Hi Sofia, the latest trend is that all white kitchens are on the out, so breaking up the colour scheme is and introducing natural elements, which is now the trend, is bang on. Well done. A natural style includes natural materials and colours. The thing is what sort of natural. This comes back to your style. What is it? Natural rainforest feel, desert, beach? If you think of your home in this light, it helps you to choose the right direction through textures that you can then take throughout your home to streamline it and increase it's appeal. In decorating we also look for opportunities to add contrast, so I see nothing wrong with a dark bench but here's the other lesson! Uniting your colours is vital. You have a timber look floor and a grey splashback - they are different. They need to be merged. Merge them in your benchtop with a Ceasarstone (which is worth every penny you put into it for the resale of your home). Something like this one: http://www.caesarstone.com.au/colour/6270-atlantic-salt ...Which isn't too dark, has a gorgeous contrasting texture and yet the timber and spalshback hues. Wallpapers are in big time and have been for a while and are not going out. Try picking out a major wall here and there and hanging a textured or a natural themed wallpaper ie leaves pattern, depending on the style, in a natural colour palette to match your floor. The whites, greys, blacks are neutrals - which go with anything. Compliment the colour scheme with Green which is a receding colour and will create the illusion of more space in a small space, and you'll have a natural style and theme. Lastly, again, depending on your style and theme, you'll need art to confirm exactly what these are. I am a customised artwork specialist. Your artwork again, will unite all your colours and create a focal point for the space... and so very much more. Have fun!

OP, OKL's plan is better from an energy efficiency point of view than your plan (your plan wastes the northern aspect with bathrooms). But DON'T just flip OKL's plan, as the orientation would then be all wrong! It's important to get the orientation right, this will greatly effect the comfort of your home & your heating/cooling requirements (& hence your bills). Read this. It's all very useful, but maybe focus on the section about orientation first. http://yourhome.gov.au/passive-design Below are some generalisations. As has been requested, it would be nice to know your general location, as climates vary across our big country, so building requirements change. But generally, you want your living areas (& a large proportion of your glazing facing north). If possible, have a smaller portion of your glazing facing south & east, for cross ventilation, & try to eliminate western glazing. Bedrooms to the south & east (if they won't also fit in the north), & rarely used rooms, like garages, bathrooms & laundries to the west. Your verandah is south facing, good, as it won't shade your home in winter. Hopefully you have north facing eaves & they aren't too large. If they are the right size you'll get sun through your northern windows in winter, but the eaves will shade the house in summer, when the sun is higher in the sky. So can you knock out windows & doors wherever you want? Would be good to know where they are currently, the size of the verandah, the block dimensions & any other structures which will influence shading & privacy. I'd also be looking at some tiny house blogs/websites. 72sqm isn't tiny, but you really want an efficient house that works well, & you'll find some ingenious storage solutions that are used in tiny houses. Well designed built in storage is definitely very important in a small home. Can't see if it all fits now, while using the app on my phone. But I'd aim for something like this. The kitchen in the NE corner, running down the eastern wall (so you get good morning sun). An island bench for dining, separating the living area on the northern wall. Master in the NW corner, with the ensuite on the western wall (if it fits - important not to have the master bedroom window facing west). Minor bedrooms (& windows) on the south wall. Main bathroom or powder room somewhere on the southern wall, in the SW corner would be nice if it fits there. No idea is that all fits, just some ideas. If you're not fussed about an easy facing kitchen, you could flip this all, & have the kitchen in the NW corner, & the master in the NE corner. If you're taking off external or internal cladding, this is a good time to insulate you're walls. Also up insulation levels in the roof cavity of they're inadequate. It will greatly effect comfort, is quite cheap & the walls are very hard to do at other times. Edit: as I got the verandah location wrong, then added to my post.

Hi siriuskey. Not sure how to place the furniture yet. Still trying to work it out.. I am selling my dining table and chairs. My new chairs just arrived today. I bought some hooks to put my mirror up.I am going to order those prints shortly. Also trying to find a round dining table I like. Getting there slowly : Thanks for asking. Thank you Julie. Very kind of you. :) Thank you legendaryflame :)

Yes, I can't help but feel that I will regret moving the entry @afjp! My husband is keen, but I know that I'll hate it, walking halfway down the house just to enter. Thank you for your suggestions. @oklouise, you really have gone above and beyond - giving us a lot of food for thought! Thank you for taking the time to fiddle with our floor plan. Lots of options there. We can't go toward the front boundary anymore, unfortunately, but I like your thinking! @siriuskey, thank you too for taking the time to share your ideas - It is much appreciated. We did toy with the idea of using our existing living and dining like what you have, but I think I am leaning toward the open kitchen, living and dining at the back. You've used up every inch of space, it's great! Some more ideas for us to think about. Thanks! Just a question for those in the know-how much would it cost to move plumbing etc? And what would your ballpark $ figure/budget to do this extension be? (how long is a piece of string, I know...)