You have a few options here to make some big improvements. 1. You could remove the wall that has the doorway in it. You may need to relocate your stove and range hood or you could have a range hood that you can see "in the round". You would lose those upper cupboards though. or 2. You could remove the other wall to the side of the doorway. This would then mean that your kitchen would open up to the living area but you would lose some full height cupboard space along that side. I also noticed that your TV is located in that corner. Do you need it there or can you relocate it to free up that wall? or 3. Perhaps you could flip your kitchen so that the breakfast bar is near the dining table rather than at the other end. The stove and range hood could then go at the end where the current breakfast bar is as well as upper storage cupboards. Having the kitchen open onto the dining area could be very nice if that's what you are after. It depends on the rest of the living area, too, whether you would like to open it up totally as well. There is a lot to play with here and it can be a lot of fun. I wish you the best of luck with your renovations.

I voted for paintings, because I have quite a few, but given the choice, I'd have voted for "quirky objects" ahead of any of the items on the list. I have African wall hangings, European ceramic plates, Afghan bags, and a carving from an Indian temple door. Also, copper and brass trays from four or five countries and lots of other things that remind me of places I've lived or visited. What I don't like and don't have is mass produced "wall art" chosen to fit with the decor rather than stand on its own merits either as art or as personal memorabilia.

Other options that will trail and should work in your area are Trachelospermum asiaticum or T. jasminoides, Myoporum parvifolium - 'Yareena' is a good cultivar, Hardenbergia violacea, Grevillea varieties - 'Poorinda Royal Mantle' is a good one, Casuarina 'Cousin It' and Scaevola. Ideally look for anything that has a spread of 1-2m. Your local nursery (not the big box stores) will be able to advise you on what suits your area best.

Definitely paint. And an extra tip: We moved into a house with so many boldly coloured walls (turquoise, salmon, yellow, dark blue...!) and ended up finding the Haymes paint was amazing at covering all the colours. In the bathroom we used 2 other brands (Duluxand Taubmans) and they needed manymore coats, I'll only use Haymes now I've tried it. Only needed 2 coats over all the colours, it's not at Bunnings but worth seeking out. We got ours from Paint Spot and the staff were so helpful.