Here is how I would set up your space. A counterheight table and stools can be placed behind the sofa to add extra seating.

My first choice is across from the windows OR next to the fireplace. The fireplace looks too high and in front of the windows is never my choose for TV viewing.

Thank you for your idea! I think maybe the angle I took the picture at was a little misleading, because I’m not sure I have space for a set up like this. To the left of the fireplace, where you have the TV in your illustration, I have 48 inches. On the other side of the fireplace, where you have chairs in the walkway to the playroom, I have 30 inches.

How wide is your tv and how wide is your room?

The room is 12’ 7”. Our current tv is 42” and is being replaced. My husband really wants a larger tv, 65” maybe. There’s 42” of space above the mantel if that helps.

I would put the long part of a sectional along the window wall, with the
shorter L facing the fireplace and place the tv where the keyboard is.
Over the fireplace is too high.

following

There is a downside to any given scenario in this room, but here is the best with a larger tv. Foot traffic can walk around the furniture arrangement.

As you correctly pointed out........

"If the tv is on the blank wall or wall with windows, I’m worried about lighting (the windows face SW) and that having a sectional and tv on the longer walls will visually cut off the fireplace and make navigating through to the playroom (the door near the fireplace) difficult."

So, a 65" tv will make things more difficult. I would not put in against the windows. That just doesn't look right.

Sorry for the duplicate post. My bad.

Not a Pro.

TV should go on the wall across from the windows, then hubby can pick any size tv he wants :-) they do love a large tv.

In this space I would look for a tv console that has legs. I think seeing most of the floor will help the space look larger.

Not a Pro.

Depending on how much room you have, the sectional can go up against the windows or if you have space, you can put a sofa table behind it, then add lamps.

Some Inspiration:

Western Springs Living Room · More Info

Western Springs Living Room · More Info

It’s probably silly that I don’t know this, but along the wall with three windows (I’m next to the last one), there’s also two air vents. Would I be limited to putting furniture between them, would I close one and put a sofa over it, or would pull the couch a foot away from window wall?

Since the room is 12 and a half feet wide, you should pull the sofa 3-4 feet away from the window wall, as in my floor plan. This will give you the ability to walk around the arrangement.

No, a piece of furniture should not be over a vent.

Thanks! Would that bring us too close to the tv, especially the people sitting on the sides, for good viewing?

I suspected as much about the air vents. They can be closed, and there are so many (two in the family room, two in the kitchen behind it), I wasn’t sure if I could close one and be okay .

Not a Pro.

That is why I brought up the sofa table directly behind the sofa. It would place the sofa slightly forward. So the vents are clear.

You are not supposed to put furniture over them. But, people do it.

I would get a sofa and swivel chairs. Otherwise, people are walking in front of the tv continually. Not good.

CDR, while I so much appreciate the thought you have put into this for me, I’m not sure if having a walkway behind the sofa will work for my family. I’m pretty sure my three sons (all under 10) would go OVER the sofa/chairs to get to their toys instead of taking two extra seconds to walk behind it.

I think we may install the tv and use our old sofa set into the space and see how it works having the sofa pulled away, or with space for a sofa table, and see how that goes. But it’s helpful to know where to have the tv installed.

There is no perfect way. Each will have advantages and disadvantages. I definitely think the next step is to do a mock-up and see how it works for your family.

You can use an air deflector (e.g. extend-a-vent) to give you the flexibility to put the furniture over the vent, without blocking it off.

You can use a deflector or an extender, but they are best with furniture with legs. I sure hope you can float the sofa/sectional.

You don't have to float the sectional to make this work with the tv on the wall opposite the windows. Just have it pulled out enough to allow the vents to clear or to allow the draperies to hang. If you have enough room (far enough from TV) for a slim sofa table, as njmomma suggests, it will likely solve the vent problem. Or use these. You don't have to have high legs on the sofa for them to work just fine:

We've created a 3D mock up of your room so you can visualize your space better. You could place the sectional where the couch is and eliminate the single chair. The TV can be placed on the opposite wall next to the door. This layout works if you don't mind that the TV viewing will be interrupted when people walk into the room. It also opens up the whole room and makes it look more spacious. You can get blinds/ drapes if light from the windows are an issue.

If you could upload a floor plan with dimensions, we could create a mock up of your whole room.

You can also make your own layout in our interactive 3D build. Let us know if you would like us to help with more options.

You will need black-out drapes if you put the TV across from the windows. You can already see how much light hits the wall opposite them with the curtains you now have. Blinds will not block all of the light, unless they are black-out blinds. I have velvet drapes on my window across from my TV, and that window is 30 feet away and in a different room.

Everything depends how the light hits your home.

I don't have that issue.