install a tabletop in the hutch/cubby area and paint it white so it blends in. Use this as the desk, put an inspiration board or some colorful paint/fabric against the back (maybe the blue that's already in those cabinets), and hang a large roman shade across the front that you can bring down when having a dinner party. That way you keep the prettyness of the window panes but get rid of the random furniture.

Also, add more color! Paint and reupholster the chairs and finish the table to match or get a brightly colored tablecloth. Get a centerpiece.

Finally, re-frame or get rid of those dark art pieces above the desk. They don't go with the whole airy white vibe.

Good luck!

Place a very large storage unit on the wall with the non-functioning door. Definitely cover that puppy up! Place desk(s) in the cubby where they can be concealed with fabric panels or blinds or...something. You have a nice 'office'!

This is my life. The house "office" has been hijacked by everyone else, so I have carved out a niche in the DR. I have tried the mini-armoire - with closing doors for when the room needed to be a DR and that worked well. (The armoire was self-contained with space for laptop, printer, files and papers.)

Now with a desktop Mac, I have gone to a small desk. (The Mac didn't fit in the armoire!) Works well, but I have to do some major cleanup when the DR is used for dining.

If I had my 'druthers, I would go back to an armoire that fit my desktop Mac and that could be easily closed. The nice ones are just too pricey!

To me, making a dining room also work as an office is all about "now you see it, now you don't."

So...

I'd box in the lower portion of the wall niche and fill it with shelving and any necessary office equipment and supplies. Move the piece currenlty in the niche to one of the other walls where you have lots of smaller pieces.

Flank the reworkd storage niche with two of the same or similar lower storage pieces (I'm all about symmetry these days that look more dining than office), matching lamps on both.

I agree with a blue for the walls and the table painted white. Afterwards, perhaps some patterned seat cushions with some of the blue will tie together the dining room portion of the room.

For the majority of updates I would keep the focus on making the office aspect of the room work best. Use pieces that can store files, books, computer stuff, etc. but I would go for furniture that has doors so that during a party you can close off everything and make it look like only a dining room.

Under the two windows I would put matching shelves (with doors) but I think the center storage and credenza nook look great - though I might switch the darker art over the desk into that area and give the larger pieces some wall space. Get a desk armoire to replace your desk, and keep the remaining walls pretty clean and open to show off your art. I think I might try the plants on the floor too, or a low shelf or bench near the low window to place the plants on.

As for furniture colors, I think either white or a wood that matches the existing credenza & floors would work.

You'll probably end up still working at the dining room table, but that's not a bad thing.

Aw it's kind of sweet that guys have the exact same problem that I did: "work" tables in the corner get filled with papers, storage is haphazard , work is done at the kitchen table and eating on the couch.
My advice:
1. If that door is blocked on the other side, then go for it and block it on this side. I strongly suggest that you simply cover that whole wall with fabric, to cover the door completely and act as an accent wall. I did this on a small wall with a king sized " tree of life" paisley bed spread and it was lovely and acted as a real unifier to the room. It was not dormish. If you do this, think about removing the doorknob so it doesn't stick out under the fabric. If you're more conservative you can do a fabric from urban outfitters bedspreads. ( cheaper and wider than fabric by the yard) Trust me, it will improve everything and act as a unifier to the room that sets up the color palette of your choice. Just tack it up with little nails and you are good to go!
2. Once you have your accent wall, use it to visually anchor the home office against that wall. I'd put the work table on the right side under the window where the plant and work storage is now, facing the accent wall. You may want to get a smaller/lighter chair, or use one of the dining room chairs at that desk instead, that yellow chair is pretty big for the space.
3. Storage. Obviously you guys need coherent office storage. I'd remove the plant /green table and the rolling filing cabinet and get two two drawer metal lateral files. If you get them in metal you can get them white or cream and keep them that way, or paint them to match or accent the walls in the color of your choice. You can often find them on craigslist. The lateral files are clean, have a small footprint, and help SO much with the messy desktop and storage issues. They have a nicer size than regular small filing cabinets and feel much less " officey". These files can go side by side to the left of the work table, or if you put the work table in the middle of your new accent wall where your door is now, they can go on either side. You can use their tops as a place to lean pictures and have plants, etc.
4. Once your get the office together, you can strategize on the picture hanging.
5. Once you get the room together and pick your colors you can decide what really works. The hutch under the built in cabinet looks very dark to me, as do some of your picture frames, but once you get the accent wall together, deal with your storage, and pick your dominant colors, I think you'll find the rest of your color values flow from there.
Good luck, enjoy!

Also: I'd remove Mr. Random High Metal Chair in the corner by the plant and put mister plant on the floor or against the accent wall once you have it up.

ALSO you may want to think about a round dining room table . There are a lot of regtangles and squares in the room that are contributing to its cluttered, blocky feel. But I'd think about that last...

Well, I wouldn´t paint it blue... I know it´s quite usual, but for me, blue dining rooms appear just too cold. What about some other color, but I would prefer lighter shades.
Also, I wouldn´t paint the table - wooden top seems so much more inviting and it´s easier to care for.
I also think that the room is big enough for two office tables, so that you can leave the dining table free for dining entirely. I would put the second table where the small storage units are, and put some taller bookcase/storage unit in front of the door.

To me -- and I'm in a similar boat, only my DR needs to double as a jewelry studio -- the solution is to maximize storage and minimize clutter. In your space, as others have suggested, I would fill the niche under the built-in cabinets with closed storage -- something like the Ikea Besta line, maybe. Or custom shelves (board and bracket style, maybe?) with lots of identical storage boxes or baskets. You could also put storage -- open shelving for books and decor or more closed storage, maybe an armoire, on the unusable door (something that totally covers it would be nicest).

I'd place the credenza (or whatever it is) on the wall where the desk is now, or where the files are, and get rid of the desk and filing furniture -- all the small pieces. (Put the files in the new system in the niche.)

Make some cupboard or other storage place a spot for quickly stuffing things on the table when you need to hide them -- not assigned another duty. But then remember to attend to the things ASAP after the unexpected guest leaves!

Everything that possibly can should serve double duty.

I like the blue and white scheme, especially if it makes you happy, but I'd discourage the bulletin board -- they almost always look messy and they certainly do NOT look "dining room". I have had luck in the past by lining the inside of cupboard doors (in this case in my kitchen near the phone) with self-stick cork sheeting. This makes a cnvenient place for the business cards and things you want handy but not In Your Face all the time. Inside the doors of an armoire would be an option for you, for more bulletin board space.

I actually don't mind that pale linen color on the walls - and I agree that painting the table white is a good move...

...and I also agree w/ Patrick that a pair of cabinets on either side of the niche for file storage would be perfect for file storage topped with a pair of large table lamps for additional lighting.

Why not carry over the blue from within the built-in glass cabinet for your dining chairs - Either paint the chair frames the same color and/or reupholster the seats in a fabric that is predominantly that color? Perhaps this fabric could be carried over to draperies on the window to the right as well as fabric covers for generic lateral file cabinets for the storage in the corners - trimed in solid blue ribbon that matches the blue inside the cabinet? Cover little shades with this fabric and trim w/ the same blue ribbon for the Chandelier too? Maybe add a couple of upholstered host armchairs in that same solid blue?

I would also investigate unblocking the door to the kitchen - It's bound to be difficult to entertain with the door blocked, and it helps this room to become more neglected and cluttered when it's out of the traffic area. Meanwhile - get rid of the desk, little drawers and extraneous furniture/mismatched plants, etc.

Oh - and get rid of the Christmas Lights too...

@bepsf: "fabric covers for generic lateral file cabinets for the storage in the corners - trimed in solid blue ribbon that matches the blue inside the cabinet? " Sounds gorgeous! You must be quite the craftsperson!

I could also totally see a white marble Saarinen table in there if you are looking for an alternative.

And I think the wall color is gorgeous. Don't change it.

I think one thing you'll want to decide is whether you're looking for a more classic look (the table, chairs, and lovely builtins) or a more modern look (the smaller furniture against the wall). I don't think they're blending well right now.

Also, deep blue is my favorite color, but the pale walls look lovely now. A slightly darker color to contrast against the pretty white trim would look good, but I think if you go too dark the room will close in on you. Definitely paint the table a gloss white.

I'm not fond of your sideboard in the cubby. The comment suggesting filling it with a shallow desk or shelving is good, if the effect meets the quality of the cupboards above.

It sounds like you want to cover the kitchen door - in that case, run a desk along the length of the wall as deep as you can go without interfering with the table, and you'll have tons of room. A high closeable cabinet would be neat for storage and to disguise the door, but you don't want to block the window on the right.

I suggest doing what you can to avoid using the table as a desk - it's such a pain to clear work-in-progress when you've got other dinner issues to worry about.

As far as a bulletin board, could you have one or two swing out over the desk to look at when working, then swing back flat against the wall when company's over?

Don't feel bad about eating on the couch and having your desk on the DR table - your lifestyle should dictate the function of the rooms, and therefore the design.

Furniture:
I actually have a secret dream about having a big round pedestal table in my DR ala Charlie Rose to do work at, have friends over, etc. So I will suggest a round or oval show-stopper table since the space seems large enough. I prefer darker natural wood, but if the painted thing is what you desire then go with it...

Normally the I detest armoires, but in this case I envision one covering the door (on small hidden wheels so you could move if needed?). You could keep all files, computer stuff, paperwork, and possibly a tackboard hidden. But I would still work at the table :)

The cove and credenza look good to me, but as others suggested, some built in shelves would be nice. Then use the credenza elsewhere if it fits/serves purpose.

I second or third the idea of lower bookcases with lamps on either side of cove. Love symmetry - very elegant.

Finally, some low, or chest height bookcases for storage of your best books or display of art. Then you can also have wall space for art above.

Color:
If you like blue/white then go with it (maybe with punches of bold or jewel tone color?), but I would suggest a light cream and not bright white

You got good bones though!

Since you already use the dining room table as a workspace, why not skip the desk entirely and add closed cabinets to store your office stuff? If you have enough storage with a place for everything, you can put your office stuff away when you're having a dinner party and leave it out the rest of the time. Ideally, you want the room to look like just a dining room when you have guests and just an office when you're working there, and I think that's hard to accomplish when you've got both a desk and a dining room table in the room.

This will depend on if you rent or own, but..

- If you are going to block off the kitchen door, really do it. Take out the door, install a plywood back on the kitchen edge of the door opening, and then install built-in shelving in the door opening. How well this works depends on how thick that wall is. Paint the inside of this to match the inside of the built-in desk niche (see next comment), and paint the shelving white. Voila, built-in shelves.
- Do a built-in desk in the niche. The existing upper cabinets work, but it may make more sense to get ride of them and start from scratch. I think the dining room walls are nice, the whole room has a nice tranquil feel - but the niche should be painted a different color or get wall papered so it 'pops.'
- Put nice a nice small wooden credenza below each of the windows flanking the niche. These should look like furniture (rather than file cabinets) and conceal whatever is stored.
- Streamline the art by hanging them all at a similar height (centers at ±66" above the floor)
- It looks like the chairs have already been painted and covered, so keep those and definitely paint the table.
- The existing credenza is nice, maybe it will fit on one of the other walls or can find a new home somewhere else in the house. Same with the round plant stand - keep it, but maybe not here if it doesn't make sense.
- There should definitely still be some plants in this room.
- I like the stool, but, again it may just be cluttering up the space...

The light fixture looks too puny for that room -- get something with drama and substance, make it a focal point to the room.

i'd move that great credenza out of the recessed space and against the kitchen wall, centered if you are blocking the door.

the nook is now free to be home office storage which you will be easily able to access from your dining room table/ desk by swiveling your chair. there's plenty of room there for files, printer, supplies and electronics in closed storage. paint it white like your existing built ins, maybe even go with built ins, floor to dining table height. consider a stone/quartz/marble top to allow you to use it for a hot buffet during those parties. you could also put a stone slab atop your radiator.

from your photos it looks like the office problem is currently about geography. you've got the space but you've spread it out too much.

I would make a window like opening to the kitchen that's a similar size and height to the smaller windows or to the cabinets, move the credenza to that wall (where it can also serve as a buffet table), install built-in shelves with doors where the credenza is now and at the same height (leaving some wall space, paint the table or get a round one and still use it as a desk and upholster the chairs with blue fabric similar to what's inside your cabinets. The current wall color's really nice. So, I wouldn't change that.

A few thoughts:

Reconsider the use of rooms: The dining room seems quite large; maybe a combined living/dining room and an office in the "old" living room is an option?

Get a separate workplace (desk, storage) for each of you, that improves efficiency and makes it easier to keep track of things.

Go for symmetry and duplicates: Get the same bookshelves, desks, cabinets... that will make the overall impression of the room more calm and orderly.

Split the room into a dining-zone and a work-zone: Use bookshelves or curtains as room dividers, different colours of paint and similar tricks to emphasise the distinction between work and relaxation.

Dining table: High-gloss medium-light gray for the legs and sides, medium-dark for the table top.

Also how about moving the dining area so it's not in the middle of the room but rather at one end?

I'd also consider putting the current niche-bound credenza in front of the windows. Add two buffet lamps.

I disagree that the chandelier is too puny, but I *do* like the idea of shades on it.

Custom a drop front desk top in the niche (relocate the danish credenza), with plenty of shelving, underneath, a set of bi-fold doors that hide more storage. You can simply spin a chair from the dining table to work. When you are not working, the whole thing closes up and disappears. Also, maybe "frost" the glass in the upper cabinets with a film to hide its contents.