I really like the suggestion Modern feature walls. Combined with some greenery inside and out as suggested by chookchook2 , you can start to soften the 'boxy' look of the space which is now reinforced by the line shape and form of the couch you introduced in the updated image. If it is a breakout or meeting room could I suggest, budget permitting, some form of window treatment. Some simple and relatively cheap e-screens would add a degree of privacy, but more importantly remove potentially annoying distractions from outside; important if you are using the room both for work that requires concentration' .. or alternatively, impromptu meetings with others that may be held in the room. I do like the green, but the photo projects a rather drab uninteresting interior despite your efforts thus far.(imho). I think making a call to Modern feature walls should be on your call list. Something has to be done with that ceiling which I find not only distracting but is actively working against your attempts at creating a really inviting space that people will want to break into. I can a hint of a table off to the right in front of the window. The best breakout spaces I've used have the facility to informally and casually sit across a table with sufficient desk or table space to spread drawings, images and presentation ideas. .. It just doesn't work as well if you and a colleague(s) are forced to sit or stand along one side of a table with the yard providing tempting distractions when the focus should be on communication and collaboration. Mounting the TV and raising it would open the room up further and likely break up the 'box-iness' further. .. A bit beyond my field (Window Treatments) ... but you did ask. lol.

I envy your wall space, I wish we had more! What has worked really well for us is using empty walls as our "brag" board. Do you have particular interests you love talking about? Putting something up about your family, a favourite subject, pet or holiday could be a great talking point. Our visitors get drawn to our fishing photos, where we caught the fish (Botswana/Amazon) and the type (Tiger fish/Peacock Bass). Although the photo print (size A0) could be printed really cheaply (~$50) at somewhere like Officeworks, I discovered that the frames (~$440 each) were the biggest expense. However, as we know we only needed to print a new A0 sized photo in the future, spending money on good, customised frames is worthwhile. We have also now tried printing our favourite shots on stretched canvas (~$100). The product gets delivered, usually in a week, ready for hanging much quicker than ordering a custom made frame ;) Smaller canvases range from twenty dollars to about a hundred. I found this company very reliable in terms of quality of print and speed of service: http://canvasfactory.refr.cc/HDLHZPH We have displaced our canvas photos from the wall and occasionally display them underneath the kitchen bench as you can see here (desperately covering up white space)!

Hi Joe, I must admit I'm a sucker for black and white and I will definately use it when I start my reno next year. I would just like to tell you something that is quite disturbing or funny depending on your point of view. My mother -in-law recently passed away in Italy and my husband inherited a 200 hundred year old house that has been passed down through the family. This house is on an island that has no cars and it is a great place to unwind. The house is heritage listed and you can imagine the problems we have just painting the outside.We had to get permission to replace the front door and things do not exactly run at break neck speed. Anyway we are now back in Oz and my husband decided he wanted to renovate the very old kitchen. We did not have time to return so everything was done by phone. Our saving grace is that we know the builder and he project managed as well. What I am trying to say is I have chosen tiles, appliances, outfitted the whole kitchen and dining room plus chose the colours over the phone and most things from the internet.Their system is totally different to ours they do not have paint companies per say. ONe has to describe the colour, shade and finish or get a friend to go along to the factory and choose. I have chosen white tiles and a tile every so often with a delicate black design on it. I really have no idea if it will work as we are dealing with history .I am terrified to return because the whole job may be a fiasco. If you want to change tiles under the exhaust maybe the black and white ones are a solution. I think plain white is a bit boring why not break out and do something different. I am not suggesting you don't know what you are doing but this I hope will be of some help to you. I have gone around the block in my advise for you but I felt I had to bore you with my problem and explain that when I return to the house it may be a dogs dinner and I will have to listen to my husband whine. So good luck with your choice and please let us know what you have decided as I am very interested . Kind regards Miriam.

Stacked/layered frames.. I really like this! Today I had a play and moved a few items around.. I think the area on the top shelf does need some frames or a few larger pieces as the smaller items I think look lost all the way up there? .. it’s a spacious area! I took a pano shot to show how little the kitchen items look with everything else going on in the house! Also a picture showing the wall joining the kitchen.. Is there such thing as too much art and family pictures? what do you think about larger frames on the top shelf? Or hung frames on the wall above it?