Another idea i have seen in a few old timber houses, and that works really well is to move the kitchen from this large room entirely and create a more modern galley kitchen in a sleepout. You could consider fitting in a kitchen with a long bench where the archway is on that little annex room in your second picture. Or some other space entirely. Don't feel bound to use the rooms as they are currently being used. Old houses were often not originally designed with things like a kitchen and a bathroom and so yes they were often tacked on hodge podge and don't often work. Also we like more open plan so find the area of the house that will be easier to open up and is on the right side of the house to catch the light to create the lounge area. Even if that is opening up 2 bedrooms. I really don't think that matters if what you are working with is just barebones timber spaces. I think your colour scheme is a great choice. Its classic and will show off the bones of the home nicely. The trouble with these larger kitchen rooms is that they just aren't as functional, even though there is more floor space a lot of it is wasted. Sometimes you can end up with more functional storage and space by using a smaller room like a sleepout or enclosed verandah. You can use an awkward sleepout space more productively and gain an extra room when you remove the kitchen, and the added advantage is you can slowly build you new kitchen and still have somewhere to cook in the meantime. With the new kitchen built you remove the old!

Hi, If you're in Oz, talk to Superlight (www.superlight.com.au) they're specialists in LED lighting and do commercial and domestic installs and products. We used them for our bathroom reno and will use them again for our kitchen/laundry/patio and balcony reno - I found the staff (Jenette in their Sydney office was incredible) helpful and supportive talking our sparky through some of the process that was a bit unusual (naturally, I had to have the smallest lights and lots of them in the ceiling for something different as well as have them all on a dimmer and had diffused strip lighting under the cabinetry and had to be wired into one gangplate . Check out their website - it'll help answer a lot of questions and spark ideas of whats possible and I can personally recommend them.

we need to have a better understanding of the current spaces...do you have a floor plan of the original house (usually shows lines for the roof ridges and valleys as well as measurements)...also need to know the height from ground level to the bottom of the gutter on the original house and the height of the wall from ground level to the underside of any existing gutter on the "outhouse" (quite confusing 'cause where i come from an outhouse is usually a "dunny" or outdoor toilet!) is the ground between the house and the outhouse level, how many steps up from ground into the house, is the floor of the courtyard already paved? is the floor of the outhouse level with the courtyard or a step up?...please advise the length and width of the outhouse and the distance from the house and any side fences...the attached plan is an approximation that needs accurate dimensions but most most important is the heights above the ground

Firstly , you want something that you like , that suits the area and the climate and the vibe , so some of our suggestions are just guesses , modulated by our preferences , so take this more as a discussion , not a set-in-stone outline . Normally my ears prick up when I hear someone say they don't mind something a bit out-there , but I don't think this place wants to be or needs to be -- I'd embrace the era , and go with a 50's soft blue or apricot or mint green . The base boards then could be a more mainstream blue or orange or forest green -- not super bright shades of those , but about 3 times the brightness of the main tone , not 6 or 8 times , if that makes sense . They'd all look good with the white trim , and I personally would have gone for a stronger roof colour , but its pretty neutral so its easy to work with , and won't offend anyone haha . And the fence -- almost certainly a charcoal black stained wooden fence . Within 6 months , as your house starts looking attached to the site , so will the fence fade and weather and not look 'newly done' .