What about choosing a floor lamp to go in the right hand corner instead of it being on the tv unit? I'd say it would create a bit of glare if watching tv with it being there so that's my reasoning, I'm also a bit of a symmetry freak and it looks a bit unbalanced.. If it's an informal space where the kids hang out why not some bright accessories? The colours in the artwork could be a starting point- aquas/ lime green etc. maybe some chevron or bold pattern on the cushions?

I'm also worried about the old plaster actually taking the weight of a bracket. It's very hard to put a screw into our walls, the plaster falls away like talc. And the shelving units are too short by a couple of cms (If they went to the wall we couldn't open and close the bifolds). Ah well. Thanks for all your suggestions. Much appreciated!

This is very similar to our floor plan (yet to start building) ... same as you we have our backyard to the north, kitchen to the east, dining table in the middle, lounge to the west. And we had the exact same dilemma where to put the couches. We decided on position 1 but in an L shape with a couch along the west wall and north wall. And we will have two arm chairs or ottomans in your couch position 2. We decided on this because it feels more open and didn’t want the TV to be a main focal point. Don’t necessarily want to see the back of the couch either.

In any event, I think the upper half of brick cavity where logs are stored could be modified and used as a place to mount your TV. I'm thinking some sort of structure could be built into the cavity and the TV mounted to it. This would require the services of a qualified carpenter to ensure the entire structure is properly and securely anchored to the brickwork, and to ensure it can support the weight of the TV, especially if a pivot mount is used. Barring this idea, is there adequate space in the opening between fam rm and kitchen/dining area which could accommodate a purpose-built unit for your TV? In other words, built directly to the right of the brickwork?