My great room is 16 deep x 20 wide from wall to wall. The built in cabinets take up 2' of space and the fireplace hearth eats another 2'. My furniture arangement is as you describe - I have a 5' walkway behind the sofa and 3.5' between the fireplace hearth and coffee table. We also have french doors that open to the covered patio but we elected to have them swing out to save that interior floor space. I have a 8x12 rug in the room and my sofa, tables and 2 chairs are arranged around that and the seating pieces have front legs on, back legs off the rug. We have plenty of room to walk around the furniture but it is still intimate enough for conversation. My house is nowhere near as formally appointed as the ones in the pictures above and upon the advice of a decorator friend, my furniture sits closer together than is normally seen in staged photos but again, it works for us.

Ah, so you do have another space for lounging/TV watching. If you're pretty much sure you'd rather have a TV here too-I'd be satisfied with a (say) credenza or something to host a smaller size TV, which you can surround with some shelving with books, or maybe art..you can bring in plants-a lot of them..lots of interest since some of them grow like crazy and are virtually indestructible..)) and they always look at home-any style, any room you take, you can't go wrong with introducing plants, Remember Clifford Simak's purple flowers? lol you can paint the walls..you can wallpaper them if you're brave..you can put a mural on-there are some amazing ones. there are many many ways to make this room interesting. also don't forget-you look at it now while it's empty. but when you'll actually live there-you'll have furniture, fabrics, books..now it's a blank slate but it won't stay this way. it will be you and your family plus this room. it will be interesting enough without the feature wall. which you still can decide to do-I continue to think these wood planks are way cool..but they might be too overwhelming..and I would think very carefully about how to incorporate them, and whether it's worth investing in. That's personal of course and you might find that yes, you really want it, TV or no TV. Then I'd introduce more of that wood around..maybe wooden frames on art? maybe woven shades in the window? maybe painting the mantle another color so it'll blend more with the walls? And I'd use this plank wall more heavily then if I decide to put it in..it's a big space, and it might be useful and very very cool to have more on it than just the TV. Whatever you decide-it's exciting. Lots of possibilities here. And yes you're right..you don't need to match the wood finishes. You do need to consider how they will look together..in rare instances mixing just doesn't work. Say red mahogany or similar very expensive woods..)) find it hard to incorporate lol. Passed on amazing nightstands several years ago..the most useful amazing high quality nightstands I ever saw(on Craigslist)) but they just didn't blend in, what can I say.. But I don't think that's your case.

Something about your measurements of the spaces seems off. I can't see a 7.5' length anywhere in your living room. Double check your notations. If your family enjoys table games, the sitting area would make a nice spot for a game table and chairs. Otherwise, make it into a lounge or reading nook one or two chaises. I agree with TV between the windows. Try a sofa and four swivel chairs. Keep the scale smaller and use a 3-seat sofa to seat 7, Then squeeze in a pair of smaller chairs in the corners right and left of the TV that can be pulled out for viewing. The coffee table can have space underneath for a couple of poufs or stools to seat extras.

How nice of you to want to do up your mother's room! You need a third color besides the light blue and royal blue, and you can do the 60-30-10 rule with 60% your light blue, 30% your royal blue and 10% the third color. What you need to decide is what that color will be, and either you can decide that, or your mother can. And you can decide that based on color preferences and then purchase art and accessories based on that, or you can just wing it and pick some art and accessories you like and work around that. To be more specific, do you want to add a green or purple? And what type of a green or purple, there are so many! Green and purple are next to blue on the color wheel, so they will be calming. Or, if you want excitement and pizzazz you can add to your blues some oranges or yellows, and you can make it less primary school and more sophisticated if you use ochre or saffron or pumpkin or carnelian. Why don't you look up how to use a color wheel for decorating? I strongly suggest that you let your mom pick out the art for the walls? She is the one that will be staring at it. I also suggest a knock-out mirror somewhere, either a Venetian glass mirror, or a starburst mirror, or an antique mirror that you find in a consignment shop. If you get a Venetian glass mirror (those look divine on a light blue wall!) have it hung by someone who really knows what they are doing, because those mirrors are very heavy! I would also suggest throw pillows that unite the colors that you have chosen for the room in a very clever way and that are textural, for example, a velveteen or synthetic velvet that wears well, a nubby knit, etc. I would have chosen an Oriental rug rather than the solid blue. If it is not too late, can you move the solid blue rug into the bedroom? Something like this would look marvelous in the living room, and be so interesting.