I love the color on the walls....You do need some variation, though! I think I'd probably re-cover the chairs in a bright pattern to complement the walls.

It looks lovely. You are overthinking this. You dont need to change anything. Once you have a sideboard, art, vases and other accessories in the room you wont notice this at all.

While I think a patterned fabric on the chairs would help -- a runner on the table or some artwork on the walls would do the same thing. It just needs to be broken up a bit.

You're just missing your final layer.

Get some glass in, maybe a mirror, black shades for the chandelier... sconces, a bowl or vase on the table, or a large crystal geode.

Thumb through the Williams Sonoma Home catalog for inspiration.

I think you need a pattern on the rug, a nice center piece, and art work on the walls

what's the wall color and trim color you used? i agree with recovering the chairs and maybe a lighter rug.

I'm with Sanqui... I think that art work (perhaps in black and white) would help "tone it down", although I think it looks gorgeous as is!

Agree on the artwork. It will transform the room in a way that you did not expect. Agree also with the comments about bowls and such for the table. Maybe a superlarge deep dish made of some natural fiber like raffia or such and then fill it wil large bright oranges. I like everything you have done so far. You are just not finished yet.

I would like to see a more modern chandeliere to contrast and compliment the dining set. Check out the large pendant in the orange dining room posted earlier today.

You need art.

What art, I don't know. There's a vast amount out there, and you will have your own taste as to what is suitable. I'd probably go for Escher or an Impressionist landscape, but that's *my* taste. Or if I could find a good Da Vinci print...

I love the vividness of the room.

I messed up with a blue dining room once also. I repainted after a month or so. I wonder if a glaze might work?

I agree with recovering the chairs if it's not too much trouble. I don't know about a print necessarily, but definitely something other than what it is now. I do like the color on the walls, but it is a bit much to have it on the chairs also.

Also, it might just be me, but I sort of feel like you need a bigger (or at least more dramatic) chandelier over the table.

The blue is a lovely color. Some large, largely white or light colored fabric or wall hanging along the largest blue panel would tone the room down nicely. If you could find something that also accents the blue it would be great. This is a nice one: http://www.finnishgifts.com/iso-fabric-blue.html

Agree also with patterned rug and table runner. Not crazy about the chair covers either, and, if you can manage it, swapping the table set for something more modern might make a difference too. Somehow I picture a rectangular, rather than round table.

It looks great - please keep the chairs. Trumystique and Patrick (too) expressed it perfectly. Now you can buy the fun bits!

Well, here's ONE thought about possibly toning it down, which is to have a little contrast between the blue and the white.

One way to do that would be... to find a shade of that same blue, a little farther down the lighter end of the paint sample and either use it to paint OUTSIDE the thin white molding, and leave the bright/dark blue inside that molding.

OR... use the lighter blue I just described INSIDE the thin molding and leave the dark as the thicker framing effect outside of the thin white molding.

OR... leave all that dark/bright blue how it is, and ONLY replace the thin white molding with the lighter color I described.

I think that any of those could look pretty good, but it really would depend on what kind of art you'd use.

Either way, I'd like to see a different chandelier. If you're going to stay traditional, then I think I'd wanna see something bigger.

I love your walls! I'd probably recover the chairs in a yellow and white patern, add art to the walls...

I agree with all other who believe the room is well on its way, just needs the finishing touches. I do think the chairs are a little too "matchy matchy", maybe a printed fabric with a touch of the aqua in it to add some life to the room. I put some suggestions from Repro Depot below (not sure of your exact taste, but these are a starting point):

http://www.reprodepot.com/mgspbr.html

http://www.reprodepot.com/chmpgg.html

http://www.reprodepot.com/mzbskm.html

http://www.reprodepot.com/ngprpw.html

http://www.reprodepot.com/ngpvbr.html

http://www.reprodepot.com/ngsfsp.html

http://www.reprodepot.com/bblfcb.html

I also agree with some of the other that the chandelier might be a tad small, but wait and see how it looks once you fill out the rest of the room.

i also think some details will add enough variation to take this room from great to fabulous!

Thanks so much for all of your thoughtful suggestions.

The sad irony is that I covered the chairs first and then selected the paint color! They are a cool blue leather that I purchased at Mood Fabrics and loved.

Now that the walls are painted, I agree that I do need some variation and that the chair seats may be the easiest way to go.

Kurt, can you recommend a glaze and how does that work?

Angie, thanks for the great reprodepot links!

Any other thoughts?

a large wall mirror would break up the blue and not make it look so matched as would a larger (and more ornate perhaps) chandelier. I think it would be a shame to recover your chairs as I think the blue looks great. The room just needs to be accessorized.

I did this once in a bedroom ("Glider Green" turned out to be bright blue). I lived with it for a month, then got a glaze, slowly added white pigment (tint) until I got the right color, and then pressed it on with crumpled up cheese cloth. You might now want so much texture (this was about 15 years ago, might look dated now...), but it will lighten the color and you can control it as you go along.

Any paint store will have glazes and tints, here's some:
http://www.o-geepaint.com/Faux/coatings.shtml including glow in the dark paint, ooh!

Maybe more modern chairs or table to have a nice contrast. Different color from each other, i.e. white chairs with brown table. A more dramatic and modern chandelier would also help.

I agree with everybody that the paint is really nice, you just need to add more accessories--tablecloth or runner, art on the walls, maybe a more modern light fixture. I would want something in reddish/orange or lime green, I think. Once you have some contrasting color in there the seat covers may not look so "matchy."

I would definitely change that chandelier for a modern suspension lamp. I love that dark turquoise... don't touch it!

I think the easiest thing to do is take the blue paint and either lighten it with white or darken it with black and paint the panels the new color. It would tone down the vibrancy of the blue, plus give the room some extra depth.

You seriously do not need to change anything you've already done, especially if the chairs are actually leather. You really just need the anchor of black and some other textures... even if you continue the exact same blue in the accessories and art.

If you're gonna do it, DO IT.

If not, introduce something *not* from the same can of paint.

I could really see a grid of framed antiqued mirrors in the large center panel. Or a modern framed piece or canvas.

Either work with the blue and traditional vibe or totally counter it.

Just a silver bowl of oranges on that table would turn the whole table around.

have you thought about (partially) painting the leather to mimic a fabric motif? Seriously, if you painted a cool damask pattern in tone-on-tone color you could get a really nice effect. No reupholstering necessary.

that said, I agree with all the commenters who have suggested that you need the fun stuff now. A bigger (or more of a focal point) chandelier, some mirrors, art, linens... this is the fun part.

I must say that I like reading the suggestions posted by the readers here. You all try to be reasonable and come up with doable, and often inexpensive, fixes. I posted a pic of my living room on HGTV's Rate My Space and I wasn't even soliciting suggestions for changes and I got a comment from a reader there suggesting that I completely tear down a large wall. What the heck?? Nowhere in my post did I say that I had an unlimited renovation budget.

There's no need to change the walls or chairs! (I know many have said this above, but you don't seem convinced, so I thought I'd add my voice to the pile.) :) Also echoing others above: I would change that chandelier - either get a bigger version, or choose something with a simpler shape, less fussy. And, of course, add a runner, glass, silver, artwork, and so forth. Lots of nice suggestions already made about those.

I don't know the story behind the table and chairs or what you are willing to do with them, but how about painting them white?

it looks great!! you are well on your way to a really stunning dining room...just keep adding to it.

i'd throw in:
- a long low credenza (lacquered black or white perhaps, even navy maybe)
- some gold accents like a pair of large brass urn lamps or some tall 70s-style bird statues
- i would "dip" your chandelier or spray it matte white. or get a larger, more dramatic fixture
- art, of course. yellow would be nice (maybe Warhol's banana or something along those lines to change up the formal tone)
- white Panton chairs would actually be amazing in this room w/that table
- a big white marble dish on the table with somethin' in 'em.

steer clear of:
- zebra print (too trendy)
- the brown & blue theme (so so so overdone)
- too many "natural" materials; that color is so bright, it'll make it feel like Miami if you go overboard with botanicals, plants, raffia, etc...
- a rectangular dining table; the room is such a small rectangle itself, the circle in the middle helps break the angles up
- i think table runners are weird.

please post some "after" photos!

Wait, zebra is too trendy but you are recommending Panton chairs?

You know, I also love the color. I don't believe you need to tone it down, either. For a few accessories, however (and this generally isn't my style, but I am having the easiest time imagining it - and it looks great in my head!), you could go a little goth/victorian.

Maybe I sound crazy, but I think it would look really fresh with such a color behind it!

Maybe use something like this as a centerpiece:
http://www.makebe-leaves.com/galery/images_focal/VictorianArrangement_sma.jpg

And this on the large wall there:
http://www.dargate.com/250_auction/250_images/5066.jpg

Also a larger chandelier...

I don't know, maybe I lost my marbles working all day with kids!

Hello. I love the wall colors, and I hope you don't change the seats! It sounds like you've already invested enough on those two elements. Like others have already suggested, I would work on the other two basic pieces - the rug and lighting -before tweaking details or adding accessories. Personally I like the rug the least. It needs to be brought up to the level of the walls.

I love it. I just think it needs some accessorizing with some black and silver. Artwork, mirrors, table centerpiece --voila!

I think I would keep the blue walls, keep the blue leather chairs, and get a sleek black buffet and a modern chandelier.

I like brights so I'd say a pendant lamp with an orange glass shade, but it sounds like you want something a bit calmer, so maybe a brushed nickle or one of the those DWR bubble pendants that Apartment Therapy showed a couple days ago.

Also, art. Ya need some. I'd love to see a very large canvas centered in that large rectangular detail behind the table. Or just get the buffet and put a dramatic mirror behind it.

Doesn't look like too much floorspace for any sideboard. But maybe a standing screen, in a black and white toile? Check out Ballard Designs.

I still think you need not scrap the chandelier, unless you are itching to. But I do think shades on the bulbs will give it more visual weight.

I'd love to dress that table for a swanky dinner party, yowza!

The two tall rectangles flanking the large square are begging for sconces...

I think the leather you used on the chairs sounds lovely and the photo probably does not do it justice. Also, I really love the way the walls look. I think the matchiness that you want to avoid is sort of emphasized by the fact that the blue colors are a little off and don't match exactly.

What if you do something to make the matchiness really over-the-top intentional with a bold modern gesture like the Angela Adams Gato Rug from DWR? The blue in the rug is a little more muted, but pulls the blues together, while the dark lines in the rug pulls the dark finish of your dining set and hardwood floors together. I think it would make your dining set really pop and make the room look hip without adding a bunch of little accessories here and there.

http://dwr.com/productdetail.cfm?id=9593

I also love both color and would not change them.
Put some bright yellow details.

i love goodnightdean's suggestion of the lacquered low credenza, and i think adding navy to the room would be great, great, great.

I would try putting white slip covers that cover the entire chair. Also a large pendant light would look great. Great job. I would think you are well on your way to a great dinning space.

That turquoise color is beautiful.

I think you should start with a patterned rug--something with the turquoise, a brown that echoes the wood, and at least one other color, something that you could pull out for accessories if you wanted. That and a bit of art might be enough to get you where you want to be.

If you don't want to ditch the chandelier, you could pump it up a bit by adding a few more ropes of crystals.

Is the chandelier really too small? I'm thinking that it's just hung too high above the table.

It actually looks fantastic, especially w/ the white trim.
Throw a funky runner on the table and some artwork on the wall that doesn't focus on blue. Look for oranges or yellows or even navy if you want something more classic.

I would also try a new rug. Unless it's brand new, in which case all the added accessories will make it blend in better.

You are probably just overtaken by the color b/c the room is "bare bones" right now. Adding a few more pops of color should tone it down.

I really love it!

the wall colour is fantastic...now for the rest of the room;

- paint the chairs a high gloss berry
- recover the chairs in a designers guild fabric (something with flecks of the wall colour)
- hang black black and white framed photos in a guilded gold frame on one wall & art of your choice on the other
- ditch the rug

or, if that's not you...something more like this perhaps?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/homes/design/design_inspiration/factsheets/348.shtml

good luck, you're off to a flying (and very impressive) start!

hmm... the chandelier appears too high in the top photo because the top half of chain is cut off. It looks fine to me in the second photo. I guess I don't think the chandelier is a major problem. Choice of lighting is a matter of taste. I think a bolder or brighter rug will make the biggest difference, but maybe that's a matter of taste too. Anyway, the room is lovely Carrie as is - I hope you're not getting paranoid.

or maybe this....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/homes/design/design_inspiration/factsheets/618.shtml

I think the problem lies with the thin white trim framing each section of the wall. If you paint it the same blue as the walls it will recede somewhat and the room will look more modern (assuming that's what you want, or why go with such bold color?)

Those little frames are a vestige from the victorian era when normal people just had small pictures, which needed the extra trim to help organize them. If you put a big picture or mirror on the wall, those frames are going to fight for the attention. (I have photoshopped them out of the image and will post it if someone can tell me how to do it.

I recommend this rug to brighten up the room fabulous shoes for a Marie Antoinette (movie) decor:
http://www.florcatalog.com/service/flor/shop_detail.html?mv_arg=1230102500%2d6840_02

The comment form didn't like the plus sign between "room" and "fabulous". Sorry - I will preview next time.

Wow!! I LOVE your leather seat covers! I think they say that you have an edgy ecclectic sensibility when it comes to design; here are a few thoughts in that vein.

I love the boldness of your paint, but it is impossible to really judge it over a computer screen; only you know if it works in your light and other unique conditions. Paint is still the cheapest thing to change if you do the work yourself. If you would like to go lighter, how about an icier pearlescent? I know that Pratt & Lambert makes a paint called Opulence in pearl; you might want to check it out. Here is the effect I am thinking of (including the stencil, albeit in a darker blue):

http://www.muralsplus.com/discus/messages/953/110536.html?1175009415

Or you migh ponder wallpaper (can't believe I am saying this!) -- like this turquoise and dull silver one:

http://www.dwr.com/productdetail.cfm?id=9757

Framed B/W photographs in simple thin silver-leafed frames would look lovely. AT has posts on a number of great photo sources and galleries. And I always get inspired by the frames at Paris Frames, near the Planetarium.

And speaking of a cellula chandelier, I think a 7-light one would look fabulous in your room! It straddles modern and contemporary, just like your leather upholstery. And I have seen it over round tables to great effect -- more unexpected and tongue-in-cheek than over a rectangular table.

http://www.design-eu.com/item.php?id=65

There are knock-offs at every price point, if you can't afford the original. (or you could make your own!).

If you are feeling as bold as your blue choices, then how about a white antler chandelier? Whatever you do decide to get should be hung no higher than 28" off the surface of your table, and should be big enough for the space, to create an intimate dining table.

http://www.gladstonehotel.com/room404.htm

The rug will pull everything together, and is key to the look. I think that Paul Smith's Passion Flower would probably be sublime (have to see it in situ though). Other possibilities include Kim Parker's Amelie, Bolero or Samba, or a white shag rug if you go with lighter paint. Make sure the rug is large enough to allow at least 2' behind your chairs.

http://www.therugcompany.info/default.aspx

It doesn't look like there is any room for a sideboard, but I think you need to put something substantial in place of the demi-lune table, which is overwhelmed in your space (I think it is what most makes your room unbalanced). My suggestion would be a tall narrow 2 door stripped metal cabinet. The one I am thinking of is on page 108 of Canadian House & Home's June 2007 issue -- it was a street find, and has a slight deco-like rounding to its corners. These folks might have something:

http://sites.ewebboss.com/greenkayofficefurniture/Default.asp?PAGE_ID=4

or you could try junk stores and strip something yourself.

Good luck! You are well on your way to a delicious dining room!

The blue is great. Paint the rectangular mouldings and skirting board (baseboard where you are?) the same colour and get some lamps to highlight the mouldings rather than using the white.

I love this color. I'd change the chair cushions to pink!

I love the wall color and the white trim! I say definitely keep it but I suggest swapping out the round table for a rectangular white parsons style dining table. I think the contrast with the antique looking chairs would be perfect.

P2-
i know we see Panton chairs quite a bit, but they're classics. unfortunately, i think zebra looks super cheesy, unless its done w/a real hide...i know, i know...let the hating commence...

lots of good suggestions, i really hope we get to see after photos of this place!

You need a nicer chandelier, something as regal as those blue walls - I'd look for something with a lot of crystal in it, as I think that would really sparkle with the blue walls. Bigger, too. That whiteish one you have now blends in with the trim - not a good thing, I think.

As others have pointed out, you need art. I think mirrors would also look great in this space, or even better a mirrored piece of furniture, like a mirrored sideboard. Something jewel-like, along the same lines as the chandelier. Maybe silver candlesticks too, or a table lamp with a crystal shade, or a large picture in a frame covered with small mirror tiles.

Oh, and that rug has to go. It's the wrong color for starters - there's probably already enough brown in the room between the table, chairs and floor - and it's way too light. I'd look for something with a pattern, probably fairly traditional, with lots of dark reds or deep violet and a touch of silver or gold. Something to contrast with the blue and that harmonizes with the reddish tones of the woods in the room.

The room is lovely!!
How about a nice painting on the wall to introduce diff. colors.

Tone down the room with clear accessories (such as a console, glass top table and WHITE furniture - gustavian would look awesome or something from Jonathan Adler! You can even go with a Zebra rug underneath to tie it all in. That would be the most modern thing to do. Don't be afraid of color -- go for it!

Janet Finkel, V2K Window Fashions (and then some!)

What's the name of the paint colour? It's fabulous - and I know that any kind of blue is counter-intuitive for a food-related room, but this must be like dining in a Tiffany box. I can picture James Stewart and Ingrid Bergman popping in for dinner.

Actually, with that in mind, check out the film Indiscreet. Her apartment has a wall that might be the same colour, I'm not sure, but it is covered with a grid of framed pictures in a dozen different jewel colours. It's way OTT but also completely gorgeous.

That is just about my favorite color in the world. It's a big statement, and you can use glaze to mute it a bit if you want to. I would not add white paint to it; you will end up with a pastel or chalky version of your current color. I would experiment with a few shades of light grey. Get a few pieces of poster board, paint them with that wall color, and play around with the glaze. Not just the color, but the amount of paint you add, and the application. You can use cheesecloth (try both dry and slightly dampened, bunched in your hand), sea sponges (damp/wrung out) from the paint store, various brushes - all will give a different effect. I would first lightly brush on some glaze, then use the cheesecloth or whatever to remove some of it - it tends to look better then if you just apply the glaze and leave it, it will be a softer effect. The trick is to keep a wet edge when you're glazing the wall, you'll have to move fast, but having the wall broken up by molding will make it a bit easier. Tape off the molding, unless you want to repaint it white afterward.

Having said that, I don't think it's necessary to change the color. Why don't you work with some accessories first, and see how you like it? The walls might look very different with mirrors/art. Sconces would look so great on those walls, too.

I am begging you to get some of that Reprodepot fabric and make a table runner! And someone mentioned a white antler chandelier - if that's your style, it could look great. I agree that the chandelier is just a little too high, try lowering it a few inches if it's not a difficult job. If I remember correctly (you can find this info online), chandeliers are best hung 30-36" over dining tables.

I'm not loving the rug in there. The color is off. Look for something that incorporates what you've already got going on in terms of color, and don't be afraid to get bold. Remember, a strong pattern hides a lot of crumbs!

Stellar choice on the seat upholstery, btw!

i just dont understand table runners. draping a piece of cloth on a table has always looked silly and pointless to me...put a big bowl filled with lemons/flowers on there, a candelabra, even a full table cloth...but...i just dont get the runner.

Here is some really great info on hanging chandeliers -- a good size, proper height, etc.

http://bhammil.com/chron9.4.02.htm

Rules are made to be bent & broken though -- for example, a light fixture that may be a bit large according to the rules can make a powerful design statement -- witness the light fixture in http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/look/look-aters-helped-make-this-beautiful-room-028923

Another option to the stripped metal cabinet I described earlier would be something like this French Medical Cabinet, which may be suitably narrow for your space.

http://www.alfiesantiques.com/antiques.php?search_a=d&did=155

Or this might be lovely; perhaps centered in the large middle panel. You could have crystal glasses or a collection of some sort inside -- ghostly daguerrotypes perhaps... or a collection of silver christening mugs and cups...

http://www.trainspotters.uk.com/Sold-Details.asp?id=104

Because of the mirror and the metal, it would be fantastic paired with the cellula chandelier... (which also comes as a 3 or 1-light wall sconce, for the side panels... http://www.design-eu.com/item.php?id=71 )

I think it looks beautiful. Bold is Great! Be brave and confident. For inspiration check out the Hamptons Cottages & Gardens Idea house in Amagansett or Bridgehampton Decorators Showhouse on 536 Ocean Rd.
Also many leading designers websites: Jamie Drake http://drakedesignassociates.com/ he did Bloombergs house, Madonna's homes he is all about color.

For ex why dont you buy some peacock feather placemats and beautiful light fixture and bold colorful textural painting on one wall then a grouping of 4 small black & white photos on the other? All you need to complete the space is art/accessories. Dont be too conservative w art. Good work!