Just noted the clock. While I really don't like them, I don't think leisurely dinners should be timed. It would be more useful above the TV in the other room.

How about green and purple?

I like grover's green idea, it looks very fresh and bright. But if you wanted to keep the same color, here's what I was talking about.

The color of the walls are fine. The color works with the furniture and flooring. Like someone else said add an area rug, side panels on the window. The fixtures could get updated by spraying them a different finish. Instead of one painting you could do a cluster. Also, change hardware on china closet and the fabric on the chairs.

I am SO sorry. I removed your light and forgot to replace it. Here you go:

Oooh, nice noodler. You can have my job.

Haha, thanks Grover. I'm new to the site but I've seen your 'shop work before on other threads, you always have good ideas.

Someone pop one of these sconces in to go with that chandy, please. I think they need to be a bit lower than the current ones are. Thanks.

Pop.

Thanks, grover. I was looking for one where the crystals dangled like the chandy, but this is all I found. I do like them though! What do you think?

If you want this room to compete with your knockout living room, you're going to have to go bold.

So, I am going against the grain, but I think a white shag rug, paint your dining set black, and cover your chair cushions in a new fabric. Love the above chandelier. Would also use white linen stationary panel (Ikea, AINA $49.99 for 2).

Don't paint the furniture black!

Pop the seats off and recover the chairs. So easy to wrap and staple gun. Someone said not to paint black... Maybe the top of the table with some black in the fabric you chose for the chairs. Your room is lovely!

No shag in a dining room. Uh uh.

I wouldn't use black in the fabric unless it's drawn from the drapes and rug. It is easy to recover the seats. If needed, you can purchase new padding too. And don't paint the furniture black.

Definitely not light colored shag with food particles, unless the dining room is purely decorative... I don't think that's a good idea. Would look great in another room though.

Your dining room furniture and wainscoting give the dining room a more formal and more traditional feel than your living room. I suggest an area rug and light fixture that coordinate with the more formal look of the room. Use color in the area rug to pull in the green from your living room.

Grover & noodler - awesome changes! I'm wondering if a new green would clash with the green I already have in the livingroom( green apple colour) & if I use the same colour, it may be too much of that shade of green.
I love the chandelier! Makes me realize that the one I have now is way too small. What are the rules for picking the right chandelier size to fit your room & size of tanker?

Grover- new to this site! Love it!!! How do you photo shop like the pics you made for me?

Decoenthusiaste- you have great ideas too!! Grover & Noodler- All your homes must be beautiful! Do you have your own room pics on houzz?

I won't be painting my dining room set black!! My husband would divorce me if I did that-lol!!! I do like the warmth the wood adds too!!:)

Oh gosh, Cher, you are so generous. I actually just bought my first home - a fixer upper -and I'm redecorating it now in pieces. So to answer your question, no, I don't have any photos of my own up yet. Many ideas, but few of them completed!

Would you be willing to change the chairs ? I think upholstered parson chairs would give the dining room pops of color , interest , and luxury.

I also have an oriental rug under my dining room table, by the way. It's so busy, you never see any dirt.

Nancy- does the colour in my livingroom co-ordinate with the spiced rum(Benjamin Moore) colour in my dining room?

How do I add pizzazz to my hutch?

Here are some guidelines to size a chandelier. http://interiordec.about.com/cs/homelighting/qt/qt_chandelier_s.htm

If I took down the wine pic...what would you put up there instead? I also need to do something on the far the of the curtains on the wall?

Hi, Cher. I use Photoshop Elements to restyle rooms. It's really a matter of cutting out the furniture so I can move it around or slip a rug under it, painting walls, vaporizing light fixtures to install new ones...that sort of thing.

Now about your room. You said you wanted something with more punch since it's the first room you see walking in the door. You have that punch in your living room: bold and very hip. Think bold here, too.

FWIW, my personal fave is the purple walls with green curtains and rug. It would essentially be your living room in reverse.

As for your china cabinet, nothing says it has to hold china. It could hold a collection of anything interesting. Mine holds teapots from around the world. A friend has a collection of Depression glass in hers. And if all else fails, remove the hutch and hang a big painting on the wall.

Grover, you are the hardest working Houzzer I've seen here and I mean that sincerely. Thank you for sharing how you do your magic.

I will second that happyasaclam ! Grover is VERY talented and has brilliant ideas.

Like Nancy Reese rug, hate the drum light. You need some texture on that table...

Thank you very much, happy and Mark. A lot of my designs are a bit much for most folks, I think. But I like to think outside the box.

Cher, here's another look (and another favorite color combo of mine):

Actually, I think what you do Grover is as much art as it is "science". It takes an artist's eye to do what you do.

groveraxle, you are much better at PSE than I am lol. I'm just good at the photo development side of it.

The wall colour is beautiful. I would replace the one piece of artwork with 3 equal size pieces. Make sure the centre of the artwork is at eye level (58"). Buy a fabulous carpet big enough so that when you pull out the chairs, there is still enough carpet......and lower the light fixture.

When your budget permits, buy bigger wall sconces and a similar chandelier.

Yes, spiced rum and your green coordinate fine. The DR rug doesn't have to match exactly to the LR color. It just needs to have the same yellow undertones and be more muted to match the more formal style of the room.

I think a rug, a new chandelier, larger sconces and if you keep the existing wall color, consider wallpapering the back of the china cabinet to give it some "pop"- right now the furniture kind of blends with the wall color. Groveraxle is doing a great job giving you paint colors if you do decide to go with a new color- I like the green paint color the best.

Grover, Happy Mark Nancy & everyone else!! Thanks sooo much for your talented ideas...it is very much appreciated!! I don't have a huge decorating budget at the moment...I kind of pick up things here & there & piece mill it all together...eventually I'll get it all finished. I'm waiting to win the lottery, so that I can redesign my whole house all at once-lol!!!

I'm torn between the green & purple walls...I like them both!! I will have to decide, so I can look for fabric for chairs & new window coverings.

You are all so talented!!! I've liked all your ideas, except painting the furniture black;). My husband would flip if I did that!!lol
If anything pops into your mind...keep sending your thoughts..I don't mind;)

More questions...sorry-lol!
1. Does the purple walls match my terracotta ceramic tiles in entrance?
2. What shade of purple on walls? Muted or more jewel tone?
3. Solid curtains or pattern? What about chair fabric?
4. If I painted my walls a green...would it be too much green in the house?

I think you are on the right track with your art and wall colour and idea to tie in with your ceramic. Upholstering your chairs in a rust fabric would give them depth, or adding two upholstered captains chairs. You could make your art larger by framing it with a large mat either in white or a rust colour from the picture. I agree with larger scones and new chandelier and/or maybe even dramatic wallpaper on that wall as in one of the pictures I'll try to attach. Go dramatic with the drapes ( agree hang higher) also.

Keep the colour you have it works nicely with your wine bottle picture. Maybe you can find a nice wine rack bar centre for underneath that picture and I think that will complete your room and a centre piece on the table

And change the drapes to a darker tone or add to the ones you have already with a double curtain rod. Solid on the outside sheer in the middle

I've shared by "rust" idea book with you Cher as can't figure out how to attach photos using my iPad

Cher, the only way you can pick colors is by painting sample boards and placing them in the room. If you did green, I would choose a green in the same family as the living room green, but much less saturated (grayer) on the walls.

If you do purple, I would go for a jewel tone, quite dark, almost an aubergine, and I'm sure it would look great next to terracotta floors. But again, you have to see a sample in your room, in your light, at all times of day.

Do your dining room with the same fierce courage you used for the living room and it will turn out great!

Cher - pick up the color strip card your living room green came from and take another shade from it into the dining room - darker for drama, lighter for a simple complement to the LR.

you need a rug to ground the table and chairs. Right now they are just floating in space. The room is pretty much a clean slate, choose a rug that give you some design with a little color. The rug should be 2 1/2 -3 feet on either side of the table [if possible] to allow chairs to move in and out without catching on the rug.

I thought I read that you wanted some teal or turquoise in the room. I think that would be lovely to contrast all the brown tones with some cool colors. I love fabric because it can tie together anything if it has the tight colors in it. I found a sample of some pillows in the products section when looking for apple green and teal fabric. Consider recovering your chairs with something like this http://houzz.com/photos/6017574
Then find apple green chargers and turquoise plates as accent pieces in your hutch. You don't need to buy an all new set of dishes just use a few as accessory pieces.
Agree with new chandelier.

An area rug with detailed design, such as a Persian rug, and a solid color runner on your dining table, with a vase of flowers in the middle of the table would do the job. You have good taste, so just use your imagination.

Sorry I must add...and be spontaneous with the colors you choose. Good luck.