Thank you all so much for your input. I really appreciate all the suggestions and thing to keep in mind. I am going to take my time figuring out exactly (or as close as possible) what suits me. For now I will continue to move my machine out of the way when I need my whole table for cutting. (It's about 20 pounds, not terrible.) My new craft room is still evolving and I imagine I'll be moving things around till things are "juuuuuuuust right" (i say in my best Goldilocks voice).
For now I am content and feel blessed to have a guest/craft room where I can leave everything out and no one bothers it, and I can shut the door on it. It's my happy place, freshly painted in pale yellow that is very cheery, and I am able to produce things of beauty , which is what it's all about, right?