I also have a window like that in our shower - it may, but doesn't normally get wet from the shower. I have put in a thin venetian blind in white (made from plastic) very cheap, under $5. I am in process of making an puffy austrian blind to hang above the window, for a bit of colour I am making it from a shower curtain). It will be there for looks, I may never pull it down. The venetian gives privacy and blocks the light a certain amount.

. Its just way too much timber! So the floor should stay, because its harder to change. Start by definitely at least pull out the part of the kitchen with the weird enclosed fridge space. that really cramps the room. Then pull of and replace the cabinet doors and the laminate bench top. pick some amazing tiles and have your husband work his magic! Paint the walls a nice colour to really make the space look more vibrant. Get rid of those horrible blinds completely! We are doing out kitchen up and we don't have much money or skills or access to tradespersons anyway. So we are keeping it to a minimum. Do it little by little. We started with a new stove with really changed the feel of the room. We plan to just paint the cabinets.

Hiya! I would treat this as an opportunity to go totally steampunk! Put in a shutter, like the other folks have said, to hide the off centre window... then paint the bricks, and polish up the pipes and add a bunch of non functional complicated looking piping, with gauges and stuff. Of course, it would depend on the rest of your decor... I would also consider bringing the mortar up to brick-face level, before painting. If you went steampunk, you could keep the floor as is; it would fit right in! Get a sheet of copper or copper-look metal and hammer it up a bit and curve it slightly around the cistern IYKWIM, and hammer up a piece for a lid so you have access, (drop on lid, attach sheet to wall with dynabolts). Then paint up the pan in a nice distressed metal look, and seal with enamel clear lacquer, marine grade. Wooden toilet seat and you're 1800's sci-fi swish. I love odd rooms like this, because it's always going to look strange so you can make it spectacularly odd, instead of, 'oh dear, I tried to hide this, but...'

Biggest Thank you to everyone who has commented and given me such good practical advice for updating my little front patio/porch area. Before I depart again and forget to update? This is how it looks, I am probably at a later stage going to work out how to add a wider sill as suggested, however it does look so much better than before. Such timely advice has given me the motivation to get it done. I have left the roller shades on one side just to allow a bit of privacy from the neighbours and wind/sun. And one day will swap the large couch for something more suited.