yvonne.. re sanding cupboards I had mine professionally sanded because they were looking worn. timber is American Oak and it really didn't lighten very much by sanding. so depending on your timber you might not achieve much. i would change a few upper cabinets with glass doors, white perspex or remove a few doors, paint the back of shelving and hang wine glasses or whetever and break the load that way. I replaced my range hood with a pull out chrome one and that in itself made a difference nt tying in with the chrome handles. see pictures. maybe you could paint the legs or reupholster the stools to white...all part of the kitchen.

Depending on your budget I’d paint the cabinetry, replacing the doors if you can afford to and just painting them if the budget is tight. Just a thought, maybe it’s possible to fill that detailing in the doors to make them appear flat once painted. Not sure if it’s possible. It’d be a shit of a job but then you’d have solid wooden doors. And new handles. The same with the tiles. Paint is a cheaper option. New tiles would give a better finish. Remove the window valance. Perhaps resurface the benchtop with a product like rustoleum. Replacing the oyster light with something more contemporary. Open shelving can look great and lighten a space but think about whether this compromises your storage capacity. Everything will be on show. I think if you paint the cabinets then the floor won’t look so bad as there will be separation between the similarly coloured floor and ceiling. Cork is great in kitchens as it’s soft so it’s easy on your legs and back and forgiving if you drop things. It’s also making a comeback, as are timber ceilings. I would choose soft flooring for a kitchen over hard flooring. Kitchen floor tiles are a pet hate of mine. In my next build we’re putting rubber or cork in the kitchen. You’d struggle to put a double oven next to the fridge as it’s a thoroughfare. You’d also lose your pantry. Is two side by side 60cm ovens a possibility where your oven currently is?

Here you go, siriuskey. This plan is not quite accurate. It seems changes were made in the initial build - mainly removing the raked ceiling (disappointing! I would have liked it!) and changing the 09.18 window in the garage to a sliding door located closer to the store room and laundry (thankfully, as there's no direct exit from the laundry). Some sliding doors have also been changed to hinged doors (the one from laundry to garage, from master bedroom to ensuite, and into Bed 2. What is marked 'patio' is actually a gorgeous covered veranda with feature timber ceiling and lovely planter boxes all along the edge instead of a railing. The carport has been transformed to a beautiful outdoor living area with a spa just behind it and a feature timber ceiling, though the floor is still exposed aggregate which will have to be sealed over so it's smooth for mopping. Overall, we love the house, except for the kitchen and the laundry and bathroom décor. I'm also disappointed there is no bath tub and hoping we can install one in the main bathroom and I'd like a small wash basin in the main WC, but drainage is an issue in houses built on concrete slabs when you want to rearrange things. I wanted to put a sink in the store room also, when converting to a butler's pantry, but again drainage is a question. Have no idea yet how to improve the bathroom décor. Currently there are very plain mocha coloured tiles floor to ceiling. The vanities will have doors two-pac coated, be topped with stone and have new basins and taps fitted. The walls have me perplexed. I'd like to add some features, and I hate tiles in showers. We plan to put a wall-mounted clothes line outside the store room and enclose with slatted aluminium screening (as that is the front entrance - but I don't like the thought of having to walk the full length of the house and further to get to the clothes line!) As we have only one car, we plan to divide the garage, partition in front of half the door and convert half the garage to a music room for my hubby. I hoped to put sliding shoji screens or similar across in front of the laundry cabinets so it looks more like a passageway into his music room. The biggest issue is the kitchen, and it will be costly, but I'm prepared for that. The rest of the work will be done in stages as budget permits. I see such great ideas in comments on Houzz, so I'm eager to see what suggestions others have for creating my dream home!

I , as often seems the case , look at things differently . The cupboards look pleasant , and I gather you want to keep them -- without knowing their condition , I would too . The wooden window sill and door surround are great too , as is the floor . Nothing wrong with the stove and hood either ( can't see enough of the hood so I might be wrong there haha ) . I could live with the taps and the sink ( it has character ) . The tap I categorise the same . I'm sort of in-the-middle about the dishwasher and fridge -- the white doesn't quite work with the stove and even the cupboard colour . Ideally , I'd replace , but I wouldn't get too upset if I had to keep them , at least for a couple of years . So my 'don't like' list is the benchtop , cupboard handles , and the tiles . A couple of others have beaten me to it , but I'd go wood for the benchtop , OR marble or a good marble effect -- offwhites with grey and charcoal streaks . I'll let you make that choice haha . BUT I'd use the sink and tap , as I consider it ties in with the stove . So that leaves the cupboard door handles , and I'd go brass , probably antiqued brass ( darker ) but not an old style with scrolls or stuff -- modern , but as dark brown as I could get . Tiles -- probably those strip ones you get , with narrow charcoal slightly sparkly parts , silvery parts , brushed stainless parts , with a grey grout . The power point on the right I'd revert back to brass plate/surround . If I could , change the fridge and dishwasher to brushed stainless too . So you have wood , darker brown handles , the light cream , stainless , more wood , more stainless , and maybe a greyish marble or more wood .