Not sure if this is the right place to post this, so please direct me to the right spot if I need to put this somewhere else...

We've lived in our house for a few years but haven't done a thing with the backyard. The house is on a ridgetop and currently has a variety of trees (white oak, southern red oak, sweetgum, beech, persimmon, dogwood, virginia pine, loblolly pine). The backyard is on the north side of the house, so the rear deck stays relatively dark and shady. There is currently no grass in the understory.

I would like to open up some of the canopy to allow for morning sun and some lawn area, but I don't want to lose the wooded appeal completely. I would also like to have some activity areas (patio/sitting). Other than that, I don't have a good idea of what I'd like to see out there. The yard doesn't get used much, and I'd like to open it up so that it is more inviting. Any and all ideas are appreciated.