It's been a while, but here's a new idea, any thoughts? Someone suggested turning the DR into a reading room, and although at first I dismissed the idea, on second thought I think that may be a better idea, as I'll end up using that more often, looking out into the backyard watching the kids play in the evenings, and being able to read and hang out in a nice environment. The new everyday DR would be connected to the outdoor dining area which would be nice for indoor/outdoor entertaining. Since people have been saying that having a bathroom in such an open area is awkward, that would be turned into a small pantry, and a small half bath would be added below the new reading room (former DR), with a door from the hallway. A TV would be behind the new bathroom wall towards the living room. Does anyone think think the TV wall is awkward? It's 9 feet to the LR window in front, but someone feels a little too tight to me. There's not much of a choice because I don't want to strain my neck by hanging it over the fireplace, and don't want to hang it in the reading room either since I'd rather enjoy the outdoor environment from there, and have some quiet, too. Thanks for any thoughts on this new layout.

Thanks all for the replies. The floorplan/construction was already done by the seller, so I didn't have a say in the bathroom unfortunately. There are pantries and closets - just missing in the floorplan :) As for dining area - this is a good point.. I was thinking of just using the island for dining area for now since it's just me... maybe replacing the "media" area with a dining table instead? I was actually hoping to shy away from a TV in living room altogether.. so it could work! Thank you for all the suggestions.

You're correct that this is a challenging design. Here are some possible solutions. You seem open to replacing your furniture, so that is my first thought: --Replace both sofas with comfortable armchairs with tallish backs that can be floated in the middle of the room around a coffee table. This will greatly add flow around the room so that you're not blocking all the inconvenient doorways. Note how a dramatic light pendant centers the seating. With the height you have, a beautiful pendant would have an incredible effect in both lighting the room and bringing down the scale to a more comfortable height. You have warm, wood floors in a beautiful color. Have a wooden bookcase in the same finish built to the left of your fireplace that can accommodate your TV. Have it built to the height of your mantel. Alternatively, get a very wide console, not too deep, for the TV. The one you have is too small and doesn't link in any way to the finishes in the room. Get an oversized large square or round rug for the room in a pattern that picks up the warmth of your wood finishes and echoes whatever upholstery you eventually choose for your seating. All art work should be hung at eye level regardless of how high your ceilings are. That means the center of each piece should be around 57" from the floor to the center of the art. Pair your daughter's paintings side by side at eye level. Lower the art work over the mantel so it's about 6" from the mantel so they connect. If you love that piece, or your daughter's art, then choose your future furniture palette--upholstery, pillows, etc. from the art. (This chair is the same silvery blue as in your painting. The legs are in similar wood finish as your wood floors and trim. Four similar ones--or these--around a round coffee table would look wonderful and really function well in the room.

tracefloyd, I had considered something similar, but dismissed it because I didn’t think there was room for it. I measured it out though, and if I keep my desk under 60 inches, there is plenty of room to walk around the desk. Keeping a 57” x 26.5” desk aligned with the window will only give me 32 inches between the desk and current book shelf. A few inches less with built-ins. If I move that desk forward, I can get the clearance I need behind the desk. If I did this, I would skip adding doors. I don’t need privacy in this room during working hours as everyone else is at school or working outside the house. Not building the wall saves me a couple of thousand dollars, and I would probably swing for the built-ins on both walls. I have dual monitors which isn’t the most attractive look for a desk that’s not against a wall. They are on a single stand, and a desk with some cord management options can help keep that looking tidy. I have a docking station that would be viewable, but maybe I can switch to one that can be mounted under the desk. My two small speakers aren’t an issue, but my subwoofer is going to be very noticeable. I love the look of desks that face out in a room, but when they are clutter free with just a laptop. Below you can see the potential layout of a desk aligned to the window and one where it is moved forward. A plant could help hide the electrical socket and the primary cord.