I love the drapes, especially if this is a colonial home. But I see wanting a change. Go with something less heavy and take a look around the house for a bigger piece of art to replace the two matted pictures. Even those two small changes will make a big difference.

Yes to new wall color. Perhaps something brighter taken from the new art.

The room has beautiful things. Two suggestions:

If you change the wall color from pale green to rosy pink, you'd have a much different look. Pick up a fan deck from your favorite paint store, then order Samplize for two or three pinks in the curtains or rug.

The gorgeous formal curtains are the dominant elements in the room. If you can do it easily, try removing the swag valances for a day or two. The simplified look may be attractive or may just look stripped down and unfinished. Alternatively, consider moving them: If you moved the valances up 6 inches or so to just below the crown molding but still covering the rods, you'd have a more up to date formal look.

Classical Estate Design and Build · More Info

I love a nice tradtional dining room, but I understand your desire to modernize it a little. When I moved four years ago I kept my furniture but have a different wall color, bought a new rug, changed the art and window coverings. I also have a more modern chandelier than I used to have. I like your chandelier and rug. I think you are on the right track with paint, changing the window treatments and changing the upholstered chairs. I like all the rooms on the first floor to relate to each other, so don't go so far afield that this room doesn't look like it belongs with the rest of the house unless you intend to remake them, too. If you take your color hints from your rug you should be OK. For the wall color, either go much darker (if you like a moody look), or lighter. Based on your rug, I would be looking at green or cream. If you can't bear to let the drapes go, try remaking them, but I would change them out to a solid or stripe. Here are some pictures of what others did to blend traditional furniture with some more updated elements.

Cottage by the Coast · More Info

Midlothian Custom New Build · More Info

Southern Estate · More Info

West Chester Dining Room · More Info

Country Club Project Remodel · More Info

Plain rose tone draperies replace what you have; paint the walls an off white; keep the Oushak patterned rug; different wall art. I suggest new dining chairs to update the look of the table. (Put the Queen Anne side chairs on Chairish and they will sell.)

B.M. Atrium White

Paint the walls the background color of the drapes to lighten the room up.

I would talk to a drapery workroom to see how you can rework the drapes to hang alone without the swag.

When I built I moved my drapes from a dining room with 9 ft ceilings and 2 sets of windows to a dining room with 12 ft ceilings and one large and tall set of windows. I got a recommendation for a great workroom and they took 4 shorter panels and converted to 2 longer panels. Mine also have a floral pattern and they did an amazing job matching everything up. You have to get up close and look for the seam.

First choice Do Nada!! At our age I'm all about the "go play" rather than worrying about the latest trends.

Second Choice:

Remove swag and just have the panels. The swags are probably on L Brackets hung above the window and the rod the panels are on maybe just above the window trim. So, start by removing the swag and post a picture so we can see the height of the panels. Might not be worth adding fabric to the bottom for 2 reasons fabric is expensive and they are most likely lined.

Paint the room the dark green from the rug.

Great ideas so far and I understand the need for an occasional room ”freshen up” - one note, I think the corner cab is one piece of dark furniture too many so I would find another home for that piece (a lush fern on a traditional plant stand would be lovely in that corner) pretty room!!

Could we get a picture of the other end of the room? I love the drapes as is, but that would be one easy area to update (I would keep those drapes to put back up in the future). If there is enough room at the other end of the room I would make a little sitting area with the fabric end chairs and your round occasional table. Does your table have another leaf? If you can expand the table, I would pull the extra chairs in and line them up 3 on each side. I would stack your smaller pictures between the windows.

Other end of the room opens into my front foyer.

Love the idea, Apple Pie, of moving the top swags up and leave the curtain panels!! And pink walls, well, I'll have to "sit with that" awhile!! My husband would never even notice they were painted!!

Love all the ideas of one big piece of art, stacking the rose chinoiserie pics, brightening the room with paint and softer side chairs, and jck910, heading "out" is always a good idea!!

Thanks All! I will post a pic of the curtains without the top swag soon!

Can the hutch go on the wall with the two prints? Then turn the table 90degrees, so most people can see out the windows when seated.

I love the curtains and the rug. A light blush color or just a nice white on the walls would freshen it up.

Can you remove the pediment thingy on top of the hutch? I also agree you have one or two too many dark furniture pieces in there. Also they are small pieces and get dwarfed by the big hutch. Maybe find another spot for the 2-3 small pieces along the window wall. Move the hutch to other large window and if you need something else, a long buffet/console with open legs can go on the current hutch wall.

Honestly? I'd just get rid of the swag part of the window treatments and keep the drapery panels. Pick up the light sage green from the fabric to paint the walls. And maybe just do a solid fabric for the head chairs. I'd go for a light pink.

The Swags/valences on the windows are just too heavy-looking.

Install mouldings on the walls and aint all the walls a warm white. Have linen slipcovers with short tailored skirts made for the wood side chairs. Love your rug!

Don't know the style of your house but if you like colour, maybe you'd like something more daring such as this...

Go play golf. It was dated 18 years ago when you installed it! Why change now when it will cost so much to do it?

Just saw the photo of the dining room from your entry foyer so I change my suggestions above to simply replacing the window treatment with side curtains and you can also do the tailored chair skirts (as shown above).

Find a different fabric for the seats of your chairs (I’m betting they come out with four screws. A staple gun will get you a quick recover in a couple of hours.)

I think lighter feeling drapes will help the room tremendously. While I appreciate the cost of the existing drapes, they add a heaviness to your gorgeous room (love the rug, furniture and chandelier) so consider a softer off white in a lighter fabric.
New, simpler drapes can probably be found online for a reasonable price. JCPenny has tons of them.

I love the idea of pulling the green from your stunning rug. Get some Samplize greens to see if you like the idea of darker walls (or half the wall as lisedv posted).

The classic style of your dining room is never dated; it just apparently doesn’t appeal to those accustomed to buying inexpensive, disposable furniture and window treatments which come in packages, and don’t appreciate anything outside that range. This is not intended to be insulting, but rather just the reality of most of the current ways of purchasing furniture, especially with the post pandemic internet, and the current popular palette of grey, grey and of course, grey, and keeping to ”safe” choices for resale.

For those people who appreciate classic style furniture with custom drapes, your room is beautiful. I can agree with others who have mentioned that the furniture along the window wall can use some editing - the round table and corner cab particularly. Painting a new color, a fresher acidy green or dark green or rose, colors picked from your drapes, would give the room a fresher look in your eyes.

After you paint, or not, go golfing.

Or you can do both ... go golf early in the morning to beat the heat and paint in the after noon in the AC cooled house!

Thanks for posting the picture from the hallway. I don't really have anything else to add. Honestly your room is lovely as is, but I understand wanting a change. I often just move my furniture around my house to scratch the itch for an update. lol

Disagree with "dated", your room is classic and beautiful. Wall color flows nicely with your hallway. Maybe as others have suggested removing the valances if possible, and a change of upholstery, especially on the end chairs, may give you just enough of a pleasant change.

Here you go! Photoshop.... I removed the corner cabinet, moved the cornice boards to almost the ceiling, and tried a few different paint colors. :)

I think start with the drapes remove the swags and just have the panels . ONe larger piece of art a bit more horizinatl and hung a bit lower . A new chandelier a bit simpler and I think I might paint the walls a ereally pale pink and the chair rail the smae color . That will make it feel different for sure and not quite as stuffy . Maybe the corner cabinet can go use it in your closet for accessories . If those are fresh flowers awesome if not garbage, Lose the end chairs if you are looking for less formal

Just reread and the chandelier is lovely maybe just put it awy for a few years and then bring it back I think it isuits what you have but if a bit simpler is the plan then not so much

I love your dining room, swag draperies and all! But then again I'm a lover of 18th Century American/English style. I would NOT replace those gorgeous custom draperies with anything ready-made from JC Penney or the like. Ugh.

I would do something between "Nada-go play golf" and something simple and easy, like repainting. I'd select a color from the curtain fabric and paint the walls, and ALL trim the same color, perhaps a muted pink or green. "Color drenching" is what they're calling it, and it's a great cohesive look, and very au courant.

I know you don't want to totally eliminate the rug, as it's a family heirloom, but perhaps you could relocate it in another room and replace it with a natural fiber rug, like sisal, jute, or abaca. That tones down the formality of the room but is still elegant. And they are very reasonably priced. I just purchased one for my living room, 8x10 $300 on amazon, and with a latex backing. Check out what Heather Chadduck Hilegas did at Colonial Williamsburg, she used a braided jute rug in a formal living room with damask fabric. The juxtaposition is lovely:

https://www.theglampad.com/2024/03/heather-chadduck-hillegas-for-colonial-williamsburg.html

Adding a more dramatic art piece on the large wall would be a great addition to the room.

And I love the idea of pleated skirts for your chair seats.

Make sure to post your after photos so we can see too! :)

I'm late to the party

Lose the corner cabinet

Either LOSE the chair rail, or add more detail below and paint chair rail and all below as trim.

Failing that? Paint chair rail wall color in NEW COLOR.

KEEP the curtain panels ,lose the swag and jabot

A soft green on the walls......repeat that on the hostess chairs.

In a most perfect world? Lose the top half of china cabinet......for something lower. Remove top half or.......a new sideboard would be great.

I don't mind the rug. I DO agree that a sisal or jute would be a nice youthful kick in the pants

What a beautiful room. I 've read through the full thread, and really think removing the swags will really make a difference. Although I usually do like a deep and dramatic wall color, I really like the first paint color in Jean's photoshop post.

I wouldn't do much but since you do want to update the room, I think your plan sounds great. I look forward to seeing the updates.

Get rid of the swags (so 80-90’s) add the band at the bottom then rehang higher with a updated rod. Get rid of the Victorian table. Reupholster or replace captain chairs. if that is a corner cabinet, get rid of it

I think you have too many mismatched area rugs in the foyer and dining area. I’d edit.

It really depends on what you want. If you like a very traditional look - you already have that and I wouldn't recommend changing anything. If you want an updated look that can b achieved with paint, new furnishings, new rugs, etc.