Tsk tsk... Art at the least is something which resonates with you, for any reason, great Art is a bit different..... Buy a prepared canvas and some colours you like and have at it. Then hang it up on the wall.... I would suggest a large horizontal canvas close to the width of the sofa for that wall.

Where is north. It appears your kitchen windows have a view of concrete drive and neighbour whilst the upper cabinets block view to courtyard. Living has couch backing onto doors to courtyard. Where are your views and sunlight?

I'm thinking similar to me me -- if you swapped the kitchen and dining , basically the dining chairs and even table can become part of the family room ( looks a lot bigger too , but the downside is you have to clean everything come mealtime -- probably not a bad habit to get into anyway ) . The kitchen could then be walled off from the lounge presumably , or able to view each other if that suits your lifestyle -- it gets a good view and light from the patio , maybe even a servery ? One slight further option if you really wanted , would be ( as above ) swap kitchen and dining , BUT remove the 'foyer' wall , including that linen and fridge space , and have the dining table near the entrance door . Personally , not what I'd do , but it does add more space , particularly to the Family room ( check as far as load bearing walls etc before you even considered this option ) -- there are some advantages , but some slightly strange ones too . Might make you think of options ?

Mark, to answer your original question. We are now in our fourth home. We purchased our first home and had a vision. We gutted the kitchens and bathrooms ourselves and got the professionals in to do electrical, plumbing, and tiling. We received three quotes from builders and employed one to knock down walls internally and external walls. We then arranged for ceiling company plasterers to make it nice again, kitchen company to install kitchen. This was before our children were born so had more time and didn’t matter how we lived with in the home with tradesman coming and going. Our second home was more cosmetic, our third home was again gutting and modernising home. Our children were old enough to help, and was a great family experience of knocking brick walls down and painting their own rooms and helping their father lift floor tiles. Our fourth home was a home designed by ourselves and built by a reputable builder. It was nice to move into a brand new home and relax. In summary, depending on what changes you are making, that will dictate the type of professional needed to employ. Builder and structural engineer advice, high on the priority to get things right first. You know your own limitations, so this will also become part of the decision in our much you do yourself and how much you leave to the professionals. Your home looks like there is maybe asbestos amongst the build, so this is important to get a remediation company employed to check out the home. If you go down the route of employing a builder to do the work, they should take care of organising those inspections. A builder can organise everything for you and you just pay the bills. Have fun and enjoy the process, which ever way you choose to get to the final wonderful vision.