I saw a design once that was broken into long rooms on the east and west sides of the building, with a hallway down the middle. It worked well to take advantage of the length without giving up visibility space. I can't find a screenshot of it though.

I've collected a TON of photos of house design and decoration ideas from all over the place. I've uploaded them all to my Flickr account:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/phlyers...7594513180134/

(Just a disclaimer - I don't have credits for any of the photos, so if you see something that is yours and you'd like credit, let me know!)