The wainscoting is traditional and, IMO, leaving it white makes it more so. Pair it with an unexpected color .Not much light coming into the room, so I am going to consider it north light.

Going with mauve...grass cloth. I think it will look great with your whites, and the brown floor.

Schumacher Haruki Sisal Textured Grasscloth Wallpaper in Mauve · More Info

that does look really good.

thanks

I think sharing your table and chairs for the space woudl be a huge help that way we get a feel for your style for sure and please make sure those bulbs in that fixture are LED 4000K on a dimmer before choosing any colors . I don't love pinks/ mauves in living spaces but I need to see your stuff/

As of now i dont have anything to out in that room. i am starting from scratch

What colors do you have elsewhere in the house? There are a lot of colors that look great with white in a dining room.

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It's really hard to say without seeing any of the rest of your house and what colors, styles you favor - our dining room is BM Violet Pearl right now - I love it during the day and its fantastic at night (this is a BM photo and not my DR lol)

If you're starting from scratch you select furnishings prior to painting. I think the colors in the room are currently modern. A darkish wood tone dining set would fit perfectly and then just change of the fixture to something more modern.

What does "modernize it" mean to you? as asked already - what is the rest of your home like? what styles inspire?

Wall color just a mention - is nice with antique-looking table [sewing?], and guitar. Do you like the idea of modern items for an eclectic look?

Can you post dining room width and length measuring wall to wall. It looks almost square but pictures can be deceiving. If it’s square, I would put a 60” round table in this room. It would seat 8 and be very pretty.

It’s a stunning room. I agree not to go too dark and to stick with a warmish color as it does seem as though there’s not much light in spite of the windows. Antique white is a very traditional color and your room seems very traditionally styled.

You should pick your furniture first, and then decide. Colors are endless, so knowing which family of colors you like will start narrowing down the choices.

Or you can do the idea from @M Riz, which sounds elegant and simple.

A 60" round table will NOT fit 8 chairs if they are good sized comfortable dining chairs. I can fit 6 chairs comfortably around my 60" table and can squeeze in a 7th if we have a crowd. So make sure you test table and chairs before assuming and making a purchase!

I would go with off-white walls and white trim.

i like this....i was going to go with white walls semi glass and then white trim glass but i agree changing the colors would be better

@jeff1320 check out SW Alabaster, it can be a beautiful, soft, warm off white.

I love saving time, effort, and money. If antique table [?] is staying, and you'd like a style mix, maybe not this but like it, with current paint. This is called Carob.

I have SW Alabaster in whole house and love it. But my dining room is BM Van Deusen Blue which is gorgeous. The key variable about fitting chairs at especially a round table is the width of the chairs at the front edge. I like 20-22” widths. 24” width means bigger table or fewer chairs.

Here is our great room with SW Alabaster and our dining room with BM Van Deusen blue. Both flat finish. Trim is semi-gloss.

Opps

That looks great

Not a pro, no, but having fun -

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Here is visual with dark walls

I posted ideas, but other wall colors are better bet to 'modernize'... depends whether you like items that add the shine, styling, etc. that room needs with current paint... furniture! the biggest item, which kind? :)

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I'm repetitive - but black chandelier could repeat and strengthen railing's metal, and the table - here's a nice one, imo:

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6287904/accent-chair-help#27922113

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I love the way dark walls “frame” outside views. SW Dark Night is also a great color.

Dark night may be too dark?

Update I suppose, looks like Ikea's, but Half Price Drapes - 2 for $40

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Dining rooms definitely feel cozy with dark walls, but if you’re not into that look, soft greens are always easy to live with. In my house, when in doubt, use green.

I agree with RedRyder. Take a look at BM Saybrook Sage and BM October Mist. October Mist has a bit more gray look. HOWEVER, furniture and rug should come before wall color.

October Mist is color of 2022. It is very pleasant color.

Would look good with your floor.

I like the idea of all white.  Modernizes the room a bit

As always, the question is what happens after painting - what's the next step?

Jeff-how are things going? Curious about what you decided?

jeff, you have had lots of encouraging, helpful responses. Could you let us know how things are progressing?