Thanks James for your feedback. As for bench tops, there won't be much other than the island as the sink and corner stove will take up most of the area and we will only have to do around them. Thinking of granite for this but always open to suggestions. Splashback I'm not sure on yet, maybe glass. We have decided to go with the first suggestion and have an opening between the island on the living side, this will be as minimal as can be. Now with having two islands, we will use the one on the right for prep and breakfast bar. The left will have a two tier top - one so I can hide my coffee station area behind and two as we seem to do a lot family talking in the kitchen while I'm cooking, we will use this as a taller bar type seating. And the bench top will also be used for prep.

The layout of the kitchen is functional as is. If you move the oven to the other side it'll be too far from the sink for hot liquids, plus it'll be in a walkway. In it's current location the oven would be next to the doorway (but not a thoroughfare) so be sure to leave 200mm beside the oven. A pull out spice/oil rack would be ideal. By leaving the oven in it's current location you'll save on electrical costs. The fridge would be ideally located where your proposed oven site is. A broom cupboard could be placed next to it to make up the space. To let light in I suggest cutting out a small section of the tin roofing in the pergola area and putting tinted polycarbonate roof sheeting in it's place. IKEA has great kitchens flat packs that are easy to put together.

Hi Judy, I may be a bit late but the first thing I would ask you is how many people in your family and is storage in general a problem for you. Also do you have a rough budget? Kitchens have come along way, you can redo the kitchen using the existing layout but making it a lot more efficient as well as more visually pleasing. As soon as you start moving walls and plumbing it becomes a lot more costly and involved. Not to mention messy. Would you live in there though that sort of reno. Bare in mind moving the wall will mean new flooring as well. I personally don't a butlers pantry unless they are primarily for the storage of things you don't use often. If it will be your actual pantry then you are making yourself walk a lot further each day to get your pantry items. Thus making meal prep take longer. I think the best place for your everyday pantry is next to the fridge so you can easily pack away after shopping and easily access what you need. If storage is a big issue then yes turn your dining room into a butlers pantry / storage area. It is a great place for a second freezer as well as small appliances and general family storage is set up properly. I don't think most people really need a second sink in the if it is mainly for storage. I would be careful putting in an island as ideally you want 120cm all the way around it for easy flow. Also bare in mind the work triangle, if you want an island they make the bay window a bench seat don't leave the sink there as you will increase the amount of steps you take. If I were you I would download the IKEA kitchen planning software and have a play around. You can input your measurements and put cabinets in and see different layouts and style combinations and it will give you a indication of price. I would put in as many drawers as possible and do all tall cabinets on the wall that currently has the fridge. I would put the fridge, the pantry and a tall a cabinet for your oven and microwave together. The only tricky thing is the angles if you go with standard size cabinets. You may have to have a small voids at your angles. You could probably redo the kitchen using the existing layout with updated more efficient cabinets with stone bench tops and installation for close to $10,000 if you install it yourself then you can save more. I think you need to take a step back think about what you want and what you need. Not just for the kitchen but for your home in general. Once you identify the problems or issues the you can start to fix them. A kitchen or far that matter any space in your home has to be not only beautiful but practical and efficient. At the end of the day it doesn't matter how pretty your kitchen if it is not practical. But a practical kitchen that is not your style can also be a downer, you have to both if you don't want a kitchen that annoys you. It has to be a space you want to be in and work in. Good luck

Well I think the first thing is to position the fridge away from the oven so you don't have heat battling cold. fridges are less efficient that way. getting rid of the corner pantry is a great start! you can just stretch the kitchen a little further along the wall so there is pantry space between the fridge and stove. Maybe the sink under the window?