How funny. I just renovated (on a budget) my small kitchen and added exactly the slate look in tiles you have, though they are in fact porcelain. And I placed them throughout the house for continuity. The tiler asked if I was after a retro hippy look but it doesn't look like that at all. My cupboards were the same colour as yours and I utilised the bones of the kitchen and had the doors and Benchtops changed only. I also have plenty of light in the kitchen but chose white doors and as I was on a budget I chose granite look Benchtops, they are very serviceable and it looks great. The blue backsplash was the colour lift and here you could choose any colour to your liking. Basically the kitchen ended up with white cupboards and appliances other than cooktop, with the stainless cooktop and coloured splash back being the focal point. The paint colour are: whisper white walls, integra splashback, white ceiling and for increased contrast I used the same white above the splashback on the rear wall. I would consider painting out the brick but leaving the texture.

siriuskey, Yes, the courtyard is open to the sky (no roof over it), I assume this is what you mean by double story. Ref. below photos, I would love to get this look, especially the first and last photo, where you can see family living space from the first floor. I can't achieve this in my plan as it eats a lot of floor space upstairs. The referred plan (photos) has a very big void combining staircase, hallway and dining area. I know it is not easy with cooling and heating when you have such a big void. So, I explored a few ideas (with my limited knowledge on this topic) before achieving the current floorplan. I have also thought about, in my current plan, extending the void on the staircase to the dining area (it is more like L shape) but i wasn't sure if that makes any difference. keen to hear your thoughts.

I would be using the slate as a starting point for your colour inspiration. If you look carefully there are some great olive and eucalyptus colours to draw from. The white that you have is too stark and contrasting to the feature of the room which is the beautiful floor. The stained timber works as it complements the rustic look of the floor, and there are some similar colours in the floor. If you wanted to spend some big dollars I would look at upgrading your toilet suite to a cleaner, more contemporary pan and a concealed wall cistern. Changing the aluminium sliding window to a stained timber awning window to match the architrave would be a nice finishing touch. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls

orientation issues with the garage on the north aside, it's kind of like it's all there but could nevertheless benefit from some further strategic internal tweaking.... but it comes down to personal priorities and needs... I'll throw the suggestion that perhaps rethinking of all the (generous) walk in robe spaces may enable some better solutions for a study and also a more streamlined primary hallway/passage that doesn't feel squeezed - 1m is too tight IMO in proportion/relation to the other spaces/rooms and a house this size - something like 1250mm/1350mm all the way through the main spine/flow would make moving around/through the house feel much more spacious/comfortable. Yes definitely get some furniture on the plan to help finalise and consolidate the layout decisions Best of luck PD :)