OOOOhhhh Laundry, I have 2 boys (3 if I count dh - and yes, I'd better), and it seems I have to do 1 - 2 loads per day, if I skip a day then the load quantity seems to compound itself! I miss our old tiny rental, the laundry was in it's own room off the kitchen and it was so much easier to keep up. Now we are in our new (dream) home and the way the layout has turned out, laundry is in the basement (along with the 2 kids's rooms) or I could have hidden it upstairs (where the big people live). Half of one or half of the other. I used to know a girl who is mom to four boys, and she said if they ever could afford a bigger home, she wanted a laundry room that could also house all the boys' clothing (in closets and dressers). They go in to dress, dump the dirty laundry, and it would be quick and easy to launder and put away since it's all in the same room. Makes sense to me, instead of carrying from bedrooms to laundry room, then back again. It will be a while before our home is completely finished, and I get shelves and drying bars in my laundry room, but I am appreciating all these new and modern ideas/accessories that I did not know were about, to aid in that chore. Thanks so much for the ideas and links.

I like the look of the white built-ins because they don't feel very visually heavy since the color is the same as the wall. I think it would work similarly in your space because your walls are light. You might try building something where the top section could be optional / removable. That way if it feels too overwhelming, you could just use the lower section. I agree with phuninthesun that you will want to make sure not to end up with cluttered shelves.

First, please move your sofa forward, toward the tv, close to the fireplace. I would move the other sofa forward toward the fireplace, to almost touch it. Lamp on either end on end tables. Putting a lamp in the corner is of no use. I don't know your particular situation, but I had a dog and 2 young boys at one time and no lamp was ever tipped over. You can keep your furniture as spread out and with as few lamps and tables as you want, but it is going to feel not welcoming with no lights and no place to set a drink. I would concentrate next on getting chairs. Before you do that, draw a to-scale floor plan to ensure you are purchasing the correct size chairs.

You will need someone local for the modification / rebuilding if that is your question.