Living room seating idea

As much as we love tech-y stuff, there is something we've been pondering lately that is about as low tech as you can get.

This house has two beams across the living room, and an open vaulted ceiling that reaches all the way up the stairs. It's beautiful and interesting, giving the room a feeling of spaciousness, even though the room really isn't that large. The three floor-to-ceiling windows at the end of the room open it up even further, so it seems as though you can nearly walk out into the woods or that they are a part of the living space.

One of the beams is located in what would be the wall of the living room, and we're wondering if it's a true beam or just decorative. I'll need to see if I can talk to the original builder of the house to find out. If it is a supporting beam, and is firmly in place, we considered getting a porch swing to put on it to provide interesting and serviceable seating in that area without blocking the view or the floor space with chairs or a small sofa.

I know who the builder is, and I know his daughter. She became a friend of my younger daughter when we moved here so many years ago. I also work with a girl who is a close friend of the man's daughter, so I'll probably ask her to have the girl contact me to ask her about this. She won't know, but she can ask her dad!