I remember years ago being in a similar predicament and someone gave me some mirror tiles - I glued them on the the wall and thought I was very clever. They actually did look much better in my eyes. Try not to spend too much - I think everyone's idea of a shower curtain will all the bathroom colours in it would probably be the best option. You'll laugh about it in years to come and you will love the improvements you make over time. Enjoy the moment, unless you're selling soon your ideas will change after living there, so change when you can afford it - who cares it's YOURS. Good luck, it's so rewarding and so much fun. P.S. now we have a small bathroom, wall to wall tiles, dark grey on the floor and white on all the walls with a large grey tile up each opposing wall, tall mirror over the handbasin which reflects the opposite wall then a full length bath with shower over it. It works perfectly and looks great.

Oh C'mon V Richards...every epoch has its treasures. B4 you make a mad run for it stop a while and consider the period and the reasons for the style...it can be extremely enlightening....unless its not the period you want to escape from but from some of the opinions. I spent many years of my youth outside of Australia living surrounded by old ruins in Europe. I forgot what it was like here. When finally I returned to Australia and found myself living in some of the 60s and 70s places..I found much to admire and wonder about. I may not have fallen in love with much of it but there was a certain mistique and a feel that I can still conjure when talking about certain places. Not saying that it was all romantic and pleasant but it conveyed something of the era and the kind of Aussie from those days.

I agree about the idea of putting roller blinds on your door , matching the colours of the others must mention about Annie Sloan paint : it is a chalk paint and you can apply it on any wood surface with at having to use primer, what " seals" the pain is the Annie Sloan wax you apply afterwards. You can Buy Annie Sloan on line , i use Annie Sloan a lot.it is expensive if you want the legs painted black to be smooth, just paint and wax , but one coat of Annie Sloan does not give a good coverage. It you want it " distressed" slightly, then just sand a few it on the edges afterwards, before the waxing With a slight " distressed" leg look, but you would need to give the top of the table a light sanding to " rough it up" on the edges if you want a good solid, coverage, Annie Sloan is not the right choice have a look on eBay, I have just bought some cages light to fit near my table outside ( I was just playing around with them yesterday before the electrician comes toda), they were only like $46 each

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...)