I'm glad you ordered a gray rug - that was my first thought of what the room could use:)

Is the inside of the china cabinet painted blue? Can't really tell..
Maybe try a brighter colour in there for POP in the room, a colour that'll be echoed in the drapery.

Gorgeous color on the walls. Love those chairs too -where did you find them?

The great thing about a dining room, is that once you have the table set and people sitting at it, the room should be a wonderful background to the good humour and food at the table. I think the grey walls are wonderful and will make it cosy. Perhaps add a white table cloth or white plates when you lay the table. I like the idea of painting the trim n white. Instead of adding more colour let it be subdued and elegant. Perhaps a long frame or series of square articles as per this image below...

you can keep gray just warm the color up! way too cold and everything else in the room very warm

Love the silver leaf idea. Opulent! They'll never forget your dinner parties!

@margo, I silver leafed my mud room and hung a small chandelier. Flows elegantly into the rest of the house.

@barbara - got the chairs at a local furniture store in CT about 20 years ago!!

Margo - I agree. The chandelier needs shades. And being a lover of fabric, I'd pick something amazing for draperies. Perhaps adding a nice floral on the table with colors picked from your draperies? Love the panels and the grey. Nice!

Maybe?

I like those drapes and silver leaf on the ceiling would be fabulous. Then you pick one accent color you can put on chair cushions or on table and you have a mood which you can vary easily. You can change out the color on the table decoration for seasons. Red at Christmas will be gorgeous. I have not been a fan of grey, but am liking it more and more. Silver, now that I always liked. I think putting the time and money into the ceiling and chandelier will be well worth the payback.

This and/or one carefully chosen picture that you absolutely love and that is framed exquisitely and hung as suggested above on the left and extending over two panels.

Even your table decorations are white. This is why you are feeling blah about it. A stunning runner with color will change everything.

Ramona, speaking of the holidays, how about a trio of mercury glass trees with maybe turquoise Christmas balls;)

Mercury glass is really in right now., so there would be lots of choices. I would also invest in stunning placemats.

add blue and silver

i would add some silver and blue , even an apple green, my Dining room is also dark gray , I used dark brown, dark gray, blue, green and white.

Beautiful color. I would also suggest changing the chandelier.

I find the chairs a bit heavy (and tall) for the area.

How about lightening them with some well-made seat cushions?

I couldn't find a perfect match but it's the idea of brining in color from that direction.

Good luck.

Love the new gray color, but I would agree that you need more of a accent and pop! The gray and white tend to go well with yellow and turquoise. If you could find a big yellow bowl for the table and maybe some turquoise plates in the wall cabinet. Also I would consider adding long panel drapery on either side of the window in a Citron/yellow tone. Similar to the attached photo which is a dining room I designed.....

Consider removable/reusable wallpaper as inserts inside your upper wall trim.

Would you consider something along the lines of this wall covering for inside your panels? It gives you gray, black, white and gold texture and the horizontal pattern will make the panels appear wider.

I would bring in a bright rug like a burnt orange/cobalt blue/lime yellow and paint the chandelier the same color as the rug (spray painting is the best option after removing the bulbs). You could also dedicate one wall to memorable pictures. I would put black & white pictures in same color bring picture frames around the same tone of bright color of the rug and lamp. Also gray table liner could be changed for a brighter color.

Personally, I love grey & white. Looks great. If your rug is a lighter grey & white pattern, I think it would look great. I would stick with the white & grey & get some nice white roman blinds or curtains with silver tassles.

what time should we be there? :)

Ah, but the walls already look so beautiful with the new paint! Add a some nice curtains and area rug?! I do wish you could update the dinning set somehow though! Other than that don't go too crazy with color, add some flowers on the table, maybe a new light fixture (although the one you have is fine) and the other stuff i mentioned. Simplicity is the way to go.

looks nice! just needs an accent color. Pick your favorite color and go with a solid grommet style curtain. Use that same color runner or centerpiece of some sort on the table.

Green and gray is beautiful. How about a gorgeous asparagus fern and some artwork with green in it? Maybe some floating shelves with green ornaments?

Take those acessories off the table, remove the runner,if you are on a budget, go to Dollar Tree and pick up a set of 4 yellow plates and place small white saucer on each plate.place a black small basket in the middle of the table with some fruit.

How about some colored wrought iron wall art in the frames? I also agree with qhayes11, that a pale but rich shade of yellow with a black touch would be fabulous. Can you change the light fixture?

Forgot to attach a picture

What about wallpapering (subtle of course) the panels? In a gray emboss? Wouldn't distract too much and would create some texture to the walls? something similar to the below? You can also add pops of color with the seat cushions and table runner. I would add some greenery too and change out the candle sticks with maybe some mercury glass ones?

That is what I was thinking Kristen, but I would go with a shiny, silvery, retro look. And add satiny curtains like Margot posted. Also, if feasible get a new glam chandelier! Personally, I love mercury glass accents...try adding a few of those to the table . How about a vintage mirror? Or I have seem some beautiful ironstone plates and platters that would look stunning in an arrangement. Well good luck to you, it looks terrific, and all that matters really is if you like it!

Jmlct, you can keep the gray and white, and I don't think your rug will make it too boring. Gray and white are classic - you have an awesome base, and you could actually change out accent colors throughout the year if you wanted. Just think about the spaces where you CAN add color. You don't have to use every spot for color, but it will help you choose where you want your color to show.

As everyone has mentioned, curtains and seat cushions are a great spot to add color. Those are easy and cost-effective additions. I would also use your table runner as a color opportunity. Table runners are cheap and easy to change throughout the year. Use that for your colorful accent as well as your tablescape. Love your white pumpkins for fall, very classy! But it would be easy to incorporate colored candles on the white holders, or bright flowers in an elegant vase, or even a bowl of brightly colored objects.

Examples:
Colored seat cushions [houzz=]

Colored tablescapes or runners


The bright accents in the "Formal Dining Room" photo really pop and keep it from looking too dark or drab, and can be added for almost nothing.

A new chandelier would definitely help the space when you could afford it, but another cool idea could in decorating the interior of your china cabinet.

Someone above mentioned that the inside of your china cabinets looks blue. If not, consider painting the inside of it in a brighter accent color and adding lighting to the cabinet to really have your dishes make a statement. You could also use patterned wallpaper (like the suggestions above) to add color to the back of your cabinet. Lighting the inside of your cabinet will also bring more light into the room to keep it from feeling too dark.

You can find inexpensive lighting at ikea for inside the cabinet: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30119314/

Examples of cabinet lighting:


Examples of color in the cabinet:


Notice how the yellow cabinet is lit up and echoes the colors used on the tablescape. The yellow is a little bright for my taste, but it gives a great example of my suggestion.

Go to the top of your Houzz page. Click on Living Rooms. Scroll down to the 4th picture. Gorgeous example of gray and Aubergine. I suppose a lot will depend on what "look" you're going for. Formal, casual, elegant.......

The photos change order over time, but @qoais, is this the room you were talking about?

It's true though, what colors and accents you should use will depend largely on your style. Find a style you like and choose colors according to that.

Yes! How did you post the picture here? I'm not computer savvy enough to do that!!

Qoais, if it's on Houzz, all you have to do is copy the weblink of the photo and paste it in with your text. Houzz photos will pop up automatically with their link. If you want to add a photo from your computer, use "attach images."

Thank you.

It's my pleasure to help!

Mouldings on the walls should be painted white. Add some silver and/or light blue accents to lift up the room. ..touch of coral too, if you dare !

I like the idea of not going crazy with color but picking one outstanding one....such as lime green or raspberry... and use it boldly but sparingly. Easily change it out when you tire of it without too much commitment.

Add color with you table linens, dinnerware and accessories. Artwork or oversized photos will add interest.

Color looks elegant along with table and chairs. Do you plan to keep the wall molding as is.
Know you're getting lots of ideas how to work with it, but to me it gives a very Williamsburg look, and you may be going for that, but also limits placing art work. Which ever direction you go, you'll have a beauty, because the ideas are flowing in.

A sample of casual modern in gray and yellow.

Color is important. I love gray. Try pops of navy and orange. Change out the chandelier, you can go rustic glam (like a restoration warehouse look). Swipe out your gray runner for a navy. Use the orange in seasonal accent decor if you like. There are many options. Don't become afraid. It's ok, it can all be returned and/or replaced.

I agree with bringing the color in with accents on the table, that way you can change them periodically and not spend a lot. Maybe some color cushions for the chairs. The paint on walls are great just as is.

LOVE your room. I would add white linen panels (IKEA -- AINA $49.99/pr) on side of windows hung on black rods all the way up to crown moulding.. Black shades on your chandelier. Maybe two upholstered end chairs. And a beautiful gray rug. Can't see the far wall so don't know what you need there. Maybe a silver mirror. In the words of my friend, "You've done good, girl!". :)

Maybe consider adding some draperies to soften up all the wood and wainscoting. Add some hanging crystals to give it some sparkle and glam, paint the table white or distressed grey wash and add a carpet

Sammy3283 - Love your chandelier. Can you name the manufacturer? Thank you!!!