Every house plan results in compromises. Only Escher can create a perfect plan without them but few builders are willing to attempt building his designs. :-) For me it's difficult to comment on your living room without seeing your plan. I'm a fan of traditional interiors vs open so I think that's a good move on your part. Fenestration will be important though. I also think that in most cases a bit of separation between the house and garage is very beneficial from an aesthetic standpoint as well as providing more window options. I have a strong preference for windows on at least two sides of each room, lots of windows on the south, limited on the west and extremely few on the north. Our new house (http://bamasotan.us) is limited on the north but has gobs on the west (somewhat protected by a porch and balcony) and not nearly as many as I'd like on the south. The first blog photo with the four windows and furnace is our family room so the four windows look west and the window on the far right is south facing. This is the mostly the total of all windows in our family room (there are actually five west facing windows but one is cut off in the photo). I'd like to have had more south facing but that wall also has a fireplace and a TV next to the fireplace as well as a conservatory on the outside that makes a window difficult. Our lot is on the east side of a lake so west facing windows for lake views was kind of important. Other elements (fireplace & chimney, TV placement in family room, bed in master, master closet placement) limited south facing windows. Our kitchen is in the middle of the west side so has lots of west facing windows but is limited otherwise. It does have one north facing window but that is to a porch and a porch wall so limited light but better than nothing. From within the kitchen you can see through a hallway and the scullery to a small north facing window but otherwise it's just the west windows.

I’m laughing at the thought of my squishy, comfy pillows being called forbidding or them fighting with anyone. I took a couple of more pictures, including the chairs without the pillows and I think you’ll agree that the cushions make them look more inviting, not less. Also rearranged so that people can see that the sofa facing the fireplace, chair at each side will not work in the space. I tried it as the most obvious answer and discarded it. It’s awkward to me, like the sofa is turning it’s back on everyone. Also, due to the placement of the fireplace, the sofa and chairs cannot be centered on the fireplace or the bedroom will be blocked completely. I can’t pull the sofa back much more without blocking the walkway. The fact is, space for the ‘living room” is much smaller than you think. I also pulled the rug away, to demonstrate that the rug and sofa not going together is kind of the least of this room’s problems. I wish I could get a good angle that shows just how off center the couch and chairs are.

The fan is on the "to do" list for sure, as well as replacing the furniture (see my original post). By the way, the wall with the sofa is the garage (so no windows can go there). @latifolia Seriously, this house has...in total 1 sidelight window next to the front door, 1 glass slider in the living room, 2 55" x 33" in the family room, 1 glass slider in the master, and 1 x 20" x 55" windows in the the two other bedrooms...oh, and a little kitchen window and little ones in the bathrooms. The problem is all but the guest room windows face N.E. and I live in a wooded area, so it's pretty darn dark! Landscaping certainly would come into play, but it's only about 10 feet between the house and the fence. The front door is one solid piece of metal (photo below)...I am already planning on replacing with something that is at least 1/4 glass, and considering putting an opening into the wall between the entry and the living room. Please ignore the nasty looking plant, it to is on the "replace" list. @Jessamy Tsoris Any suggestions on the number / types of lights for the space?

I am envisioning a rug that is more like a cowhide for this room. With some leather look pillows. Giving you color, but still keeping it neutral with rustic elements. Something about a straight edge on the area rug just doesn't fall into place with the room and the walking area. The area rug either looks to small or above too large. An odd shape, like a cowhide may look visually better. Anyway, just my two cents.