i think this room has a lot of potential. i also think it has a lot of stuff in it.

you need to simplify your furniture...get rid of the things you don't absolutely love, and create a few really well, organized/cozy "spaces" -- dining, living, office, perhaps?

then, when you have a room full of things you couldn't live without, you can start adding from there/defining a fluid but cohesive style.

Great potential in the space. I think, though, that you have a LOT of wood. And all different types of wood. The problem is, your ceiling is "heavier" than any of your furniture. You need weight, not lightness in your furniture to balance things.

Also, all your upholstery and carpeting are neutral, so the room feels a bit blah. If you like MCM, start with modern textiles: A bold rug would help a lot, and before you start throwing out your dining table, consider covering it with a modern table cloth. Fabric is a simple and relatively cheap fix that makes a huge difference.

Do you really need a dining and kitchenette set both that close? I'd think about getting something expandable and giving yourself some flexibility.

I think you need color but if you're not into doing the walls what about a colorful throw for your glider?

I'd simplify down to one table and scooch it twoards the kitchen, that hanging fixture is dying to be swaped for something mod. then i'd use some expedit shelving or your existing bookshelves to create a small room divider and move the office twoard the windows. Add an additional chair for your seating nook amybe and more color.

In short I think you need more specific "zones" and to re-arrange your art work. What are your dimesions i'm dying to make a floorplan.

I agree with everyone that one table would probably be good. Something expandable to get the best of both worlds. Also agree on the color ideas and minimizing the existing wood that you have already - since the kitchen cabinets and ceiling are so dominant. I think I would ditch the curtains and get some roman shades for the french doors. That way you could get the benefit of the light to brighten everything and still have privacy when you need it. I count 5 bookshelves...any way to get that down to 2 or 3? I like the expedit idea....I love the bar/credenza that you have and I am just picturing it in some kind of orange or red lacquer...just a thought...Good luck!

Also, maybe if you get rid of one table, you could get a loveseat or something to create a lounging area since that glider seems all alone in the corner..

You have a lot of problems in these rooms. No color, dated finishes, un-unified furniture, poor placement of pieces. How dirty do you want to get?

Five bookshelves can be great, if they're all together, wall-to-wall, and all the same size. I have five in a corner of my loft that create a "library." It's much more coherent than mismatched bookshelves around the room.

I'm a colour person, and it seems that your space, apart from your floral curtains, is somewhat monotone. You've got a great painting in one end; I wonder if you could acquire something large and colourful for another wall, or perhaps a colourful rug? Agree with the other posters that two dining sets is too much; I'd put a bigger set near the kitchen and transform the other area into a sitting room/library a la lisa hunter - group the bookshelves together and you'll unify a lot just by doing that. Another inexpensive option is to paint your bookshelves all the same colour. If you like your offwhite walls, I'd recommend a brighter colour for the bookshelves. It's a great, open space ...enjoy it!

Bring in a pro. A lot of high end design stores offer the service for free if you buy a piece. You're in deep blah land over there. I'd seriously think about it.

Color on the walls will make the ceiling seem less dark. The dining room set is the furniture that works best in the room as it exists, because it has some visual weight. You could reupholster the chairs in a bold geometric to give it a more modern feel. I agree that you need to get rid of one table and chair set. You should also try to get rid of the smaller and paint over a lot of the larger wood furniture. Cluster the larger book shelves (and get rid of the smaller ones). The small art work and wall hung shelves are out of scale in a room of this size. I like the idea of a sitting area. Some upholstered pieces would soften the feel of the room.

not to scale - http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/4499/at2zf5.jpg

-The breakfast chairs are cute but they seem hidden under the large cushions.

-The wall clock is so cute. It needs to be featured more, i think.

-With the window treatment I'd do something more on the shear side and definitely down to the bottom.

-I'd almost like to see the two prints by the same artist together, vertically to take advantage of the high ceiling.

-Then there are a few vases placed all over the room. It might work better if they were all grouped together with the same flowers?

-And probably a large bookcase could be purchased eventually to replace the tall case and the one blocking the door.

THANK YOU so much everybody for GREAT advices and positive critique! I'm going to try to respond to all of it.
Lizzykewl - wow! THANK you for that helpful sketch! You grasped the floor plan just right! The only thing - the small case next to the kitchenette set is a wine rack, but we just can't put glasses in it (we have one very busy toddler in the house and have to keep surfaces mostly bare). So it holds a few phone books and wine bottles. AWESOME idea about hanging large paintings vertically! I'm going to try that!
mrs yow Thank you for the advice of upholstering the dining set. I might actually keep it if I can spruce it up with bold and modern fabric, but I'd need to do something about that dented lacquered wood :( and I do not know how.
medusa12120 - Yes, I want to get dirty! So please do share your opinion about pieces placements, etc. What do you mean about dated finishes? And thank you for the advice to bring a pro! It is out of my budget right now but I did ask about an interior design STUDENT's help in one of LJ's communities. Will see if and how that works out.
wc_canuck- thank you! I'll try Lizzykewl's advice of hanging two large paintings vertically, but if we don't like it, we do have a large bright oil painting I might use in there. I sent this "GQ" some time ago and since then acquired a few brightly colored vases and will arrange them in a group. I did a little makeover for my Japanese lamp as well - please take a look (http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k197/Masik_Kolbasik/room/0006psd8.jpg).
Also I am thinking to paint the tall bookcase white and turn it 90 degrees to face the room. I hope it will blend in with the wall color and bright books' spines would pop out. What do you think?
Lisa Hunter - Lisa, excellent idea! I'll group three bookshelves together and see how it looks! Unfortunately replacing any of them is not on a budget right now, I'm trying to work with what I have. BUT if it won't work... well... there is always craigslist, right? :) And aww, I'm loving the idea of a mod tablecloth!
AndreaUThank you for your input! Well, my husband doesn't want to get rid of a dining set altogether as we use it pretty often, but I do plan to replace it with something convertible, which when not in use can double as a little room divider, maybe covered with some bright mod fabric like Lisa Hunteris suggesting.
DahliaCactus, I LOVE your vision!! I'm working on adding more color, and just got another pillow for the glider, am going to move office area closer to the window, paint the open bookcase white and use it as a divider for that area. I'm going to find inexpensive light fixture and ditch the one which came with this room.
As for the floor plan, I think Lizzykewl got it right. And the dimensions are 22"x12". Would you tell me more how to rearrange our art? I'm clueless :(

Post pictures of your progress! I think we'd all love to see.

Start with an accent wall. A nice color called "Dark Linen" by Benji Moore is a good start.

hmm... seeing your updates on the glider what about keeping your dining set and painting it a really bold gloss color like red or orange?

I think dated finishes is reffering to all that medium/golden oak. Its a bit out of fashion right now... but that changes relatively quick so if you love something don't sweat it.

I think painting some of the inexpensive/less sentimenal peices will allow any of the beloved woodgrains to really pop.

...and no one else is willing to ask apparently so.

What is going on with the flag lady?

I love the dark ceiling. I think this space has potential, too:

- Can you paint the bookshelves? Lately, I've been into bookshelves that blend with the wall color or really pop (Red? Cornflower blue?). It will also break up the "too much" wood finish that's happening now.

- I also wonder about the the need for 2 tables so close together.

- Do you need to sell the whole dining room set? I inherited a cherry, Queen Ann set with crazy 80s fabric seats. The table works much better with hip chairs. A few of the chairs are elsewhere around my apartment, with new fabric, and the rest are in storage.

- The "right" window shades will help a lot.

Again, thank you guys for your input! I sure will update you on a process, as I'm on a roll :)
medusa12120, my initial plan was to go with an accent wall and I even started it but painted it all back creamy-white, as we hated the effect. But i checked out that BM color you mentioned and eager to try it!
DahliaCactus, well... dining table is GOT to go, as it has a broken leg and missing piece underneath. So painting it over and reupholstering seems not worthwhile.
Lady in flag. LOL I had this mannequin like forever. Poor thing partook in annual neighborhood 4th of July parade this year and never got changed back. I listed her on craigslist. Flag stays, honored and properly stored.
I am painting two bookcases white, we'll see how it turns out!
gquaker We do need two sets as this room is both breakfast and dining... I won't keep this dining set, it has too many problems (for me) to deal with, and replacing with something like this: http://cgi.ebay.com/TEAK-DANISH-MODERN-SPACE-SAVING-DROP-LEAF-DINING-TABLE_W0QQitemZ120289374852QQihZ002QQcategoryZ156316QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem