I need my fellow DA'ers informed opinion  

Another thought
Reading your description of what you intended for your space and how you perceive it, it occurs to me that maybe the AT commenter was reacting to the combination of "cold and minimal" geometric furnishings with "warm and comfortable" accessories.
I think it'd be interesting to see how the room would look if it were done completely one way or the other. Minimal is easiest: Just remove the pillows, the rug, the objects from the side tables, and maybe the two small pieces (basket and... ottoman?) next to the sideboard. A photo from the same POV as before, but taken after those accessories were removed, would have a very different feel. It might draw other negative comments, like "sterile" or "empty", but I think it'd cure "not cohesive".
Oh, and seating for 19 isn't that hard; you could easily do it. The photo in the thread linked below shows 12 of the seats (if you look behind the plant and in the lower-right corner); the other 7 are a bench and table beyond the right edge of the frame.
You don't need or want that in your living room, of course... But thinking about how you'd fit a lot of furniture into a small space is a useful exercise: It's a good way to come up with new ideas for arranging a smaller number of pieces in the same space.
http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/forums/index.cfm/fuseaction/th...

I really like the dark wall suggestion.
I think I'll natter on that idea for a while. And the fireplace is venetian plaster...there is NO way I'm sticking a nail in to hang a painting. FYI, the painting next to the fireplace were done by my nephew when he was 6! Quite the baby Mark Rothko, no?
Warm vs. cold...hmmm, interesting idea. I like pillows, though. They really do warm up a space and make it fun to adjust for the seasons.

synergy
Hi Olive -- what a fantastic house! I'll echo what others have said about not worrying about other peoples' opinions -- it's always best to trust one's own instincts.
But I think you've raised a really fascinating question about what "cohesion" is. Hard to define -- but it's a great feeling to come into a room where everything from the carpets to the artwork to the ashtrays seems to fit together and complement each other. You get a kind of synergy, where everything looks better than if it were just on its own. A kind of context, maybe. It's insanely complicated how it works -- color, style, dimension, purpose etc all come into play -- but when everything clicks into place, you feel like you've come into a "room", rather than just a bunch of furniture in a space.
More specific to your place -- since you've asked for comments! -- you've got some wonderful pieces and a great, great house. But I think maybe your living space lacks a strong center of gravity -- there's nothing really tying the couch and the chairs together. You might notice a big change by putting a more substantial coffee table in there. Tables are the common ground, the shared space between people sitting in separate chairs, so there's a psychological "cohesion" thing happening there, too.
Replacing the cowskin with a bigger rug that extends under the couch and chairs might also help tie everything together. You've got a nig space there, and a rug might help define the living area within that larger space, and warm things up a bit, as others have mentioned.
Anyway, have fun with it and trust your own taste -- that's the important thing!

The dark
wall in the kitchen looks good, Whitespike.

Yeah if you're happy at home...
Yeah if you're happy at home who cares? I don't think it was a nasty comment or anything to get bothered by.
Perhaps they made that comment because there doesn't seem to be anything dominant running through the rooms eg. I like brass, dark wood, brick, earthy colours and coarse wool regardless of period or if its a known design, it does seem to bring things together.