Hi Martea, I agree with Dohraime, an open bookcase would help create an entrance way and provide some storage that appears to be much needed from the floor plans. You asked about dimensions, I would personally make sure that the minimum clear space between the staircase and end of the book shelf is a minimum of 1200mm, but at the absolute minimum, 1000mm (1 metre) clear space is needed; thus it should be between 1200mm and 1500mm in length and the height should preferably match the head of your windows so approximately 2100mm. Depending upon the dimensions of your existing 3-seater sofa, I agree that you could back this onto the open bookcase. However, to ensure the best look, the sofa should end when the bookshelf does. As you can see from the diagram I have included, you could fit 2 arm-chairs and a coffee table in, however care will need to be taken to enure you have enough space to walk comfortably around the pieces of furniture. Try to search for a narrow coffee table. Given that you have replaced the curtains with shutters, you could place the television and console in front. This is not ideal in regards to lighting, but the space is constrained. I would also include a large rug (as depicted) for the living space so as to clearly define it. It could be approximately 3 x 1.8 m. This rug could be something bright and colourful given the muted colour scheme you have so far used. A bold pattern would also work. In regards to the dining area, it is possible to also fit a buffet in the space, and would again provide more storage. Something I noticed, and I am not sure it is within your budget, but the dividing wall around the staircase at the entrance is very dark and interrupts the clean lines you are going for. I would suggest if possible to remove it and replace with a glass balustrade. This would open up the space more and help to bring more light into this space. I hope this has been of help. If you want further advice or information please do not hesitate to contact me at admin@gracedesign.com.au and we can go from there.

I'm in New Zealand ( as a lot of you know ) and our rules are different , and will maybe act as a warning . Councils seem to be left-leaning , and therefore see anyone with property as a continual source of money . They make the rules with that in mind . Of course , what they don't seem to be able to comprehend is thaat every action has an equal and opposite reaction . Anyone subdividing an existing section or doing a subdivision has to pay a 'development contribution' . In most cities this is $50,000-100,000 . Per section/title . so they think they are hitting the greedy landowner , but of course , it is the person buying the smaller property that effectively pays this -- I don't think most councils can appreciate that . As a slight side issue , one large company has bought several hundred rural acres , and are trying to build their own town -- factories for themselves and support businesses , as well as shops and groceries and takeaways and gas stations and the lot . 1000's of houses to buy or rent or rent to own . And they want to pay for their own streets , and sewerage scheme , and power , and water , and parks , and upkeep . The council involved , predictably , has spent $10's of millions of ratepayers money fighting them every step of the way , changing the rules , all the usual tricks . So a tiny home here isn't classed as a caravan , it needs to have permanent water and sewerage and power , so , yes you guessed , needs to have someone pay a development contribution . It needs to comply with all the building regulations , so you can't have it for only 'summertime' use or similar . In Aus , you have a lot of areas that are effectively off-grid , because power and sewerage would be way too impractical , but here you cannot opt-out . And even caravans cannot be 'lived in' permanently , with the exception of some caravan parks , and I think even then technically the caravan has to be moved once every 3 months or similar . Park a caravan at your house , have the grandkids stay for 2 weeks , you probably get away with it . But have them and their Mum live there -- you then need to permanently connect it to your services , and , you guessed it , pay a development fee ! Same with mobile homes and the like . My mobile home I have had it deregistered , and re-registered it as a mobile office , in my businesses name . This is because Mobile Homes are not allowed to park overnight and be slept in , on the streets or carparks in most towns . Of course , if I got a ticket and disputed it , the relevant council may show local CCTV footage , or ask for an accomodation receipt from a nearby business , but at least it will tie them up in court for at least a couple of hours or more -- they probably have lawyers on the payroll , but if they are paying $300 an hour , plus 3 or 4 council employees time , plus the Judge and court people -- its cost them way more than the $200-500 fine . So long story short -- tiny homes are a legal nightmare in NZ , as is almost anything that doesn't look like a conventional house .

oklouise and dreamer, thank you so much for your input! Sorry I disappeared for a while, the weekend was a little crazy, also a lot to process after your suggestions. oklouise, your idea to turn the island 90 degrees is genius! I was obviously mentally stuck on the existing wall and could only imagine the island going along (instead of) it, not across it. I can see the beauty of the suggestion to use that whole "left" wall for the kitchen. I have even walked the rooms imagining how it could work. However after much thinking and discussions with my husband, we prefer to have the living/TV area in that corner rather than in the open area as suggested. Again, I see how this suggestion will work beautifully for many families but not for us. Also, the window in the living area (on the left wall) is 190cm wide and floor to ceiling, and looks into a park. It's the top floor and no neighbours on that side, the view is lovely and we would really like to keep it unobstructed. dreamer, thank you for the idea of a portable island. However, I am very keen on having a second sink and there seems to be no other place for it (provided I'm sticking with what ). Also I thought I'd have a couple of power points there to be able to use my appliances, also it'll be around 2m long, so probably either way too big to be portable. For now I've used oklouise's fantastic suggestion and rotated the island, and made it smaller, now it perfectly aligns with the window on the left and the door at the bottom of the plan. It now looks like there is quite enough space to have a proper dining table to the right of the kitchen. What do you think? I'm providing the current floor plan with the dimensions, the grey area is the existing kitchen/dining footprint. This plan is accurate (done by an experienced person) but my design is probably off as I'm not experienced at all, was just playing with some ideas and a design tool.

Business Name: South QLD Restoration https://southqldrestoration.com.au/ Client Name David Hall info@southqldrestoration.com.au Phone 400716182 Address 10 Industrial Avenue Subarb Logan Village Post code 4207 City Gold Coast State QLD ABN 11 565 908 939 Monday -Saturday: 6am - 6.30pm Sunday: Closed pest control South QLD Restoration is a well-established company of clean up and restoration industry. We have helped thousands of businesses and homeowners in recovering from disasters. We offer reliable reconstruction and recovery services to mitigate water, fire, storm, mould and related damage. We help you to get back your property back to its pre-loss condition. We have an experienced team of mould removal professional technicians who examine the cause of the problem and provide recommendations to find a permanent solution rather than just treating the basic symptoms. Our mould removal Gold coast and other regions specialists have several years of experience; therefore, we are reliable, friendly and ensuring the ultimate satisfaction of our customers is our topmost priority. On the sunshine coast, the average humidity level remains quite high all year-round. Besides, frequent use of dehumidifiers and air conditioners create an ideal condition for mould and pest to grow. That’s why to keep mould, pest and other issues out of your lifestyle, feel free to take our professional support.