Thanks Beverly - Great idea to put the furniture at the far end of the room and maybe moving the piano up closer to the door on an angle. (The area to the left around the curved wall is a hallway to the family room. So putting the piano there would block that and going up the stairs and walkway through the room to the back doorway which leads to the dining area). Thanks!

You'll get the best help if you can please provide us with a hand drawn floor plan and measurements. Please label where the living room and dining room is on the floor plan. A couch and chairs are easier to decorate than a sectional. Bland is not bad - it gives you a lot of options - it doesn't limit you. If you want to pick out your style, put in top HOUZZ search box (one at a time) different styles. Here are just a few - transitional, modern, traditional, eclectic, casual. Regarding your mirror - just keep in mind that mirrors are best when they have an interesting reflection.

If you want a TV in that room the only place it can really go is to the right of the fireplace (maybe to the left if you find that works better for you). It is never recommended to put it over the fireplace unless there is nowhere else for it to go. You have more than enough space on the right for a nice console. Maybe in the future you can do something more dramatic with the fireplace as it looks small in that large wall (or maybe you are already and it's not finished yet). Put a tall piece of art over it (something that is less wide than the fireplace). Face your sofa toward the fireplace and TV. The dining table should have the long side parallel to the slider. I can't imagine it fitting the other direction. I don't think it's a bad thing to have your old furniture in there for a while. It will help you get an idea of the right size for new pieces. You may also get better advice if you post a graph paper drawing of the space so the commenters know exactly how much space you're working with. The perspective in pictures is sometimes misleading.

I love elcieg's suggestions. (I always do!) If your husband doesn't want to go with Gray Owl because he likes creamy, BM Ballet White feels warm and creamy but is less yellowy/more neutral than true cream; we painted Ballet White over old cream paint and before we got a second coat on, the cream peeking through looked positively orange. Ballet White is light enough to brighten the space while still providing some contrast with your trim. I do like the Gray Owl, though! I'm so glad you're painting the paneling. Your pre-gutted kitchen cabinets are giving me flashbacks to my childhood, when the pitfall of 70s decorating was oppressive darkness. The bones of your house are great and with a light color scheme like the one elcieg suggested, it's going to be fabulous.