You do not want to walk into a dungeon

If at all possible open up the stairwell going down into a basement. The simples way to do this is to cut out a some area above the railing towards the bottom. This allows lights to flow into the stairwell which is so helpful. Another way is to add scones to the walls in the stairwell.

Ceramic for vinyl

Ceramic tile to replace vinyl is an easy yet cost effective way to improve any room. You can get tile for as low as $1 a ft. If you putting it on concrete, with a little reading, you can probably do it yourself.

Crown Molding

Crown molding is another very inexpensive way to dress up a dining room or for that matter any room. This can be done with either a one piece molding or 2 or 3 piece. The higher the ceiling the more pieces you can use. Paint it a brillians white to match your baseboards and this will allow you to bring some color into your room.

Molding sure helps

Dress up your dining room with chair- rail molding. This goes nrmally about 3 ft up from the floor an allows a great break point for painting. The safest way to go is with white on the molding and below and a color that draws from your curtains.