I would paint the wall BM Soot.

remove the unit in the corner.

Add a colorful drapery panel folded into the corner. Rod AT the ceiling height, extended beyond the door trim for some color, texture, and acoustical value.

even add another row of art.

I like the drapery idea. We bought the shelving unit because there was so much height and space, and in addition there is not a lot of space for storage and decoration. It is handy but I understand the idea of getting rid of it if the wall is dark, and we add another row of art. We usually have an extension in the table too so that it is longer.

What you added to that large wall are mostly white mattes. Multiple images could have worked if the images were not under glass.

Your other option was to select a large canvas

Yes, that is what the designer recommended. 😕 they would definitely look better if I painted the wall.

I do like the idea of a big canvas as well.

99% of the time I agree with Lyn, and I am not a pro, so take this with a grain of salt, but I wouldn't paint the wall soot. The table looks crammed into the wall (I imagine because you need a path out through the slider, and the island is dark. I think a dark wall there will make the space look more hemmed in. Would the bench that is currently on the island side work better on the other side? If you don't use those chairs on the wall side very often, just push the table up against the wall for every day with the bench on that side. A built-in banquette type bench would look more intentional. As Beverly said, I would definitely have larger art on that wall whether you paint it or not.

The bench was on the other side when we moved in but I didn't like it. We almost had a built in bench on the wall but changed our minds as we would have to be stuck with it. I actually don't like any of the chairs, which is why we have some black wooden cane back chairs ordered. With chairs pushed in under the table, it isn't too squishy. The bench is too long to fit under the table, which was always an issue and that is one reason it looks weird and one of the things I don't like. I had thought perhaps a grasscloth kind of wallpaper to give some texture to the space. I have varying opinions from friends on the colour. Some say keep it white and some say go dark, which is why I wonder if neutral middle ground might not be wise. As for the pictures, I do love them and when you are sitting at the table, they are a good size. I'm upset with the designer who told me what size to order (frames and photos) as I agree that bigger would be better. Would another row of them help? If we move these down and add another row of three higher up?