A colourful throw over the "back" of the sofa would help to add a pop of colour and break up the "wall" of colour that the back of the sofa currently provides. I also like the other ideas for a low console table behind the table and something hanging above the fireplace on the brick wall. Depending upon powerponts, antenna cabling and your affection for the pendant light, you could completely flip the room and put the dining table near the fireplace, spin the sofa around so that the "seat" (and cushions, etc) face the entry and put the TV on the wall opposite the fireplace.

Removing the walls as you've suggested should be ok as long as you check will an engineer first. They may be load bearing. This isn't a major issue to remove them as builders do this type of work regularly but definitely seek professional structural engineering advice first. Privacy to entry will be affected but not too bad. I'd do a furniture layout first and foremost to see if it the rooms will work being so open plan (i.e. noisy perhaps, where to put lounges and dining tables, etc.). People like open plan to look at but they are noisy in many cases as even talking noise travels. Even worse if you have children playing on one side of the area and you're trying to have a conversation with others in another area.

hope you have a quick recovery... a floorplan with dimensions, doors and windows would help encourage more ideas, what furniture must fit in and what sizes (eg 6 seater dining table with extension, two x two seater couches and two armchairs plus??)...where's the kitchen? where do all the doors lead to? how do you use the space? is the office a private family study area or do you need a work table and space for clients/customers arriving?..btw it's a lovely room and would love to see more pics especially of whatever's outside the open doors!

Hi Lauren, be careful not to necessarily write off an extension thinking it will be more expensive than doing something within existing footprint.......depends on what your goals are, and also what your site is/how much space you have to play with......sometimes it's actually/arguably better return on investment to extend, but it of course has to be balanced up against the work involved with the existing.....you can still spend arguably a lot (more) reshuffling within the same footprint......Start with your goals ie what are you endeavouring to achieve, set a budget, and work from there. Design to a purpose for what you need....it's not what other people think, its about your home so the starting point is clarifying what you want and need. You're thinking about a long term, growing family - consider zoning and separation function requirements. It may in fact be a better investment for the future to minimise work on existing, consider a simple extension to the side to accommodate an open kitchen/dining/living that way and retain existing living for a 2nd living zone for kids....arguably better value injection.....but oklouise has some valid suggestions/ideas, but ultimately it will come down to clarifying your needs and how much you want to spend in order to make the best design decisions moving forward...good luck :) PD