I see this is a very old thread , with lots of comments . I've just skim read them , but I haven't seen anyone suggest anything like my 'top-of-my-head' idea -- I love the wood , and the white contrast , but pretty boring . Whats your favourite colour , or what ties in with the other rooms ? It might be blue or red or yellow or orange or green , as examples . So paint the skirting board and around the door a pastel shade of your choice , and add a small 30cm x 30cm abstract painting featuring that colour as the primary dominant one , above ( or possibly below , or maybe even get 2 matching/complementary ones ) the control panel . One lighting crowd suggested glass shades -- I'd actually go for someothing large but wooden , in much the same shade as your floors and steps , with LED bulbs -- you can get some stunning ones around 80-100 cm in diameter ( sort of a star ball shape ) for $300-400 . Total budget then $500 plus a painter and maybe electrician , unless you DIY .

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Hi Zoe, what a lovely space, great neutral floor and curtains, your lounge and dining set perfect, I think you do know what you like just look at the photos you have posted, the only thing missing in your space are the personal bits and pieces. Take all of the above photos with you to Kmart and use them as a reference to purchase, good thing is you can change them if you feel it doesn't work. Your room really needs lights/ lamps, are you able to fit a hanging lamp above the table, what type of ceiling lights does the apartment have The other big thing is the entertainment wall needs bulking up, you need something taller and wider this can be made up with a couple TV height(Taller) cabinets on either side of the current TV, the speaker system needs a home and arranging, Kmart is bound to have something, or check out Salvo's etc they often have those old Pine timber entertainment units that old TV's sat into. With a light sand, white wash and a sealing coat they come up a treat Love your rug but it's a bit small, in the meantime I think I would line up against the lounge so it's not lost. Good advice Nelson Interiors, love Kmart and Bunnings to help with stretching the budget, Zoe don't over look Buniings for furnishing your room, work benches etc also make great TV stands and side boards, they also have a large lighting section cheers

Thank you @oklouise for your detailed response and proposing a plan! Just a couple of responses and questions regarding what you've mentioned: - Agreed that we need a proper plan in place before doing any big kitchen renos. I've been doing research all day and have better understanding of how complex the process can be. I think a complete DYI kitchen will be out of the question for us, so we will shop around for builders and a cabinet makers to get a better feel of the costs involved - Agree with leaving the 70cm wall, at least on the side where the fridge is. Spoke to my partner and we will amend our plans - You mentioned that you like the stove location but think the kitchen is too shallow to have the stove and kitchen there. Can I ask why? I've seen a couple of examples where stove & island is 1 meter apart, which seemed to work. - We unfortunately won't be able to have the dining table in front of the stove, as we won't have enough space to accommodate quite a large couch & TV in the remaining living space :( I'm still gravitating towards having an island, as I prefer some separation between kitchen & living space Cheers, Xenia