My table is 45 by 64 without leaves.....seats 6 easily and 8 if extra show up at the last minute. It has 2 15 or 16 inch leaves making it seat 10. My dining room is 12 by 12 but there is an arch into the living room so it appears open. also have a very large chest that stores dishes, a 42 by 45 drop leaf table in the corner with both leaves down, used as a server with one leaf flipped up, a very small corner cupboard and a small 4 drawer chest used for linens.... It's not crowded....except when the table is opened and I dig up 4 extra chairs from another room. I think rectangular tables are best for small rooms.....with a large round table, there is a huge area that is unuseable. People tend to use the 14 or 15 inches around the edges of a table....and the center is for flower arrangements, candles and condiments.

We have a Gambrel Colonial (similar to Dutch but more often found here in New England.) Our living room dimensions are similar to yours. What I have done is to cluster a sitting area around the fireplace. At one end of the room is a piano, and the other end has a drop leaf desk. Yes to the beams! We have them in our home in both the family room and in the living room. I can see some nicely boxed in beams to match the wood in your living room. Have fun decorating! I agree with getting rid of that wallpaper and there's just too much "stuff". Will you be painting any of the woodwork white? If so, consider white beams if you add them.

I haven't any feedback for your LR question, but I wonder how much you are wedded to the 1/2 bath. I know most people would not agree with me, but I personally would rather have a shorter, clearer shot to the kitchen and to A bathroom from the garage, by making a separate entrance through the half bath, and adding another door from it into the one main bathroom. Or if two toilets are considered mandatory, I would rather think of a way to incorporate another bath upstairs to serve as an emergency bathroom which then would function for the upstairs area. The way you have it, to haul groceries or anything from the garage one has to go clear through the living room and all the way around. And coming home needing to go to the bathroom, the same. Also, for safety reasons, I would rather have exit doors in different areas. Sorry, hope you don't offense since a critique of your plan is not what you are asking!

18’ is a generous size, so have you thought about splitting the room into two areas: one end for t v viewing and the other for visiting around the fireplace. I searched for back to back sofas. There are lots of arrangements for you to look at, but this one caught my eye. You could put the fireplace between the two windows with a great piece of art above it. Maybe even cover that section with some interesting wallpaper. TV goes at the other wall in a built-in.