The two additional floor plans:

Again, note, the wood burning fireplace and the triangular breakfront cannot be moved.

PS: TV uses - very minimal. I never watch while cooking or eating, and while if 2 or 3 guests are over we might watch a movie, it would never be used when I am entertaining a quantity of people -- much, much rather converse!!!

Here's a thought:

If your wood stove has a good viewing window, it would be wonderful to be able to sit on the couch and enjoy the fire. Fires are much more entertaining than t.v! : ) I miss relaxing conversations around the wood stove at our old house. (We have a wood furnace now, which is lovely for heat, not so much for ambiance.) This plan gives you a nice conversation grouping so that everyone can enjoy the fire while visiting. It also makes an entry of sorts, with a sofa table that could help hold items necessary by the door. It would be pretty with a matching pair of lamps on it. I'd love to see a simple chair, maybe between the corner cupboard and the garage door, for a place to sit while putting on or taking off shoes, but I didn't draw one in.

Since you said tv watching isn't your main goal, I sidelined the television by the closet, next to the front window. If you get a wall mount unit, it can swivel out for watching a show, and then tuck back in unobtrusively when you don't want to focus on it. Below the tv could be shallower shelves that could hold books, cds, etc. Depending on the sofa table, some of these items could also go in there as well.

The entire wall to the hallway is freed up for art. Maybe a gallery wall?

Hopefully others will chime in with ideas soon. : )

laughablemoments - the peninsula is purely counter space (sink, D/W, beverage station). The entertainment center is mostly music (and no I am not converting all the CDs to digital), and the TV would probably be used a little more when i retire than now.

I like the design you put there -- the chairs can always move to view the TV when desired. If a couple extra people are around, the dining chairs can be called into service.

One thing I've indeed considered is a small bench between the garage entry and the breakfront. Handy for putting on / taking off boots.

Here's the existing coffee table and one of the end tables. Ignore the mess -- I broke my leg right in the middle of trying to sort through belongings and those books would most definitely NOT be on the end table. And the yellow sheet is for a friend who used my sofa for sleeping on when she came to assist me. (The wall poster will end up on a wall in the basement...)

My planned wood burning stove: (Harman, Oakleaf)

Nice stove Art...

The one I'm hoping to get is very similar. Top door that lifts and serves as a griddle; Side door for loading long logs, and allows for stacking high in the box (front loading doesn't allow high stacking without the danger of toppling out.); However, I like the dual front doors. It seems to me that the single front doors (like what you have pictured) will hold up better over time, but I love the look of the dual doors open and the fireplace feel.

I think the enamel ones look good. I have a red one in mind for the living room.

I'm still using the one I grew up with. It's a coal and wood parlor stove from the early 1900's. It's a beauty but it's seen better days and has so many leaks a full box only lasts a few hours. I really need to get the firebox re-cast, but I priced it and it's too much for now. Buying a new one would be a better investment.

This looks like optional side loading as well as front loading -- which will be useful either way. The company also sells doohickeys you can used to cook ontop of the unit -- although I can probably save money and repurpose some camping gear or items not suitable for the smoothtop (future induction range) I plan on.

Friends of mine have had a model from Harman and love it, which is why I will be going with this. Theirs is larger, but they have a bigger house to heat.

Thanks.