I'd start by looking at the whole house and how you use each room. Then I'd look at what you want to do in your house and how easy/difficult it is to do each activity. It sounds to me as though you have done a lot of work to make the house work for you--you now have a combined gathering space and kitchen, you've made the den into a dining room. What else do you need? If you have small children, the living room could become a playroom. Or homework room. Or hangout for teenagers--their own space, but close enough to kitchen and other places the adults are for some supervision. Do you need a quiet, grown-up space away from the kids? This room could become your own personal retreat from the rest of the family. You could set it up so that you can invite friends over for a cup of tea there, or a game night. The living room could also become a library, if you have a lot of books. Add in bookshelves, a desk and comfy reading chairs. Or it could become rehearsal space for your rock band. Or a hobby and craft space, if you like to quilt or sew or paint or whatever. Or take all the furniture out and make it a yoga studio. Don't think of it as a living room. Think of it as a space where you can do whatever you want to do. This post was edited by camlan on Mon, Mar 3, 14 at 9:04

This is what the arcitect came up with after us telling them we wanted it as open as possible. I was hoping to have more than a five foot view through that wall. More glass... that is what I was thinking but am trying to determine how to best accomplish that. I realize that having a wall there will necessarily reduce the view but want it optimized. I thought others who have more experience may have some insight as to what I should consider as worthwhile options.

Your view is fantastic! I like the idea of mounting the t.v. in the bookcase. Perhaps you can add a smaller bookcase to the den and bring some of your books in there if you're going to make it a reading room. I agree with bringing the green chair up to the conversation area at a right angle to the sofa. Perhaps then you could find a smaller cabinet to put under the opening to hold your record player and components. I also like the idea of grouping your plants in front of the small window between the two bookcases. It looks as though you would have room for a longer sofa in the den if you keep the coffee table but add slender floor lamps on either side for reading. If you would like to keep the dining table where it is, consider swagging a light fixture over to it to define the space. I think this space has the potential to have a cozy, eclectic, lived in bungalow feel with just a few small changes!

I looked into Sketchup, unless I got it wrong those are models, its a fake house, it has nothing to do with my real house. I wanna have something like Google streets, you can move around and see my real house and change things using REAL furniture not fake rendering. Lets say I wanna replace my couch with a specific West-Elm couch. Can you do it in Sketchup?