The house is not being lived in. This is just old stuff left in the house. The original dining room is on other side of door. The door in dining room is to the kitchen. We have stairs going up that we would like to open up. See photos

To create separation between entry and living room.....face your sofa towards the fireplace. Behind sofa place a console/sofa table. Accessorize, but add a large decorative dish for keys, cell phones.....etc. To continue with the seating arrangement. The two white chairs by the window with a occassional table between them. Red chair facing the occassional chair. On either side of fireplace, two large painting - same size....OR...dresser/chest/ bookcase....anything that will finish that wall and create balance. A mirror above the fireplace. An area rug to anchor the conversation area. Rectangular coffee table.

Thank goodness that's not your furniture. What benefit would there be in moving the dining room farther from the kitchen? Am I confused about the layout? Are those stairs the only access to the bedrooms?

I just did not think we would use a living room. I thought we might open up the kitchen to the old dining room and make the living room into the dining area.

Not really sure what to do. It just needs updating. None of the belongings are going to stay.

Stairs go to 2 bedrooms upstairs and bath. Daybed also upstairs in landing area. All to be updated

Okay, you are not really as traditional as the house floor plan and you wonder if it can't be improved by opening it up. You were thinking it might be worthwhile to create a great room of the kitchen and dining room, and make the old living room the new dining room.

Usually when updating, the most important rooms are kitchen and bathrooms - good to consider opening the kitchen and adjacent space, so asking these questions before you redesign / rework / update the kitchen is good.

You want to open the stair - seems to now start right across from the front door - and runs down a common wall with the dining room which you may connect behind to the kitchen.

Changing walls in a place this old requires thinking about lead paint, also patching / laying new floors / patching in walls and ceilings and determining whether the walls are load bearing or not / building new headers sometimes. I would be inclined to learn more about what I have before i set out a floor plan. Some changes are easy and some are hard.

If I was going to create a great room and separate formal dining room/ home office layout, I believe I would want a larger foyer that near the door was a bit more enclosed - that would encompassing the lower part of the stair and a coat closet, and so forth. I might want to put french doors into the dining space if I planned to use it as a home office or an "away room" where we kept all the media.

Do you want to consult a professional in your area? Do you want to draw up a floor plan and determine the load bearing walls and post again? I see another room beyond the kitchen with some corner cabinets. Is that the old "family room" or is that a bedroom? Where are the bathrooms? Seems like you have some good space to work with.

Just weighed in on a separate post on these stairs opening up. More information over here!