It IS worth every penny... but floors?? Its luxurious yes but vertical applications ( backsplash/ wall in the kitchen and bath) have less maintenance. Ialso would prefer to see it on a large island. Atleast upkeep is limited to a small area. Marble floors ARE gorgeous but they can scratch and be slippery when wet.

If your home is tiny keeping the same style all the way through will make it feel larger but you can do whatever suits your needs and what you are comfortable with. If you have an eclectic set of items tie them together by selecting a colour that is common to majority of colours and repeat in each room, it could simply be a candle in that colour or a cushion with a hint of it. It does not to be a large or dominant piece.

Update above - this is what we have done so far. We decided to not paint Hog Bristle but paint ceilings Vivid White and walls in Haymes Organic 3. We felt it would be too stark in just Vivid White. Organic 3 is a nice light linen colour. After living in the house for a few weeks we have decided to keep the floors as they are. Wished we could have afforded to put in longer skylights - the room is facing south so no direct sun. The skylights have made a huge difference though - thanks to Gary at VSKY skylights (Gary is installing the skylights on 2017 The Block) he did an excellent job. We also installed bifold doors to the patio area as the previous owners dog had chewed and scratched the cedar ones to death and they had to go! Now to the kitchen and bathroom!

I would suggest keeping the brick fire place with a clean up to keep the character. Agree paint the ceiling panels white however keep the beams as the are (if in good condition) to keep the character of the home. Paint the remaining walls white or light grey. The 1/2 brick white wall and timber paneling on the right side does need to come out to help you create the open plan space you are craving. The kitchen area - I'm not sure of size judging by the photo - I would suggest storage/cabinets the full length of the back wall to the windows where the dinning table is and cabinets/draws under the window also. Giving you plenty of storage for the home. I would suggest an island bench with a lower section to use as a dinning table. All your storage is in one place and allowing you to remove the storage you have across the bottom window in the lounge room. giving you more space and more light in the room. Or paint them white also. If you can remove the window coverings and replace with lighter roller blinds that disappear in the white walls or even white block out curtains. Good luck with the project from the Team at North.