i'm looking on sites like etsy and art.com... anywhere i'm missing? As you can see, I love cool colors... gray, white, blue... i really want to bring in some fun colors with the artwork. any thoughts if we do go with the white/charcoal rug?

Oh - Kitter - yes, i totally agree with what you're saying - we have 2 little ones! we actually have another room where we all eat 99% of our meals - this is more of a formal dining room, the kids have never even eaten in here except on Christmas and thanksgiving (they are only 1.5 and 4 so they go to bed early :) The patterned rugs are from overstock, both less than $400. trying hard to spend as little as possible!! I'm interested in this painted floorcloth thing though... where do i find those??

Do you have an art festival where you live or some local galleries you could look? I would rather buy art that I can see in person. Art should stand on its own...don't worry about matching colors etc, just buy what you love. You'll know it when you see it!

I'd go with a larger rug if possible, especially if you think you will add that extra 2nd leaf for a big family entertainment. I like either of the alternate choices.
What you need to do in the rest of the room (personal opinion) is add just one "extra" color (and tones there of) that will ideally coordinate with the art you choose. (choose art first) It could be blue or green or red ... but with a room like this, where everything is essentially a monotone palette, whatever color you add will "pop" so I think it would look best "unified."
Etsy is a wonderful resource for actual "original" art. In your area, if you have any community resources for art classes, they will often have seasonal studio shows where you may find a piece or artist that really appeals to you. Often you can arrange for a commissioned piece if you see something close, but not quite perfect. By all means, look around a lot!

Just seeing your beautiful room and all the great decisions you have made! So inviting, warm and happy. I like your both your current rug and the rug on left; the black will be easy to work with and exists in your beautiful light fixture that is as you have already determined perfect! Large artwork/ orange/blue/yellow/greens. Large scale (poppy or orange?) black thin framing will be perfect to tie in w/rug/drapery rod/lighting fixture. Where? Perhaps your local high school art teacher would have a recommendation!

I am really not the best at photoshop but I think this rendering can give you an idea:

I think that room just need a rug, a big one :D

I cannot press the 'like' button on my own comment but I just want to say that I like erinisabel44's choice of the rug above.

The chandelier looks great. We do agree with the larger rug. How about simple, rustic touches for the artwork? You can find some inspiration here: http://blog.jelanieshop.com/interior/shabby-chic-country-kitchen/

I'd lower it a little. Because it's so high, this may be the reason it seems too big. I don't think it's too big for the room. Love your new table and chairs, however I'd remove the table runner...it's not necessary. Love your paint choices. Yes on area rug, but be sure it will tie in with any art work you decide on. Actually, a rug doesn't have to be necessary...your floors are beautiful.

You can have a carpet store bind a rug for you in your desired size. Something the same width but longer.

Ok, wow - this is really helpful! Especially the photoshop from Suzanne_m - thank you! Now that I see it with the black and white rug, i'm not so sure about it... it might be too busy for me. I'm wondering if the other rug might work out better? It's also a foot longer than the one we currently have - it's 8x11 instead of 8x10. no one has really liked the 2nd rug I picked though... what are thoughts on it? too boring?

I adore the way it looks now! Love the chairs you chose too!

erinisabel44, I did a photoshop of the other rug except that because the image of the rug you posted is on an angle, I can't place the rug in your dining room in a normal way but at least you can see the color and the texture of the rug in your dining room.

Also, I want to warn you that any rug that I do a photoshop will be the same size as your original one. So you need to take into consideration that the rug I show is not necessarily the real size of the rug.

What about putting drapes up on the other window? Are you really going to leave it this way? Sorry, but it doesn't look finished.

I love the new rug! I would live with it for a week or two and then decide...the room is coming together beautifully! Also, after reading through all of the comments (almost 150) I think your responses are very thoughtful and kind!!!

Lower the chandelier, it needs to align itself a bit more with the nice window u have. Consider getting a longer table? It will enhance the whole room, which I love with the beams, flooring, windows & u'r chandelier piece.

Erin, is the rug on the right you are considering wool or jute or other? If jute, i would incline not to select due to durability/shedding etc. Otherwise, if all equal within your size criteria, any will work. If you select the natural colored, I would change up the china cabinet from white to a burst of color (love the red globe) and move to the wall you currently have a bench on... have you ever tried moving it there?

Thanks again for all the great comments - it helps so much hearing different people's point of view on this! We decided we're actually starting to really love the current rug now that it's been in the room a few days - I am going to see what it looks like if i add the second leaf to the table as ro87 suggested - if it makes a big difference, then we will need to find a longer rug, but at least I think we know what we're looking for in terms of colors.

pgteach - i am really going to leave it this way! You can't see the room on the other side of the front door, but it's almost identical to this one, it's a piano/sitting room and it also has a large window facing out. both of the large windows have the same linen drapes, which i feel really tie the rooms/front of the house together. we opted against drapes for the shorter window - it does have a shade that you can't really see (it just rolls up to the top) but i feel like adding another big drape like the other floor to ceiling windows will clutter the room up a bit - i like having that open wall. Anyways, I do appreciate your comments - they made me think about it.

We're moving onto art after the last decisions about the rug are made - it's so exciting to have the room finally come together after so many months! thanks for all your help, couldn't have done it without you all :)

Nautical and coastal theme lighting, visit:
http://gonautical.com/nautical-lighting-c-2_103.html?page=2&sort=3a

Pardon me if you have already said it, I admit I did not read the 152 comments but have you said somewhere in your thread if you have removed your sideboard?

First of all, I LOVE the up lighting feature in your foyer above the crown molding! Very cool! I also love the scale of the lantern chandelier, it is meant to be a statement piece so the size isnt overwhelming for me, I would do a large rug, large enough that all legs of the chairs would fit on it, and I would like to see a series of art work instead of one large piece, only because you have a large picture window in that room and I would like to see something more interesting and varying in shapes and sizes. Great paint color!

It sounds like you love the table. I do think the chandelier is fine for the room, but not for your table. I see a trestle table fitting better with a more casual light, like one of these, but don't choke over the price, there are lots of variations.
http://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=CROZwTvjvUvftKqmByQHh2YGwCtab79YEttqMzRWWsrryggEIBhABKAhQmJzHTmDJxu6H6KOgFaAB0_S7_wPIAQeqBCZP0AuARGtiz5YuL2StS7kGcE4FrXCvy34ke5ifVQ6GtlmfNJaoOsAFBaAGJoAHlYtEkAcC4BL8vsauw826ne4B&sig=AOD64_2ogtKDPeXQCoBzd9yOxglwPWpX3A&ctype=5&rct=j&q=glass+bottle+chandelier&ved=0CLEBEPMO&adurl=http://www.lampsplus.com/products/arteriors-stedman-five-light-29-inch-wide-glass-chandelier__1c903.html%3Fsourceid%3DDFGBPB1C903pla%26cm_mmc%3DGBPB-SH-_-Chandeliers-_-Chandeliers-_-1C903pla%26tid%3Dplusbox%26kw%3D%7Bkeyword%7D

Holy cow Erin, I have never been on a sight like this before. Your room looks beautiful! Isn't it driving you crazy getting all of these mixed messages. Trust your gut and decorate how you like! You want it to reflect you, right? It is georgous.

Wow lots of help here! I know you are set on a rug... sorry,but why would anyone put a rug under any table where you eat especially with small children? It will look lovely for a very short while. Been there, done that and would save my money for something else;)

Je crois que vous aimez la table , avec raison. Le luminaire cependant est trop gros et on ne voit que lui et il semble menaçant...Il y a de belles lampes style ranch ou très style de votre table. Un tapis en corde ou dans une manière qui se nettoie bien comme chez IKEA délimiterait la salle à dîner.

I love your room. So cute! Very inviting for a lovely evening dinner party with friends. I love the rug they suggested, and I agree adding a large piece of art with some punch would be a great item of interest for that wall. I LOVE the art you posted early in this. It would be great to look at. I buy alot of art and ONLY buy stuff that causes an emotion for me. Do that! Go for it and most of all, Have fun!!!! Live with the colors you love. Make the room feel the way you want to feel in it! Decorating is so fun...

Hey there.

I have a great blog post that may help you out.

Happy Designing!

http://timothyriversinteriors.com/2015/04/21/the-secret-to-decorating-your-dining-room-that-wont-cost-a-million-dollar/

Beautiful chandelier. But my first impression is that it needs a wider table underneath.

Love what you've done. Beautiful table, light fixture, and paint color. Enjoy!

I love the fixture! I think once you have a rug it will balance things out. Just make sure when you do purchase a rug that it's the appropriate size for underneath your table and chairs. I think a mistake that is very common is to use a rug that is too small. Your rug should accommodate your table and the chairs when they are pulled out. So at least 24" out from all 4 sides of your table. I have attached a link for a rug size guide. Your room looks beautiful!

https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-buy-rug-36803718