Thanks for the photos, they help clarify your situation. A few points. The front wall, going by the brickwork, is approx. 700mm high. You could get this down to 600mm by sloping the lawn or garden slightly. Doing this should be fine and then you can pass the construction off as complying and replacement of existing wall. I'd assume the garden in front is part of the council nature strip in which case you can't move forward. I can't see neighbouring front fencelines so it's not obvious. Often there is up to 600mm between the boundary and the footpath but not always. I think there would be too much gabion. Contact a landscaper for a comparative price with sandstone. Obviously it's cheaper if you were intending to build the gabion yourself. The driveway is quite narrow. Widen it towards the lawn, not the boundary. You need to leave that narrow garden for softening of the fence in particular. A picket fence along the front should look fine in white, if that colour appears on your house but the paling fence should not be white. If you are doing a major reno of the house then the landscape items would be best left until the major work is complete. Then you can consider the landscaping in relation to the new look of the house.

Kitchens are the heart of s home. You need breakfast stools at your bench so people can chat to you whilst prepping/cooking. Or kids helping or eating brekkie. tables are lower so don’t work as well. It’s not about the view for these purposes. 4 stools at least with backs hopefully and allow them to tuck under bench top to clear circulation to sliders. I would keep all within current footprint. Island: min 900 (at ends) & 1200 from other benches. If u go too wide it makes it more difficult to work. Too many steps. I can stand next to my dishwasher and unload into drawers opposte without moving with 1200. And can work on island whilst someone at sink behind Up to 1500 from sliders if having stools there. Love to see finished pics I like your style. Good luck

I don't know why people keep referring to these fad-driven green walls as sustainable - they are not. Green walls are completely unsustainable, when you consider what sustainabity really means. They are nothing but a Frenchman's idea that he pushed heavily to the landscaping industry that is now being touted as an environmental solution to housing insulation. They are actually useless in areas of high heat, especially when accompanied by high wind and low humidity. Most cities in Australia are not suitable because buildings are too exposed to the elements. Trees are actually required to increase shade to the buildings and the walls, and to increase evapotranspiration - hence the green walls are entirely useless. Of course they will cause fires when the plants die - they are entirely unnatural and won't last.

I have got the sample pots and I’ve painted them on large cardboard, it’s more the benchtop I want to blend in nicely, as well as splashback. I know I won’t find the exact combinations, would be nice to see one or two of the colours to get a more visual idea. They aren’t the popular ones like lexicon and all the mainstream dulux whites. So the bricks have all been removed, and under the bench is just going to be the same as the kitchen cupboards. The brick pier has been Gyprocked. Do you think a smoky mirror splashback will look good?