In our family, the tv is the focus of our basement room because watching tv or playing video games is primarily what people do in our rec room. We put the fireplace in the corner and then have the tv centered on the wall (where you show the fireplace in your plan) with the furniture facing it.

Opinions on your questions: 1. Pocket vs. swing door: I'm not a big fan of pocket doors on bathrooms because they're more of a pain to close and lock. If you close and lock bathroom doors in your house. :-) 2. Benches are not mandatory. I prefer niches for storing shampoo and soap. Benches are usually to put your leg on when shaving. If you do have one in that corner, I'd recommend a triangular shaped one instead of square. There are pre-fab, ready-to-tile benches like this: I think the shower controls are fine where you drew them, on the bottom wall. Other thoughts: 4. code says toilet back to front should be 5' clear. Can you bump the wall a few inches to attain that? 5. I'd hinge the shower door on the other side. That will allow a towel rack on the bottom wall. You can easily fit a 48" vanity in that space. I'd definitely do it. On design, the typical "period appropriate" materials would be subway tiles in the shower and hex tiles on the floor. You could use natural marble on the floor if you wanted to splurge. I used larger hex porcelain in a powder room (not technically "period" but "in the style of"): With a neutral white/gray in the permanent stuff, you could pick your favorite splash of color for the walls. Or use that dark gray that's greenish, and use accessories, towels, etc. for the color. Your dining room is to die for, btw. Great work!

A living room. Right now we are using it as a empty play room but would like a living room. This room is open to a family room where we have a tv over fireplace and sectional. I am replacing the sconces with more modern ones. Also, the furniture that is currently in this room would go down to the basement. I envision reading in the room, entertaining/sitting, and also having the kids play?

Beautiful home! The set up you described from your friend would be my obvious first thought. It's classic and I think would be very versatile. However, to me, that fireplace just calls for two oversized squashy armchairs angled in front of it! In that case I'd want a shared arm table of some type between them. If there's more of you (I see baby items) you might consider a smaller U shaped sectional with the fireplace at the center point. In that case I would add a console table behind the back of the sofa towards the dining room entrance since a coffee table would be harder to fit. I also believe you need some type of console table or cabinet along that wall opposite the fireplace. I don't think seating would work there so I think it needs to be cabinetry of sometime. As far as sizing, there is no substitution for mocking it up. Use masking tape or old cut out old wrapping paper into the size of some furniture you are looking at. Practice walking around, view it from different angles, etc. As far as what color for any arm or console tables and whether they need to be dark like the dining room, I don't think you need to match the dining room. From the photos it seems that it will read as a separate room. However, with how much light colors you have on the walls and fire place, etc, I think I would still gravitate towards a darker table.