Adding photo in this comment.

Has construction started?

Yes, we’re at roofing.

What did the designer of the house have in mind when they designed the space?

The (real, licensed) architect drew in the same layout we’ve seen in suburban model homes everywhere. He freely admitted that these layouts are not his strong suit and didn’t want to spend any time in it.

I didn’t share the drawing because I don’t want to get hung up on tweaking the original idea. I thought starting with a blank slate would inspire more creativity. Also, I’d prefer to have a round dining table for better interaction when we’re all together. I’d also like to avoid placing the TV above the fireplace if there are better alternatives.

Here’s the origin design. Sorry for multiple posts. The Houzz app is being a little glitchy with attaching photos.

Is lighting a part of the question?! I like this if there's room for it.

Trinity Arc Lamp, Antique Bronze · More Info

We have an open concept main floor as well and we have a sectional and two chairs with a large coffee table n the great room. We have dimmable overhead recessed lights. We can comfortably seat 7-8 in the space as is and then add chairs if we have more over. I have visions of a bench or some sort of floor pillows or I’m not sure. But for day to day it’s perfect so it really only pops into my head to do more at Christmas lol.

It’s interesting to see so many posts in a new build…

My fireplace has a raised hearth - useful for extra seating and gives me a better view of the fireplace from the kitchen.

We have a similar layout in our great room, except across from the wall of windows is a solid wall with high transom/clerestory windows. My plan is to put the tv on an easel in the corner so it's not the main focus of the room -- fireplace and views out the window wall is.

(And it's all kind of ironic that we don't want the electronics to be a focal point, because our careers were both in TV and film audio engineering...)