I should clarify - the fireplace wall from the back porch to the end of the built-in is 18', the width of the living area from the post at the corner of the dining/kitchen to the back of the fireplace wall is 16.5'.
the door in the foreground on the FP wall goes to the MB. The door at the end of the kitchen cabinet wall goes to the laundry room.

I've been playing around a lot with the floor planner.
Think this is better. I've turned the rug sideways, doesn't work, tried two rugs and smaller grouping, room is too small for that.

I know that this way with chairs so close, my accessibility to the cabinet under the right bookcase is limited, but that's not really a big issue.

That's going to be such a nice home.

We also have a porch outside the living room. Since I've been there on the French doors to the porch, I'd like to suggest not doing that. Your doors will severely limit possibilities for amount, as well as location, of furniture on the porch as positioned.

Inside they also really severely, and unnecessarily, limit what you can do in your living room. Do you really need 3 doors, two right next to each other and the third right around the corner? How about a really handsome set of view windows there and French doors in the dining area? Especially if there's another door out from another part of the house.

Regarding your tray ceilings, I'd suggest being careful they are sized and positioned so they don't tyrannize furniture placement. I visited a house once that had a long living/dining room with two trays that demanded one seating group of specific size be placed "right there" and an equal-size dining group be placed at the other "right there." If you didn't do the French doors you could always position a primary or secondary seating group down there, and you'd want your ceiling to accommodate all possibilities.

Regarding the built-ins on each side of the TV, why not two very handsome pieces of furniture that perform the same service but could be moved if desired? On the design the built-ins make the room look rather narrow. Pieces a bit shorter, and perhaps shallower, than the fireplace would give you back your width, especially if they were on legs and open at the bottom. Style and quality choices would also be a lot wider than more of the finish-carpenter trim used everywhere else, and probably ultimately more interesting.

What are the two pieces off the rug, near the kitchen?

I see the other poster's point about the french doors, but it depends on how and how often you will use the covered porch, as well as the view it gives you.

Id hate to give them up, they create a great focal point as you enter.

I prefer furniture that floats. You may want to consider floor outlets.

PS there are only so many ways to layout a LR ... i posted one almost exactly like this!

Thank you Rosie and Mtnrd for looking at this layout.
Rosie, you bring up some good points, and you've made me realize that I can treat that French door wall as if it were solid window.
I had to go back to the architect 3 times to get the door from the bfst room to the porch, since she'd originally envisioned that as a window and didn't seem to want to change it out to a door, since she kept "forgetting" to change it. I envision using that door to the porch most of the time, but I think, because we're in the South Carolina Low Country, that I want the option to open the room up as much as possible when the weather is nice.
What you can't see is that at the end of that 8' wide run of porch is a round gazebo type room on the porch that is where we will actually have our main porch furniture and spend our time. We're on a large lot on a river and look out to Live Oaks hung with spanish moss and a small pond.
I'll post a pic of the whole plan so you have a feel for the rest of the space.
Re the built-ins. The built in on the north end is a wet bar, and on the south end is a bookcase. I gave our KD/cabinet guy my inspiration pics, which are all balanced built-ins, and he's a genius. He came up with a plan that beautifully balances the different functions of the sides and makes it beautiful.
this is one of my inspiration pics

[

[Traditional Living Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2107) by Rockford Interior Designers & Decorators KannCept Design, Inc. - the space is very similar re the upstairs - and I note that the window wall is solid. I will take that under consideration.
This was one of the other pics. We are ending up with a darker blue cabinet design going it.

[

[Transitional Living Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/transitional-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2112) by Denver Kitchen & Bath Designers Exquisite Kitchen Design

Mtnrd, the two objects are a small table and one of my extra dining chairs. The other is against the wall in the dining room.

I think I misspoke about the trays defining space too. There is a tray in the dining room, dropped headers and posts around the kitchen area, a "balcony' upstairs that overlooks the living room space which actually has a vaulted ceiling broken up by a windowed dormer to bring in some natural light into the living room. It does all serve to define rooms, although if you followed all that I give you kudos! It was easier just to say trays. :)

This post was edited by mlweaving_Marji on Tue, Oct 29, 13 at 22:29

It sounds like such a beautiful setting!

As for the occasional chair, it looks a little like it was voted off the island (rug). Not sure about it.

In your DR, what is to the left of the chair against the wall? can it be moved, and then flank it with both chairs?

That's funny, yes, it does look a bit as if it was an afterthought.
The grey shadow against the dining wall is the size of a typical sideboard. Since I plan to buy one at one of the antique stores I plugged it into the plan. I moved it down into the corner trying to minimize interference with backing a chair into it.
I'll have to look at the possibility of putting it on the wall between the two windows. This is a case of the tray defining where the table needs to be. The chandelier should be hung in the center of the tray, and the table needs to be centered under it. If I can move the sideboard then I can certainly float the chairs against the corners in the DR.
I'm one of those odd people who actually do use my dining room. I raised my kids in a 100 yr old house that didn't have any eating area in the kitchen, so we ate in the dining room every night. It's a habit that stuck.

What I'd like to do is somehow come up with more seating in the main living room. I should play around with arrangement using 2 loveseats. I'm determined to use my french chairs. The sofa and maybe even the ottoman might be negotiable.
My dh looked at the layout and remarked that the ottoman is really too big! whoo hoo!

Did I mention that my furniture is in storage? I haven't seen the little bit that we kept in almost 4 years.

In your architect's rendering of the DR, does he have the same size table shown? If that table is to scale, it looks like the DR is too narrow for a sideboard?