Thank you oklouise and bigreader! That advice helps a lot. :)

Hi Innessa - that will entirely depend on how large your space is / the overall length and width of the current space., where north is, where any views are and where the big areas of glazing / doors / indoor / outdoor garden is!! We always try to prioritise indoor-outdoor flow and north light in an open plan living space and work backwards from there. Especially for Canberra's cold days, catching sunlight into the space is essential. Having said that, there are some minimum dimensions you need to work backwards from too - if the kitchen is at one end facing into the open plan space with dining/living, you need minim 1.6m-1.9m for a walk-in pantry tucked in behind the kitchen, about 2.5m width for a kitchen including island bench (more if you want a deeper island), and min 6m from the front of the island to the end wall for dining + living - more is preferable. How does that stack up with your existing space? Don't forget to post plans and a photo - and look through all the Pro images on Houzz for design ideas!! Good Luck.

Not a huge fan of open plan living. Mainly because noise can propagate so easily, & with hard surfaces they become echo chambers.

Have a look at "broken plan" layouts. Much more appealing IMO.

As m & n says, in Canberra's cold climate you have to work hard to design a living area that will be warm in winter.

Ideally your living area will face north (along with a large proportion of your glazing). You want to be able to heat you're living areas independently from the rest of the house. To do this it must be possible to separate your living areas from the rest of the house. Most importantly, separating it from any staircase, which will act likely a giant chimney.

Would love to see a floor plan of your house so we can add informed opinions cheers