Here is a suggestion for bringing more light into the kitchen without any major renovations. You could install one or two illume Shaftless Skylight Systems? http://www.kimprod.com.au/illume/illume_skylight.html It is basically a very large downlight powered by a little solar panel on your roof. They are simple to install and are amazing. I have one in each of my bathrooms and my mum has two down her hallway. They are instant solar powered, so if it is a cloudy they will be dim, if it is a bright they will be bright, at night they will not be on at all. You can even tell when a bird flies overhead. They aren't super expensive and will change your world. Good Luck

Hi Jodie and okLouise! Thanks so much for your feedback. I was considering an island bench just to try space out the kitchen area a bit - the only issue with this option is that we'll need to do a bit of rework on the jarrah floorboards due to the gap left once the internal wall is removed. This is definitely something we're considering, I'm just cautious that it could be a tricky exercise (acquire the fill in sections of floor board, have a tradesman secure them/nail them and arrange sanding / oiling of the small section). I'm also a little cautious that the fill in section of flooring will stand out like a sore thumb... but we'll weigh this up and make some phone calls to see how tricky this would be. Sadly we don't have a floor plan. I'm going to sketch it up in AutoCAD once we've taken measurements of the entire house - this might take a bit of time though, so we thought we'd just start by measuring the kitchen / lounge first. Without trying to confuse you, the rest of the house is: - dining room through the internal opening (no door) right of the kitchen - internal door opening to hallway and bedrooms/bathroom opposite the kitchen - laundry on the wall on the RHS of the kitchen (from the views provided) And you're quite right Jodie - I was hoping to have the range hood as a feature! I think it will suit the style of kitchen that I'm going for. See the inspiration photo below: I am not entirely sure whether to go with dark cabinets because the space is so small, so I'll most likely stick to white (I know, safe and boring) but the overall style of the kitchens is what I'm going for.

Nik Star, I’m jealous of your bigger space ; ) - but so happy you have now been reacquainted with your messing tape! We are toying with the idea of putting a cavity slider in. Thank you Ripple Effekt Siriuskey - yes I really LOVE the concept of a “wet room” - Never imagined that our space was big enough for this but now seeing it’s possible, thinking about trying the bath under the window, then the shower and then vanity on the bottom left corner - just flipping yours slightly. Just trying to find a good bath that’s narrower design to allow for the biggest vanity possible. You are all awesome!

I understand the beam being installed when you did your earlier extension as that was an external wall, that's why I have suggested keeping part of the wall next to the island which was also an external wall, to support this, I will check this in the drawing to ensure it lines up for you. By opening up this wall as much as possible you are allowing more light back into the house The cost of running plumbing across I think is negative/comparable to moving the plumbing for the re positioned laundry and kitchen and removing any load bearing walls. Storage in the new kitchen is a big 2900 x 900 island of drawers for easy access, I have added a wall oven but that could become a 600 pantry with drawers in the lower part with a shelf above for small appliances. The wall with the TV could be a wall of narrow built in storage to be used in any way you need. This floor plan gives better flow between kitchen/family.dining/alfresco and better for unloading the car with the driveway running down beside the kitchen and verandah