I am going to suggest this: http://www.planyourroom.com/

It is pretty intuitive to use

Thanks, mtn Mtn, I’ll give it a try.

Can you draw a picture of how the kitchen relates to this room, and just the room and its openings in general? Do you have your dining table yet? If not how many people do you need it to sit for daily use? 11' - walkway and round table could be a bit of a squeeze.

My first thought for fireplace wall, if you don't want to remove the fireplace or box it in, is china cabinet/buffet, armoire, entertainment center, or bookcase. Something tall and chunky.

Another question - does the kitchen island have seating that intrudes into the 19 foot long space when it is pulled out? Are there any doors/exits?

The ”open” part of the room is 19’, the two short ends are walls. Taking into account the side of the island (no seats) and a walkway to run along the 19’ open side, the room would be 9 ft x19’.

The existing table is 42” (I cannot access it to double check the measurement). The table and chairs have never been in the way of the walkway (for the past 20+ years). It is only used as overflow seating during large gatherings. It has been located where robo drew it above, but there is a wall where she has the yellow box, and her gray bottom wall is open to the rest of the kitchen.

The kitchen is basically a large square, half the room is cabinets and island that do not impede upon the half that I am now trying to furnish.

Those 2 ideas ^ are helpful. Bookcase(s) might be the way I’ll have to go. Unfortunately, my bakers rack is too open, so although it has height, it wouldn’t actually cover the fireplace hole. I like the idea of a decorative screen (and searched for one for years) but it has to be 42” tall to sit on the floor and cover the hole. There is no hearth or ledge on the fireplace so the screen has to sit more or less inside it (29”)or on the floor.

Thanks, I needed the fresh set of eyes to help me think of new things.

I haven't played around with any actual layouts, but I would think about how you'd want to use the living room type furniture. Do you want a sofa or loveseat where someone could lay down? Or would you rather a few cozy arm chairs where people could casually chat over coffee? Personally if I was going to set up a lounging area in a kitchen but did not want it to be a full "living room" / "den" type setup, I'd go with a few arm chairs (2-4, whatever fits) and either side tables or maybe a bistro table. I love the idea of a little cozy lounge where someone could relax and have a beverage or a snack. If you hate the current stone fireplace wall, maybe you can look at refacing it with someone like tile or drywall so it's more to your taste.

A large wall hanging! There’s another good thought.

I orginally thought about 2 chairs but was unsure how I’d arrange them. And then thought about using this opportunity to block the fireplace, so a loveseat came to mind.

At this point, IDT changing that wall would be a smart use of time or resources. I have to accept it, I’m the only one who doesn't like it.

I used to have a chair and ottoman. I sat there mostly to read, but sometimes to fold laundry. Guests sat there to converse with me when I cooked or cleaned up. I’d send my husband over while I cooked, to get him away from whatever cabinet I needed and he would manage to block.

I’ve wanted a second seat for that part of the room but could never figure out what exactly I wanted. Now with the working part of the kitchen refreshed, I decided it was time to confront the seating.

I suppose 2 chairs with their backs somewhat to the fireplace, angled slightly towards each other, but facing into the room would still allow those people to be connected to anyone in the working part of the kitchen. 🤔

If you did a chair on each side of the fireplace it would open up even more options to go in front of fireplace. Giant floor mirror? 6 foot tall and 4 foot wide art? Although nothing beats a nice quilt for price/wow ‘em ratio in my opinion.

Wall to wall bookcases would look nice and feel intentional (especially if you don’t like the stone) but may be pushing the budget.