" How wonderful it is online that now we can all see what amazing ppl are creating. We always have had amazing ppl making such things, but usually reserved for family keepsakes, or nanas specialty. Put down the iPhone and pick up a craft I say!" ~mldesign0401 Indeed. I'm often gobsmacked at what people can do. And it's great to see the process in pictures. I do spend a lot more time looking at others creations the actually doing something myself! One of the traps of everything shared online. I do love seeing the creations that didn't go as planned too! So funny. It's great that people have the sense of humour to still share their "failures". At the end of the day, there's more benefit in the process of creating right? At least they had a go.

Re comment by @wuff...yes! My laundry tub was always full of dust and stuff I'd forgotten about and is now covered up by a timber insert which is a strong shelf/table for the dryer. So, the tub is being used, just not in the way originally intended! For any hand washing, I use a large plastic bucket which also doubles as a clothes basket I use to carry washing to the line. I think it's great that all these opinions can be expressed on Houzz as I find the comments as entertaining and useful as the Houzz articles.

I definitely agree that once you live in a home for a few months you will have a good idea of what works and what doesn't. Assuming that the large room with the floorboards is the living space and the room with the slate is the family room, would it work if you knocked out the wall between the kitchen and the family room, rather than just having a pass-through? You could then leave the fireplace wall alone and put a bank of fridge, pantry and wall oven(s) on the kitchen side. You can have a large return (peninsular) between the side walls. This way you have a very open view into the family room where your children will probably spend a lot of time and you get to keep the fireplace or some version of it. If the rooms will not be used in this way, you would be better to remove the fireplace and the wall - but only if you can find another wall in the kitchen to relocate the fridge, etc. From a design perspective, while the kitchen is dated the timber can be painted and new knobs or handles added. You can have the benchtop resurfaced and a new splashback possibly installed over the existing one. However new kitchens would have more drawers than doors. If there was detailing on these it is more commonly a very simple Shaker profile that suits the very popular Hamptons style. Otherwise they are plain with shadowline or push to open. My advice would be to live with it for a while and then as soon as your budget allows get a new kitchen as part of the bigger renovation.

Hi Tim, it's charcoal: Polytec in 'Feldspar' colour and the finish is Shimmer Matt. It marks like hell (only because the other users don't get that you don't have to paw the doors to shut them) but it's a pleasure to clean (microfibre cloth and Windex). Still a amazing. My tip is to get the carcass of the top cupboards made out of a matching (or close colour). White carcasses look cheap when you open them. Bottom cupboards not as obvious amd they don't stay open for as long as often.