The north is very important to get that natural light, if you have the money to do that two floor void, then heaps of natural light can flood into the space. If that is not possible than lighting, colour, windows and doors can help. The connection from house to garden is just as important as we tend to spend a equal amount of time outdoors if designed to the conditions, and don't forget the garden, that done well can extend the house from inside to outside rooms to garden in one big space, with paths and focal points to make it an experience to be in. You need to seek professional advice from someone who will help you understand the requirements from council, the building process, and the cost associated with those processes, and the best way to make the available funds work to your best advantage. There are very few clients who have unlimited budget and in an ideal world where you are lucky to start from scratch and design the house of your dreams, twisting to take advantage of views, light and site conditions, renovating an existing house is normally full of compromises. Renovation is always more expensive than building new, even twice as expensive depending on the house. Ideally the bedrooms should be grouped together with living to the opposite end. That may make sense if the children are young but does not make sense with older children even the ones studying and still living at home, or you are planning on renting out a room. Another factor is length of time at the house, is this a forever house or short term stay, that also should figure into the design. A good Architect Interior Designer is worth their weight in gold, and will be able to take you from this stage to the built form with ease. Seek one who can draw in 3D as that takes out a lot of guess work. good luck

Well I'm going to avoid that first. I'm going to use grout pen to recolour white and 're Mastic or whatever that seal is called between tiles and benchtop. Do worst area. Then I'm going to paint flower pot yellow and focus on balcony. Will take photos soon of how awful it is

I agree that the floor is the problem. If you are short of cash, think about what your final aim is (a five-year plan?) and work towards that. Changing the cupboards and splash back are not going to have a big impact, as what you have is quite a classic look, but the floor is very ugly and outdated. No matter what you do or how much you spend, your kitchen will be dominated by the floor until you change it. Timber would be great because it would add softness, warmth and texture to the space, but obviously it depends on what other flooring you have and what your long-term plans are. Perhaps subway tiles would work as a splash back. To my eye glass would just look out of place with the style you have, plus it is expensive. You can buy lovely subway tiles very cheaply.

It depends on how big your house is, and how many doors can be seen from the kitchen. Matching the finish will give a cleaner and more cohesive look to the house, especially if the laundry opens out of the kitchen. Matt black handles are very on-trend right now, whereas stainless steel is classic and timeless. Your matt black kitchen handles may look a bit dated in ten years time, but usually kitchen handles are easy enough to replace. If you love the black, and budget isn't an option you could always change all of your handles to matt black! Best of luck with your considerations, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls