How about a nice buffet on the wall behind the dining room table with a large colorful painting...the buffet needs to be at least the width of the dining room table or slightly wider plus it should be taller then the table.....about .the same height as the opening to the kitchen.....maybe 40 to 44 inches tall.....

It is difficult to comment on the living room because the photo does not show enough.
The couch might look better if it were pulled away from the wall...........Do you have a television?

You have all of the right elements for a lovely living / dining room with the crown molding and wall color..... You just need accessories and the proper placement of the living room furniture.......

I think the dining room just needs a statement piece of art, something large and bold. The plant in the corner needs to be ceiling height. A rug under the dining table, even something neutral and simple would set it off. An oriental rug would be nice in there. The living room needs accenting with a couple of colors, your choice, in pillows, throws, rugs, maybe some nice wall sconces for mood lighting or standing lamp. Few bold paintings? Lose the mirror?

Your givens need to be brought together with print fabrics that introduce a print that will bridge all the tones. Here are your givens - yellow undertone beige/buff/camel tile floors and walls, orange / ochre / gold toned wood cabinets and wood finish trim. Plum toned upholstery.

One option is to change out the mauve upholstery in the dining room altogether - reupholstering the chairs . Mauve and orange are not ever going to be friends. . . but the violet can definitely work with some assistance and support.

Look at this fabric - http://beautifulfabric.com/asccustompages/products.asp?fav=0&fpage=1&page=1&categoryID=55&productID=6550&pStart=0&recNum=22

It has a black stripe right off the page to help tie back to the sideboard - an ochre stripe to tie in the wood tone. You could have slipcovers made (since it is cotton / needs to be laundered) to put over the mauve you've got now as a temporary - while you are in this space kind of fix and leave the original uphostery that you picked out underneath. It may work better for you in your next space - if you are willing, it would make a positive difference to go to chocolate on the walls in the three visible dining room walls in the picture http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/cabinfever

Another issue is that you have a deep thick velvet drapery but thin white sheers - look at this ikat for drapery panels that again repeats the ochre and white. http://beautifulfabric.com/asccustompages/products.asp?fav=0&fpage=1&page=1&categoryID=55&productID=6250&pStart=0&recNum=7

Add some chocolate pieces after this - chocolate and white. Like a chocolate rug with a white iron trellis - one of the good rug options http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/nuLOOM-Hand-hooked-Alexa-Moroccan-Trellis-Wool-Rug-76-x-96/5777733/product.html?searchidx=2

Graphic chocolate and white pillows, http://beautifulfabric.com/asccustompages/products.asp?fav=0&fpage=1&page=1&categoryID=63&productID=7189&pStart=0&recNum=96
white leather / vinyl bench, chocolate club chair http://beautifulfabric.com/asccustompages/products.asp?fav=0&fpage=1&page=1&categoryID=63&productID=6244&pStart=200&recNum=204
Art might be framed in espresso, matted in buff - http://beautifulfabric.com/asccustompages/products.asp?fav=0&fpage=1&page=1&categoryID=63&productID=7189&pStart=0&recNum=96
repeat the chocolate, buff, white, look for art with neutral earth tones / maybe some plum or lavender sky

ooh forgot to touch on stencil . . . i think it is beautiful but with the cropped corner and truncated crown, you may not get the effect you want unless . . . when you get to the last row, what if you skip some so they sort of feather off in the top right instead of coming to an abrupt diagonal . . . don't know what your plan was there but you might be able to do something kind of artistic with the corner . . skip every other one about halfway down as you get close to the end, skip two about 2/3 of way up / / / random fills, same for top row , maybe leave one out on the top row 1/2 across the room

Consider finding a great piece of art to place above the buffet and decorating around that - using those colors, lighten up the upholstery fabric on the chairs, add a larger buffet table with just a couple of larger statement pieces that compliment the art, maybe replace the lighting fixture with something that works better over the table (a dark, wrought iron that ties in with the dark wood could balance the dark colors in the table) a runner or something on the dining room table.

A common problem with big rooms such as these is how BIG they are! Start by taking the couch off that wall! Put some separation between those rooms with that beautiful couch! Paint one accent wall in the living room that is different from any color in the dining/kitchen. Or maybe even paint one wall in your dining area similar to the color scheme in your kitchen. Another great idea (maybe a tad pricey) is maybe change the flooring to separate those rooms..put wood in the living or even a nice tile..then put a big rug to simmer it back down. Think DARK walls to make the room seem smaller, the bigger the room with light walls..makes it feel empty. Dark walls make spaces seem more enclosed. If your thinking stripes on your wall, so do vertically! Never do horizontal in a large room. (:
Hope this helps!

The color of your walls could be a more intense color without being dark. It appears that the black furnishings (tables) and mauve and wine colored sofa is in competition with each other. Change either the chairs or cover them in the dining area. Here are some ideas that will either calm or add interest to that part of the room.

Is the sofa one you have put in a family room where you would watch television? The sectional is a large piece that gives little flexibility for changing the interest in the room. If so consider a sofa in a lighter neutral tone that can be accented with pillow and throws that can be change out from season to season. Back to the dining table. Consider a collection of crystal or nice glass candles sticks of different sizes and design. Think outside the box and look for glass items that would make interesting and beautiful centerpiece. Keeping the candles in a white or ivory tone. A couple of full length mirrors on each side of the dining room wall will open up that space. A grouping of 6 to 8 pictures of botanicals design in between the mirrors could be very beautiful if spread out utilizing the full wall that is remaining. The Black framed mirror and coffee table are quite dark. Consider changing that mirror with a large piece of art that is full of color that has just hints if the color of your sectional. A large full creamy white area plush rug may help if you decide to stay with the black coffee table. There is more, but its late and I need to get myself to bed. Good look and have fun with it.

I think your stencil is a great idea as it brings a unique feature to your room why not carry this idea through to your living area?
And maybe change your corner sofa to something a bit brighter and more wow just to add impact to the room as it is a bit plain.
For the lighting in both rooms i think you might need to change them slightly. Especially in the living area as the light you currently have doesn't seem to be lighting your room well. You should consider LED lighting I know your probably thinking they are expensive which is fair enough as they are slightly more expensive than a standard bulb. The good thing about them is that they do cut energy costs by up to 80% which in the long term is defiantly the best option saving money while having a stunning room!

You could place LED spotlights in your living area which would really brighten up the room and for your dining area you could do something similar or go with something completely different such as highlighting your coving with coving lighting. I have a picture for you to see below. If you need some more information on lighting don't hesitate to ask! Cant wait to see what you do with the rooms!

Jen, I agree with others about bringing art to your room first and using it for color inspiration. Or, if you prefer neutral colors or black and white you can stay with those as well. You can check out our page for art ideas ... Raisa