Well nasmijati has much to offer. For my mind i would like to get an understanding of who you are before thinking too much ahead friendlykim. If we leave climate change, fire zones, function, ergonomics and sustainability to one side we might consider your childhood experiences, your passions, sufferings, do you like literature/ Japanese poetry? - will you have mist in the winter months? what music do you like? imagination as play in defining space, choreographing shade and light, will you have children to consider, would you consider a more elemental use of water for swimming and other opportunities in place of a lap pool? we could talk about art, what artists you love, insight beyond reason which comes through our relationship that your garden may feed your mind on a daily basis. Have you travelled? Does the north African civilization have anything to teach you for garden application? - what is your latitude? Has contemplation placed it's hand on your shoulder by this stage of your life? I should stop - for me it's not really about design, it's about the life of the mind and arousing latent, hidden aspects of who you are - your life narrative. This is how I would start making a garden for you and preferably over lunch - it is primarily about love in the end!

I would definitely try to move the handrail to the outside of the stairs, the wider the stairs appear, the more welcoming and functional they will be. I don't think I'd go with steel though, I would keep to the era which was timber, it could be painted or stained. I also like most of the ideas and in addition think that painting the rafters a light colour toning with your overall theme will make the whole area feel more expansive. Add a feature to the entrance by way of colour on the door, as suggested or some very sleek ornament on the wall as suggested or my preference would be to feature the risers as mentioned.

I agree, give a couple of cabinet makers a try and tell them your budget they maybe able to adjust a few things and tell you what ideas might save you coins. Just remember it's sometimes better if they install it as well, that way if anything is not quite right they have to fix/adjust it.

Like most other posters , I can't quite get a full idea what you are trying to achieve , and I mean that in a positive sense . How many people are living there ? What are your priorities ? Is the kitchen also currently the dining area too ? Will an island bench , or a breakfast bar be sufficient , do you eat in the lounge , do you still want a formal dining area ? To me , the kitchen itself is easy , it's the other issues that may create the problems . Some ideas -- like most people , I'd be inclined to open the kitchen and living areas , especially if ( as seems likely ) thst wall isn't load bearing . That way , you can do a breakfast bar or island ( and new benchtops -- I'd match the colour and material of all those ) , a dining area and living area . If you only want 2 bedrooms , then removing the wall into Bed 3 , or ideally opening the hallway too , by taking out 2 walls of Bed 3 , you'd have heaps of space , but how useful depends on your priorities and even things like the sun and the view ! But here's maybe another thought -- assuming the plans are to scale , the downstairs is quite large , and has water -- so is it possible ( at some stage ) to enclose the stairs and maybe turn the storage space into 2 bedrooms and a bathroom ? That way , you could have a large kitchen / dining / living area , and 2 bedrooms upstairs ( with 1 or 2 toilets ) , 2 bedrooms and a bathroom downstairs . Yes , downstairs mightn't be suitable , or not enough light , or not enough insulation , but just some thoughts . The disadvantage is the cost ( and there may only be say 2 of you ) , the advantage is it would be more valuable and resell quicker and/or for more . Just throwing ideas around .