Our living room is super bright in the day, with day curtains to filter the sunlight.
We love having windows between the study and living room as it allows us to see what the other is doing when in separate rooms. It's also easy to communicate - just slide open the windows to talk!
Our living room has minimal furniture - no coffee table, no TV console, just stools which doubles up as side tables.
We keep the harsh ceiling fan light off when watching TV at night. The warm lights from the pendant and diffuser make the ambience just right :)