This is a long post, and I greatly appreciate any assistance, so thank you in advance for reading this!

I started out building a Craftsman-style home but had to change plans. Our new home will not be Craftsman in design but I want to give it Craftsman touches as much as possible using my existing furnishings and adding to them where necessary. I am trying to determine whether to go with a ceiling height of 9’ or 10’ and, to the extent I can in advance, how best to place furnishings and wall decor we currently own. What will play a part in determining ceiling height (in addition to window light, room size, etc.) will be what is going into the room in terms of existing furnishings and the “feeling” I want to try to create. That is why I am asking for help here.

Problem: What ceiling height and furniture placement are best in this great room that is 18 ft wide x 12-1/2 ft deep? (Please see photos 2 and 3 below that are the model home unfurnished and then furnished.) It is not my style (which is Craftsman) but you can see the room size and window configuration. This room does have a 10’ foot ceiling, but I could make ours 9’. (However, given the open plan, my DR and kitchen ceilings would then also have to be 9’.) It is clearly not the cozy Craftsman look that I love, but I want to make it cozier to the extent possible. I struggle with how to place my existing furniture and will likely have to purchase more furniture and accessories to fill this room in. (Please see photo 1 below of my current Craftsman furnishings and placement, which were purchased for a much smaller living area.) Also, I don't know what size rug to get, but I’m sure that my current rug is too small at 5’7” x 7’11”. I will have a Craftsman style mantle and would like the furniture grouped around this, but the room is so wide that the couch and chairs would need to be pulled away from the walls a lot and ”floated” in the room. So many questions!!!

— If I float the furniture to move it toward the mantle, what do I do with all the space behind the furniture?

— Is there a better room arrangement that will still keep the mantle the focal point?

— Should I keep the 10 ft ceilings and higher windows in the great room, kitchen, and DR or lower them to 9’ for a more Craftsman feel but lose some of the light?

— What size rug is best?

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3