Hi Rebecca...that kitchen looks very much like an afterthought tacked into the space because it was never planned, it's definitely a chuck-into-a-skip pronto job and those colours are bilious. If you can run the tape from the windows to the other side of the room and upload a diagram it would give us houzzers a better idea of dimensions and interaction to the dining and living areas. Do you have handyman/woman skills, access to family or tradesmen friends to help with the work and costs, a definite wish list with not-negotiable items alongside 'in the future' add-ons? I think a pale turquoise colour would have more oomph if you intend keeping the carpet, you're on the right track with that lovely fretwork over the doorway plus the skirting and trims picked out in white....but that hideous fan needs a one way ticket outta there!

I agree it's nice to have. So many factors to consider when renovating. If you love it, it must be working at some level for you.

I would try to keep the tongue and groove walsl if trying to keep the character but update the dysfunctional kitchen for sure.

Lighting, I adhere to the K.I.S.S theory as in 'keep it simple stupid'.........to me those things hanging from the ceiling are just ugly!!

If your house needs a fan for ventilation then look at the range of styles available to pick what suits your kitchen & dining room. They do work if placed correctly to circulate the rising hot air out of the room & in reverse mode in winter to force the warm air which rises down again. You will need to spend time researching Houzz and lighting stores but we have installed fans in a high ceiling though not a Queenslander like yours but raked timber. Just for fun I found this one on Houzz which is totally not like a traditional looking fan. Good luck!

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It depends on the room and your location. If that room is hot then you will need a fan to keep it comfortable - unless you are planning air conditioning, but if that house is weatherboard, then you will probably need a big insulation job as well to keep air con running costs down. .

There are a lot of very nice, simple fans on the market now and a white one will blend with the ceiling and be barely noticeable. I like just having lamps or feature lights for lighting in lounge rooms, but you could still have a fan with a light for convenience.

Hope all goes well with your kitchen.

The simplest will be to plan a country style kitchen.

The little push out for the stove could be used as a pantry, or just pulled out depending on whats on the other side! That area would have housed a large aga or similar and I believe they used those push outs so if there was a fire or accident you could push the whole thing out of the house, or maybe it was just to keep it cooler idk. I like that idea though.

I would favour a country kitchen with an island bench.

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Not sure what your island looks like, but perhaps you could replace the corrugated iron with white pressed metal and restore some cuteness. Our kitchen is pretty gross, but it has nice light and with a lovely antique kitchen dresser housing the pretty cups etc and a nice kitchen table it looks quite pleasant and its nice to use.

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This is a simple fresh upgrade I quite like

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If you have the height to crawl under consider insulating the floors! It makes a huge difference. There is a simple product which looks like sheets of polystyrebe foam that you just shove up and wedge between the joists.

Another idea i have seen in a few old timber houses, and that works really well is to move the kitchen from this large room entirely and create a more modern galley kitchen in a sleepout. You could consider fitting in a kitchen with a long bench where the archway is on that little annex room in your second picture. Or some other space entirely. Don't feel bound to use the rooms as they are currently being used. Old houses were often not originally designed with things like a kitchen and a bathroom and so yes they were often tacked on hodge podge and don't often work.

Also we like more open plan so find the area of the house that will be easier to open up and is on the right side of the house to catch the light to create the lounge area. Even if that is opening up 2 bedrooms. I really don't think that matters if what you are working with is just barebones timber spaces. I think your colour scheme is a great choice. Its classic and will show off the bones of the home nicely.

The trouble with these larger kitchen rooms is that they just aren't as functional, even though there is more floor space a lot of it is wasted. Sometimes you can end up with more functional storage and space by using a smaller room like a sleepout or enclosed verandah. You can use an awkward sleepout space more productively and gain an extra room when you remove the kitchen, and the added advantage is you can slowly build you new kitchen and still have somewhere to cook in the meantime. With the new kitchen built you remove the old!

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