So many opposing, I actually love it! Just re designed our ensuite and as you walk into the bedroom you can see our beautiful bath under a leafy window! And shower is in full view- we don't have issues with nudity. The toilet is more hidden behind a book though, There is lots of airflow and no dampness. I do have an extraction ceiling fan, Obviously you can still get privacy, and we have another bathroom to use for the smelly stuff (lol) or if one is waking earlier than the other to get ready for work :)

For me, it would be colour. Maybe a feature wall for walls around dining, or living, pick colour from your favoured painting, and use same and other colours from pictures for cushions or even some occasional furniture in the brightest colour - I saw this done beautifully in a tarted up house for display - a small seat/coffee table painted and upholstered in an orange mix, which was taken from the splashback (everything else was neutral) and also in a throw for lounge.

Depending on your budget and how much structural work you want to have done, you could keep most of it the same. But you would loose your meals room. extend your laundry to the door of the meals room, turn your laundry side ways this will give you access to the out side, on the other side of the laundry extend your wall pass the internal door of the meals room to create a walk in pantry, extend kitchen gallery to laundry and pantry, open up internal walls of kitchen to living room and dinning room creating a beautiful Island bench looking into living room. open up external dining room wall for sliding doors to bring the inside out. because there is a walk in pantry there would be no need for upper counters so u could also have a bar at the kitchen window on the outside. Doing it this way you would save a lot of money not having to move plumbing and electrical in the kitchen. You would have to walk through your kitchen to get to laundry though.

strip part of the brick and mantle back to orignial if the exposed colour lines up with the room, strip the whole thing. Looks so well crafted not to pay respect to the past