Your home is lovely! Wonderful woodwork and details.

You might consider a sofa table behind your sofa. The bench might even be able to fit under one. Or you could replace it with smaller ottomans that could be moved out for additional seating. Use the sofa table for a lamp or matching pair of lamps along with accessories that can address both the entry and the living room.

Another visual trick would be to find a larger centerpiece for your coffee table that can be a focal point and draw from the entry into the room. (Not huge, just something beautiful that you get a glimpse of over the back of the sofa.

You could go with the sectional idea. Unlike a lot of homes, your living room is large enough to handle one. You’re correct it would open things up. You could experiment with how that would look just by rearranging the sofas and chair that you have in the room. You could still have the bench or ottomans set up near to the entry to provide more separation as well.

Best of luck!