Thanks for all the input. The beams are not structural; however, they are are mounted behind the drywall. I think we are going to leave them in place because removing them will be even a bigger project then we wanted ( meaning replacing the entire ceiling with insulation and drywall and then patching the wall where the beams were). I think maybe painting them white or grey so they blend in is a great option, but we will take it slowly and to be sure that is what we want because removing paint is a pain. So I think that I will paint the room first, then trim it out in white molding and then see how it looks with the furniture. I also like the idea of painting the fireplace enclosure black. The contrast will be nice. We don't have any extra bricks to do anything extra to the fireplace. I do love the idea of the open shelving along the left wall. There are air vent returns on that wall so I can't have any built-ins. I will probably hold off painting the brick because that is such a permanent change as well. I agree, the mantel needs to come down or become larger by wrapping the fireplace. Thanks for all the comments!

I will try to see the layout numbers but this picture is very small print. One thing you have to consider, is "walkways" which take 3' min of space. So, you will have to select furniture sizing very carefully. How many people do you want to have seating every day? So, it is a tight space really. Probably need to look for "condo/apartment" size furniture. It looks like the room is approx. 15' wide and 17' long not counting walkways. So the width is really 11-12', so no huge sofas or sectionals will work especially with a fireplace. Is the TV in the best place? Could it go on the opposite wall? Might improve walkway situation?

Houzz has lots of photos. This search for "2-story family room" returned 2800+ photos. Get a cup of tea and start browsing ... https://www.houzz.com/photos/query/2-story-family-room/nqrwns

Another consideration is convenient seating directed toward tv viewing..close enough ..and with tv mounted low enough to view without having to lay “back” and lookup...to view...sometimes a challenge in a big...tall room...never mind when there are multiple windows allowing a lot of sun shining in your eyes for daytime viewing