I like the idea of shallow storage on that wall, but would it be possible to have a tall shallow cabinet built to match the rest of the cabinets? While open shelves are great in concept, you have to be willing to allow for: dust on less frequently used items (found this out with our wine glasses!) things falling if they get bumped clutter - untidy (only an issue if it bugs you) floating shelves can be difficult to install, esp if you don't find the wall studs!

Thanks for the quick responses. All the right people have been contacted in preparation for the demolishion which has not started yet so no pictures yet. Thanks to John & Johnston Group for the link to the popup power point. What a good idea. A little research shows up a wide range of prices and configurations. Everything from $29 to a motorised one at $500. Has anyone got one of these installed and have you found that they work well or do they just end up being a crumb catcher. Is the one in the link that much better than the $29 one which has 4 power points instead of only 2.

Hi Karina. Haha very funny re your art piece, KitchenAid! Baking is so much fun; I'm a baker from way way back, and you learn by just jumping in and doing it. About the height of your combined dining/bench table, it's pretty important to have a height that's comfortable for you whilst you work. I'm tall and my family is too, so we had the benchtop height built higher so we are not getting backaches from constantly having to bend over to work. It's really more important for the one who does all or most of the cooking & baking to be comfortable as you can spend long periods of time reading and working out recipes, then putting it all together. Likewise, if you are shorter, choose a table that suits you. Best wishes and keep us posted.

Wow, thank you so much everyone for all your brilliant suggestions. We own the place and found a way to remove the bars. Knocking down the wall between kitchen and dining is unfortunately not an option. Combining all your suggestions, will: 1. Go for white walls 2. Look into the built-in bench 3. Have a white or glass oval table with less chairs (no arm ones) 3. Change the wall lighting (and a pendant light?) 4. Mirror across dining area 5. Large artwork on the wall above the bench Will post the finished look here after