U-shaped kitchen in the house we bought had corner drawers in one corner and a blind (useless) corner on the other side. We got rid of both corners. The kitchen is now a straight line and an island, open at both ends, with a third bench with drawers under along the window wall. No corners, and no obstacles to block traffic between the kitchen, butler's pantry and the veranda where we eat most of our meals. Much more practical. I hated being trapped in the U-shaped kitchen and having to walk in big circles around the bench to get out to the dining areas.

Thanks LouieT I love it! You're so right, it's the first thing you see. I want it to be warm and welcoming. We are going with the floating shelves with heaps of plants and a few personal items. (We actually have a walk in wardrobe so the clothes hamper is hidden in there). Thanks for the beautiful items and ideas. We have small children who often like to explore our bedroom so we want to keep the floor as clear as possible at this stage. I might put a lambs wool on the floor with a nice looking box for toys or books. I'll post pics when it's done.

Not that I'm a cabinetry maker by any means, but your cabinets look very similar to the image you've sourced of what you want. It looks like it could be as simple as removing the shelfing and installing the system to the inside of the cupboard and inside of the door.

Do you have to use the smaller front boundary for the garage? Is the noisy living space going to work with all bedrooms coming off this space? If the garage went to the south and can it be on the boundary in Sydney, that would leave the middle for bedrooms and the northern aspect for living, as most Australian houses benefit from northern light. The front setbacks would make an ideal outdoor space which high fences or high shrubs if not allowed high fences, if on a busy road most councils allow you to have sound barriers, leaving the entry to the house to come in off the long boundary, which you can make more of a feature. You have a corner block which is always a bonus. The beds will then have a quite zone, the living can have that northern end and cars can be pushed to boundary. Always look at the site before you look at plans. Always make sure the living aspect overrides the plans. Always make sure that living in a space overrides the plans, always.