Hi Innessa - that will entirely depend on how large your space is / the overall length and width of the current space., where north is, where any views are and where the big areas of glazing / doors / indoor / outdoor garden is!! We always try to prioritise indoor-outdoor flow and north light in an open plan living space and work backwards from there. Especially for Canberra's cold days, catching sunlight into the space is essential. Having said that, there are some minimum dimensions you need to work backwards from too - if the kitchen is at one end facing into the open plan space with dining/living, you need minim 1.6m-1.9m for a walk-in pantry tucked in behind the kitchen, about 2.5m width for a kitchen including island bench (more if you want a deeper island), and min 6m from the front of the island to the end wall for dining + living - more is preferable. How does that stack up with your existing space? Don't forget to post plans and a photo - and look through all the Pro images on Houzz for design ideas!! Good Luck.

From your photo the beam looks like it is supported by the wall. If you remove the wall then you will need to replace the beam with another beam which is longer and deeper, or replace the wall with a column to support the beam. I always suggest to new home owners that they live in their new home for at least 12 months before undertaking expensive alterations. You need to understand how your home works (or doesn't work) through the seasons. Moving furniture around is much cheaper than demolishing load bearing walls in the short term. You should also research the pros and cons of single open plan living for your household type. There are plenty of families with teenagers who hate their open plan living. Don't rush and best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls

my suggestions include a small lounge and occasional chair with side tables and a generous toy box or table with shelves for work surface and toys for small kids, a big rug to sit on and tv above and/or to the side of the heater...also consider alternative access to the storage cupboard for extra wall space and a 75cm deep island over 45cm deep drawers with knee space on two sides will keep the island less bulky and have more walking space between island and dining

not a professional just obsessed with building and renovating..bagging the fireplace wall would make it easy to fill in the old master bedroom doorway with bricks to make a seamless match for the whole wall and brighten the whole new room and a simple roof extension on legs at right angles to the house with a gable roof, simple steel framed construction with Colorbond and lazerlite roofing and raked ceilings would make an ideal alfresco but you would probably need a skylight in the new kitchen to keep indoors from being too dark (and/or check out Solar Skylights that are excellent for adding extra light without holes in the roof) ...the alfresco could have basic concrete slab extended out from the existing verandah, screen walls, outdoor fireplace and outdoor barbq kitchen and sink..we've done something similar in a previous reno using a custom sized steel carport supplied by a local garage maker and then adding screen walls with lazerlite, lattice and plastic cafe blinds subject to views and direction of the weather ... you should also consider bug screening using horticultural shade cloth as you may find rural living a bit more fly blown than the suburbs and the screened room makes a safe play area for small kids and for pets left home alone btw don't forget to check the measurements of all the rooms as there are some discrepancies that need to be corrected in the plans and would be happy to redraw with correct measurements