Thanks for the good ideas. Val - yes we are planning a moveable island/table - didn't put it in the diagram as we are planning to get it after the reno but perhaps should have it there to give better picture of our plan. We are thinking a timber topped bar style table, 900 high, 1200 long and 800 wide. It'll be dual purpose - flush with benchtops for extra prep space, and a snug table for 4 (on bar chairs). Louie and Kate - thanks for the fridge tip. I was playing with this and preferred the look of the fridge inside which seemed more 'built in', but can see the point about a slight blocking of the pantry with its greater depth. One related question - if the fridge was on the outside, do you think an end panel (as in Louie's pic) is essential? With every mm literally counting, it would help save 16mm or so to not have this, but would it be an issue to have the side of the fridge exposed? Kate - re micro height, it's another good point. We chucked our current micro and were waiting to reno to replace...and have found that we hardly miss it. So we aren't even sure we need one, but thought a compromise was to have the shelving about 650 above the benchtop to allow for micro but not effect benchtop space. This would be at a similar height to ones that people sometimes have over cooktops. But agree that it would be a bit impractical for regular use of the microwave. Perhaps it's worth lowering at least 100-150mm? One final question - perhaps should be separate post. What is the thinking on minimum width next to cooktop? Of course ideally you would have 400 or 500 or more.....but in our small space, we have a reasonable space to the right of the cooktop, but only 200mm to the left. Then again have seen kitchens, especially with freestanding stoves, that have no space on one side (ie cooktop at end). In some ways this would be better for us as we could have 800 wide drawers, rather than 600 wide, then oven, then 200 wide mini drawers.....but thought it might be better to have the small 200 benchtop space on the other side of cooktop than none at all. Thoughts? Thanks again for the good ideas!

This looks like a pretty good start but keep in mind that you already have a lot of hard surfaces (tiles floor, stone benches etc) that are going to bounce a lot of sound around that space. The big trick with open-plan living is to try to keep the ambient sound levels muffled and soft. Make sure that you put nice soft felt floor protectors on the feet of everything – you don't want to hear each time a chair or stool is dragged across the tiles. Don't even think of adding a glass-topped table to the mix – every time a glass is put down, a plate is shifted or cutlery moved it clinks and bangs (not to mention that they are the very devil to keep spotlessly clean and shiny and if they're not they look horrible). A timber table does not have to look 'woody' or clash with (or match) the floors – timber can be painted or stained and there are some very classy looking laminates out there that are easier to live with than glass. As others have said some rugs defining the zones within this large room will help to soften both the look and the sound, as well as introduce some colour. I also find the spacing of the pendant lights rather clunky – try spacing lights across the island rather than stringing them out across the full width of the ceiling.

My Home Stylist - I really appreciate your feedback. The Noguchi coffee is really nice. I think I'm getting closer to finalising the colours. I've done my research and found these. Do you think they match? Coffee table I did my research and found something similar to the noguchi coffee table but in white (thought it'll suit the white ikea table). It's aFreedom's Stockholm table . Dining Chairs I really love the chairs with timber legs but I've decided that since my apartment will be occasionally rented out I'll stick with a more conservative look. Dark Grey frabic will match my sofa. The steel........ It's similar to one of the photos on houzz. Bar Stool: Now that I have chosen a dark grey/steel leg dining chairs and an oak based coffee table, would a standard white barstool with steel leg still work well with everything else or is it starting to clash? I found some possible but more expensive options if it's starting to clash:

Hi Crocker Castle, We bought our tiles from Tile Mega Mart in Smithfield, Sydney. We got ours on sale + further discounts as we bought both exterior and interior tiles from them. Cant remember the exact price of the timber look tile as it was an overall discount. We did get it for a reasonable price and much much less than the advertised price of $129.