I love how everything became more open and looks more friendly! :D

I'll be the stirrer then -- nah , not really . It does look great , but at what cost ? The cottage had quite a high pitched roof -- this appears to be a shallow slope , and lots of windows -- so I see lots of $$$$ and a reasonable amount of engineering . Similarly , I am not a fan of too much white , no doubt not a sentiment shared by the client though -- I love the wooden floors , but I would have done a dark ( onyx or similar ) benchtop , and I would have tried to add a feature to the white wall of cupboards , and that sloping roofed part in the dining area -- maybe timber , maybe stone , maybe just a bold colour , such as bright red or orange chairs -- or maybe a combo of all those ?

It is a great improvement . However I always laugh at all the before and after photo's on a lot of renovations on Houzz -- take the before photos on a dark day with the lights off ; do a reno ; take the after photos on a sunny day with every light ( and flash on the camera ) , and say how bright and breezy it looks ! It's like every weight loss 'con' -- the before photo in frumpy clothes with no smile and minimal lighting -- the after in a bright outfit , huge smile , feet 2 foot off the ground grabbing up for a beach ball , with lots of lighting !

The 'after' shots are a bit budget -- did you save money bu using only half a black and white camera ? Not for me thanks -- its basically the same , painted white . It even looks like you re-used the cream panels around the top -- just weird IMO . No character or life , except the tap and lights , which admittedly are the highlights . Imagine the same benchtops and splashback , but with charcoal cabinets or even a reddish jarrah or similar cabinets .