Keith, by back of the room, do you mean where the listening seat is located, or where the speakers are located? Which should be near the opening to the kitchen for best sound, in your opinion?
Listening section most likely. Marty has windows at the back of his room - the horror! Apparently he has one of the best sounding rooms in America.
The biggest trend for homes is open floor plans - this usually means the kitchen and living room/den are connected. Of course out west we don't have basements, so that might not be an east coast thing.
I guess what I'm trying to say is I'd rather have a treated living space, than a treated dedicated room - nothing more, nothing less. And I don't seem to find dedicated rooms always superior to the former.