The Dining Room: A Pretty Work in Progress

It's a funny feeling when you think you're nearing the finish line on a project, but each decision made or addition to the room leads you to yet another thing you absolutely need to make the room feel complete.  I'm starting to feel that way about the dining room.  Sure, I know I need curtains: that's quite obvious since we have none!  But with the rug in place, and the new artwork on the wall:

 

I assumed we would feel - and be! - just steps away from completion.  Turns out this is not the case, much to my excitement disappointment.  Looking at the room now, I think it's nice but .... it's still lacking in some personality and zest.  What do you think?

With the Christie Antique Show weekend creeping ever nearer (though not nearly fast enough for my taste!), I will need to be on the lookout for those beautiful tchotchkes and special finishing touches that will bring a little history and a whole lot of soul to the room.  We need something to give the shelving unit even more height and presence: something to stagger and vary the top line of the unit so it's not so static and hard.  It's too jarring, now, and brings the ceiling down too much.  I'm also daydreaming about a new mirror where we have the existing black one.  Something with a little provenance (read: tarnish) and flourish to counter-balance the modern lines of the stone lamp.  I'd like a colorful little plate or teacup saucer to dress up the glass lamp on the dresser, and a few little paintings - nothing excessive but colorful little oils, maybe - would go a long way to sparking up the wall unit.  I'm also keeping my eyes peeled (and my fingers crossed) for an abundance of antique mirror.  I'd like to use it to line the back of the wall unit, to breathe a little life into what is currently a bit of a dark cavity.  When in doubt, add some sparkle!

It's possible that I'm going overboard and that sometimes less is more, but in this case I firmly believe that more is, indeed, MORE!  I loved the new chandelier when it came home all freshly spray-painted in glamorous black, but now having redraped it with crystals it's absolutely gorgeous.  I love a restrained room but sometimes you just have to go for it, and go for it I will!