Bev, I like the style of those bookshelves. They are unique and a possibility. Claire, I love the rug suggestions but we spent most of our budget on carpet and paint and a hundred small things that needed to be replaced. decoenthusiaste, I think you are right about the man cave sofas! hmmm, I hadn't thought of that but I agree with you. There is just a dining nook in this house so no room to move the china cabinet. I have thought of replacing it with a buffet height piece so that it doesn't overwhelm the space. I doubt that hubby will want to move the TV or replace his beloved recliners. I have had nice art on the mantle but the brick is so busy, art competes with it. Loving your ideas! Thank you.

Central fireplaces in long rooms are a challenge for decorating: If you make the fireplace a focal point, the two spaces on the end aren't really big enough to be useful; two seating area and you feel like you aren't using the fireplace to its best advantage; and three seating areas like you have feels a bit cramped. Personally, I would probably take it down to two seating areas and pull the two big chair into the living area with the sofa. If you stick with the three areas, I'd probably turn the chairs to face the fireplace. Your space reads "lodge" to me with all the wood. Lodge decorating schemes have a vernacular all their own, so something that would look dated in another house looks perfectly fine here. Your dining room lighting in a suburban tract home would look like a holdover from a misguided foray into faux Tuscan; in this setting they look like, "Oh, see how they chose chandeliers that kind of look like twigs to reinforce the rustic look." A lot of your furnishings look like they could be antiques (whether they are or not). It comes off as a conscious choice to embrace old-fashioned decor. That isn't the same as dated, which looks like it happened accidentally just because you haven't changed anything in 30 years. (Even if the latter is true, it doesn't look that way0. The road from lodge to coastal is long and expensive, and would involve changing the fundamental character of the house. IMO, it's never a good idea to fight the fundamental character of the house. Once you've decided on your layout, I'd start with rugs for the sofa group and the dining room. If you go with three areas, I might use rugs for the areas on the end and forego the rug in the center area. You can use the rugs to lighten up the space and obscure some of the wood.

I totally see what you mean. What you dont see is that the room extends further out and there is a pony wall behind the couch that obstructs the view for my little ones. I agree that it is a bit high but functionally my kids can see the tv regardless of where they are playing in the room. This is the family room so it does not need to be so formal. Any ideas?

You'll get more and better advice if you post pictures and a floorplan on graph paper so everyone can get a sense of the dimensions. Is your question where to place a sofa? Do you already own pieces or will you be buying new? If you want to use existing furniture, tell us what it is and the dimensions.