Well I have to say that ugly and depressing is the point at the beginning. Unlike every other Star Trek show, DS9 is all about progression, so by season 3, the whole station is repaired and back up to livable standards (working replicators for example)

And I do have to point out that very little of the Dominion war is actual on screen war. There are quite a few battles, yes, but pretty much all of them, and the other episodes in the seasons are more about how war would affect a society like the Federation, and what compromises and strategies they have to use to adapt. So it is definitely still philosophical, and not like STD where action is the point.