Dining Room Decor

I'm feeling better today since my fever has broken and my aches have gone away. Layla has been keeping me company on the couch while I rest/stalk people on Facebook/read blogs/watch tv. I used to follow the blog "Better After" and decided to check out what home improvement projects had been posted recently to see if I could get some ideas. Wouldn't ya know, I've found the perfect decorating idea for my design-deprived dining room! Here's what the room looks like right now:


Nothing on the walls, very boring!!! I'm overwhelmed by the size of the walls and don't have anything large to hang on them. I've thought about doing wanescoting, but we don't own many power tools and my skill level isn't quite up to that task. Better After posted this picture of a dining room with a shelf that I LOVE:


Here's the link to the full post with a before picture, too. If I channeled some creative energy and braved a trip to Lowe's, I might be able to make a chunky shelf like that for my dining room. A black shelf might look better than white in my room though; what do you think?