Hello Dee, I would 'mirror image' your plan and have the kitchen against the original part of the house (to the left of your step down) and still with the island. You could then have sliding doors facing both decks, and hopefully a beautiful outlook to your garden, also a lovely vista when you walk down the steps... your living dining furniture will have the feel of more room against windows, rather than boxed in by walls.

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

as usual the Real Estate floor plans are not consistent (ie the living and dining area is shown as 4.5 m wide and the kitchen is 4.8?) but, based on estimated measurements the most effective improvement will be achieved with a new kitchen by removing the tall corner pantry and the wide cabinet (and thick brick?) wall next to the fridge and installing base and wall cabinets along the fridge wall with a small base and wall cabinet around to the side of the window and replacing the island with a flat 2400 x 900 counter with knee space and/or shallow storage on the dining room side and drawers for pantry storage next to the sink cabinet i can't see any advantage to altering the laundry and if you don't need the study nook i imagine that the space can be used for extra storage

Good suggestions from Kate. I would also suggest the following. Remove the kitchen pass through wall completely and install a peninsula bench. A support beam may be required. Or a support pillar which could be incorporated at end of the bench. Install a 2400mm high solid core sliding door, think barn style, for the bathroom door. This will give a bit more sound proofing for the poor people using your toilet in the dining room. Place the lounge furniture so the corridor is along the wall. Using single accent chairs. All dining and lounge furniture should be light in colour. The furniture in the photos is dark and bulky and sucking the light out of the room. Paint the stairs completely in a light colour. You have not mentioned a budget, so these changes are cosmetic more than structural (apart from the pass through wall)