Hello again- I have run up a quick design for you. Not perfect as to dimensions and placement of the troublesome beam however, I've made the island longer so that the kitchen looks more like a kitchen and placed TV behind the middlle hinged doors so that the TV is hung on the wall not sitting on the counter and when not being viewed, it can be hidden behind the doors. The doors have a folding mechanism a bit like a garage door.I hope this has been helpful to you decision making.

Agree about the paving stones - a mistake to be repaired & pulling them up & allowing someone on eBay to reuse them where they may match, sounds good. However, don't agree that the bricks are a mistake. Personally, I love textured bricks as you can pick out a colour from them to do trims & in 15 years, change the colours & refresh & still go well with the brick colours. I think yours are particularly nice. Removing shutters - great. If you can, take the opportunuty to take off the ornate screens on doors & windows & replace them with the very simple looking security screens. Renewing the roofing material to something that lets in more light is also a good idea. If it's not feasible to do at this time, it can always be planned in steps, but it's good to know ahead what the plan is/will be. Re colour choices. I would suggest not going with the current fashion completely. Remember when everything in every suburb was "mission brown"? Everything that has that colour is immediately dated. Best of luck, and enjoy

I think that stamped and stencilled concrete only became popular in the 80's. I am mid century myself, and we only had plain concrete if we were lucky. Further to the comment above, I have had three stamped/stenciled concrete jobs done, and both have faded terribly. Go for plain or exposed aggregate.

In Victoria try Chippey’s, in NSW try carpen3 but any good carpenter will be able to help you achieve what you are after.