SFGate

Lindsey Powell The curtains are covering an air conditioner

BeyondFrames I would paint all the wood white, paint the walls in a darker color, add a window seatt cushion and other decorative cushions, replace the curtains.
Or if you want to keep the natural and traditional feel given by the woodwork in your dining room, then I would balance it replacing the carpet with hardwood floors, a beautiful rug, dress up the window area and replace the existing curtains.
I would add some artwork on the walls as well.
Not sure if you have a ceiling fan but if yes , I'd replace it with a chandelier to match the style you are looking for.

judyg Here is a suggestion to go along with your William and Mary style furniture. A pale blue above the rail and white below and all white woodwork.

Patricia Pelgrims I am not sure how attached you are to the wood paneling ? If it were mine, I would either paint it or if not that then certainly a white wash stain.
Alternatively you could give it a sage green coat of paint and the wall above an off-white/cream. It will bring out the beautiful window you have there.
That window ledge is crying out to become a window seat.
The curtains need to brush the floor. Your curtains are way too short or way too long.
What is on your floor ? Do you want to keep it ? A large rug underneath the dining table and chairs would make a great difference.

Declutter the items that are not decorative or no use int the dining area (is that a potty that I can see in the corner ?)
Keep the table clear of clutter and always have a bouquet of fresh flowers or a bowl brimming full of fresh fruits on there.

Maybe you have some room for a side board with a table lamp and some artwork on the walls.

Lindsey Powell I had no idea that's what the style of my table is called thank you! That photo is a great start to figuring out what I need to do in this room.

Lindsey Powell @patricia I hate the wood paneling. It camouflages my beautiful table

Lindsey Powell It's a baby seat

Patricia Pelgrims Hi Lindsey ! Then don't hesitate and paint it ! ;-)
Have you got a ceiling light/chandelier to go over the table ?

While I love the colour blue which Judyg suggested, i am not sure if it would work with the upholstery of your chairs.
I love your furniture btw.

sam0705 I like judyg's suggestions of painting all the wood white and doing a pale blue above. When we moved into our Victorian the foyer had a ton of natural woodwork, but it was dingy and not beautiful like some can be. Against everyone's suggestion, I painted everything white and the staircase black and white and the walls a light greyish blue (Blue Dolphin from Pittsburgh Paints). The difference was like a whole new house.
I like your table but are you married to the chairs? I like the idea of something either a little more modern or maybe a lighter upholstery to brighten up the room. I would try to add some more youthful patterns to the room even if just a stripe.

BeyondFrames white and darker color ( it doesn't have to be chocolate though, or so dark) .
keep the chairs and bring light and warmth by dressing up the window area as I mentioned earlier, long drapes in a light plain color ( pattern I think would be too much for a mall space)
and a chandelier

Jayme Hobbs Agree with painting all the woodwork/paneling...Does this room open to other rooms with the dark trim, besides the doorway we can see? How old is this house and is there any original hardwood trim?

Lindsey Powell The living room opens up to the dining area. The house was built I'm thinking 1930s. There is wood trim everywhere

Lindsey Powell I hate that recliner. It needs to go. Lol. Everything is a work in progress

Lindsey Powell Would any of you reupholster the dining chairs? I've had people tell me to do that before. I sort of like the pattern

Lindsey Powell All the trim is original in the attached living room

Lindsey Powell I should reupholster the chairs now that I think about it

Patricia Pelgrims You could ofcourse reupholster the chairs, but that is going to cost. And since you like the fabric, I would not do it. With brighter walls it will all come together.
You can pick up the colour of your chairs in some scatter cushions and a nice throw for the sitting room.

LDECOR I agree with many of the suggestions. You have some scale and proportion issues in the room. The paneling extends past the halfway mark of the wall, it makes the room look smaller. If it were my room, I would bring that paneling down to less than half way up the wall. I would paint all the woodwork white. It is tedious work but well worth it. It will lighten and transform your room. I would add a white painted crown at the ceiling and I would paint the walls a rich color that you LOVE. Sherwin Williams sells samples for $6.00 and change that are well worth the investment. An interesting chandelier would add much to the focal point of your room. Be creative and find one that is not so ordinary that you also LOVE. I would definitely add window treatments, they add a lot of character and appeal and warmth to a room. Maybe pinch pleat drapes that are pulled back to add a soft curve in the room. I think you could use a pattern, like a trellis design, but I would not use a busy pattern either. The height of the chair backs do seem to be to tall for the room. I can't tell from the picture if you could reupholster them yourself or not. If you could, I would change them out to a light fabric, white or cream muslim, something casual. I agree, a rug is in order. Buy something worthwhile that you LOVE once. Wool will work well if you clean up spills immediately, the oils repeal liquids. Think of a theme for your room, i.e. English Country, or English Cottage (furniture style) and start with that in mind. Add artwork or photos to the walls but make sure that they are large enough to make an impact. It is an investment, once done you may not ever want to make a change and you will want to spend time in your new dinning room.

kcalman If you like the fabric on the chairs, keep it! But I'd remove the paneling. We did it in one room and the walls behind it weren't in bad shape. Just needed some minor repairs. Bt you never know... Or you could paint it white but I don't know how at would look with the rest of the wood trim around the door and in other rooms.

kcalman If your kids eat at that table don't reupholster the chairs with any light color! We had black seats with a beige pattern, and even with the kids sitting on towels they were destroyed within a year! Good luck!

Keitha I agree with everyone that the trim and panels should be painted a crisp white and what a difference it would make. Honestly, it would help to lighten the feel of your entire house IF you could paint trims in all other rooms too...BUT, I know that would be a daunting task!!!! So, another less drastic approach would be to keep stained paneling and trim and stay neutral above the panels as well with a paint color or wallpaper which might "trick the eye" and downplay all the wood. Add your "interest" with the window seat suggestion and pops of color in artwork and an unexpected table centerpiece.

Lindsey Powell If I paint the trim around the entry from the sitting area would I want to paint the inner part if that makes sense?

LDECOR Is your house Arts & Crafts style?

Lindsey Powell Not arts and crafts style... It has a style I don't really know. We just moved in in sept the day after I had baby no. 1. It needs some sort of style tho!

Lindsey Powell I've been working with what I already owned. And unfortunately nothing really works together.

Lindsey Powell Ive hung things up that don't necessarily work just to make the house look a little bit more welcoming

sam0705 If you have a lot of that thick dark trim around the rest of the house, can you just take the panelling down? My brother and sister in law lived in a bungalow with big beautiful dark wood moldings everywhere and I loved it. Is the wood elsewhere in good condition? In the photo you posted, I actually like the window seat wood, but not the panelling. If I had lived in my brother's house, I would have kept the wood but mixed it up with a more contemporary style and light walls - everything else very bright and light.

Jayme Hobbs I had a sneaking suspicion!!! I am for the preservation of the nice wood elsewhere!! This room looks made over...is any of the original woodwork in the dining room besides the doorway? You may have a gem here!!!

Jayme Hobbs This could be a lovely room....more info on rest of house please. ..looks like some original woodwork in livingroom

Lindsey Powell I think it's all original. My husbands dad did the drywall. They didn't take the paneling down cause they were scared what could be behind it.

Lindsey Powell This is the other side of the sitting room. My father in law bought this house and fixed a ton of stuff. It was in bad shape. He actually grew up in this house. That's why we're in it

Lindsey Powell This is the bathroom. One of my favorite rooms:)

Jayme Hobbs I would preserve the original hardwood if it were me..but I LOVE it...the dining room is a mis-mash so I wouldn't freak out on that...are any of the built-in's around the dining room window original?

Lindsey Powell Pretty sure the built in is original.

LDECOR If you can reupholster the chairs, consider Sunbrella fabrics if you are concerned about children. These fabrics come in many attractive designs now, I am sure you could find one that would work well on your chairs. You could also paint the paneling a color, like a french wash green or blue, but stay light. Once you start painting trim white you will probably want to turn the corner with it. However, if you have a period house with good wood trim and accents be careful to research the quality before you decide to paint it as mentioned above. I would suggest to browse this site and find pictures of rooms you like. You will begin to see what your are attracted to and start to have a direction you want to go in. Once you find your style, keep with it. When making choices ask yourself if it fits into that style and you will end with a cohesive room that you will enjoy. You have a young child and a new home, it may seem overwhelming but a task a day and your room will start to change and you will be inspired. Enjoy!

Lindsey Powell The wood below the paneling is original

Jayme Hobbs OK....so I would tear off the wainscoting....leave original wood absolutely. Painting that would be a shame....hardwoods like that are so gorgeous! I would either try to do a re-do with a hardwood and/or paint the walls...Is there hardwood under your carpet?

Jayme Hobbs Getting the wainscoting off will make a big difference.

Lindsey Powell No hardwood floors

Lindsey Powell Under the carpet no hardwood

Keitha Here are some examples of the way paint can change the look of paneling. An easy change would be to paint only the paneling and above the chair rail leaving all trim stained to keep woodwork throughout the house unified. This small amount of painting along with the great accessorizing ideas would give you a fresh look without spending a lot of time and money. Painting woodwork and restoring hardwood floors could be a goal to work toward in the future ???

Jayme Hobbs Pics of Craftsman rooms

sarah repaint the green baige so it will make it more fancy than get a bigger table and add more chairs the table looks so small wich makes the room look so small also rip out the curtains and add roller shades its less in ur face than it will only cost a little but the house will look gorge

Jayme Hobbs I get what Keitha is saying..but in those pics there is no dark wood work trim on walls or doors, as in this home.

blindsdirectcanada silhouettes with a mock roman valance would look great!

http://www.blindsdirectcanada.com/blinds-toronto/hunter-douglas/silhouette-toronto.html

Keitha Jayme, you are right. Just trying to give her an idea of the painted paneling. I'll try to find some pics. That show painted paneling with stained trim.

Jayme Hobbs A few more pics

Keitha Blindsdirectcanada... Love the mock roman shade. It would look so nice in the windowseat area!

Jayme Hobbs I have been in homes like these and they are striking, rich, warm, inviting and charming...timeless!

Jayme Hobbs Maybe a chair rail if you take down the paneling as in the pic of dining room I posted...If u like funky color, like the green pic..You could do that too.. I am excited to see what u do....or have a new wainscoting matched to the original wood....LOVELY!!