I don't know your decor style, but a large folding screen could be placed against the wall in the living area to differentiate that area from the other area. A carpenter can build you one for not much money. It can be painted, embellished with molding or covered with fabric or wallpaper, any of which could give the effect of a different wall treatment. Another idea would be to mount multiple bookcases or shallow shelves of some sort against the wall in the living area. The backs of bookcases can be treated similarly to folding screen to provide a different color, texture and/or pattern to the area. It's a bit hard to make suggestions without seeing the room, though, so if you could post pictures, that would be helpful.

I would not add anything that sticks out much into the walkway on that long wall...people's shoulders will whack them going by! And at the risk of horrifying everyone, I see no reason why you shouldn't paint the three walls of your kitchen a different shade from everything else, if you want to. A warm gold-toned tan would give a good backdrop to the things you want to use, and make the kitchen into a space of its own. I would also pull the ledge off the pass-through and add a generous countertop supported by big iron brackets on the family room side where your family and friends could sit while you are in the kitchen, and that you could use as a serving surface or bar. That would solve your no-table problem in a simple way. Since you don't have a window, your big wall is the ideal place for a really big mirror, the size of an actual window, which you could then surround with four prints that suit your style. I agree that you shouldn't clutter things up...you don't have the luxury of a lot of counter space, so you will need to keep your counters pretty clear of things that are only decorative. You can put something nice in the corners, though...Ballard has a group of white urns that are purely decorative, but you might do well at antique shops and fleas, too, and find things you can actually use (these are purely decorative). And I would hang that wonderful plaque on the larger wall over your fridge, so you can get it up higher and see it from the family room. Here is a link that might be useful: Ballard urns

Ok, that worked... Some more, Nearly completed installation. The shelf above the drying rod may or may not stay, it is loose fitted up there now. The cart is a 3 tiered wire cart from HD and I bought wheels off eBay. the counter is a approx 24x14" slate from The Tile Shop and adhered to a 3/4 ply that was painted at the edges to match. It just rests on top of the cart. I like it, not too heavy: Hansgrohe faucet from Costco I picked up several years ago, don't know if they still sell this one or not. this is the stream flow: This is the spray flow that reverts back to stream when you shut the water off. The sink had 2 holes on the deck but was for a bridge type faucet. So the plumber punched a center hole for the faucet, and we braced the deck with 2" treated lumber for stability. the hole to the left of the faucet is a soap dispenser. The bottle to the right is covering the other hole, that I plan to use as another dispenser. Or I could just cap it. We'll see. I could put liquid laundry soap in that one: My wall of washer/dryers: the sink is perpendicular to this wall at the other side of the shower that is at the left. Now I need to get that door painted, poor thing:

Roopa if you bought that oriental rug with the bright red and the aqua background, I would go with a pale aqua or pale blue wall. Off white, pale yellow or cream works very well too. It's the daytime light with all the beautiful windows you have to feel airy during the day and a pleasing wall color to look at night and enjoy, not overpowering!