Thanks for all the advice! Sian, i think the buffet you are referring to (next to front door) is the wine fridge which I'll move out of this area. Dominiqueu, I do like the rug but that doesnt mean it works. I've wondered whether it's too small and whether i need a more natural material if i want a coastal vibe. Or brighter to add colour.. Nicholas: i'm renting so no painting or changing lights allowed. Thanks for the illustration! I've done a bit of searching and I'm thinking to do the following OptionA: Add bookshelf where wine fridge is to create entry (see pic1) with the blue armchair next to that. Add a bench behind the sofa against wall for lamps/art/plants See pic 2. Option B: Move the sofa so it's facing the window (would need to take sofa apart so chaise is on the other side of sofa..), add bench behind back of sofa creating a "drop zone" (see pic3), blue armchair in front of window diagonally facing sofa. Once i get the layout and furnishings sorted I will work on the details. What do you think? Sent from my iPhone

We will be building in about 12 months and a butler's pantry is an absolute must. Bear in mind though that we have bought 100 acres and my aim is self sufficiency. We will have our own beef, pork, chicken, duck and of course eggs and veges. Butler's pantry for me will be a food prep area for preservation and storage and to have probably at least 2 large freezers. Now I could arguably just use the kitchen but I want a door way to articulate outside to the garden and I still want a space (kitchen) to do normal cooking and living. I know this is a little different from a suburban situation buI I have to mention that my very suburban sister has a small butler's pantry and I love it. The toaster and the coffee machine are out of sight but hugely accessible. She can have that messy and nobody knows out cares! At the end of the day I obviously love a good pantry but there are also some innovative cupboard ideas that certainly seem worth looking at!

Hi kyliewarren, I see lots of super helpful comments but please remember you chose the tiles because you liked them. This is your kitchen and other's opinons are just that, opinions. If people's comments have not turned you off the tiles, paint the wall a strong colour to match with the tiles, a dark grey or black to match the lamp shades. I can imagine you're feeling very stressed with lots of opposing comments. The tiler needs to correct the mistake with the mislaid tiles (the ones going in the opposite direction) but I would suggest painting the wall first before deciding you no longer like them due to everyone's strong comments. We offer aPick-my-Brain design advice service if you want more insight about what you might do to make the tiles work. Good luck!

The kitchen looks updated. But the concept of a dining table attached to an island, in my opinion, really limits movement in the room. You loose room for extra people to sit around a table, without entering the kitchen. Also the drinks fridge should be, in my opinion, on the living area side of island, so it is easily accessible without entering kitchen work space.