Thanks guys. Theres a couple of issues. The wall the stove is on has to stay, the wall with the open wooden squares (Which I dont mind it works with the beams in the house) creates a divider from the other room but the wall on the left I was thinking island bench and then the angle the kitchen photo is taken from is the complete wood wall from the other side (other photo). This wall however needs to house the fridge somehow so there would be a wood surround for that but then I was thinking a floating bench off the surround with a simple stainless steel pole to hold it up. I tried to download a floor plan Lily it won't work for me. Bestideasever4U Ihave got my hammer ready for sure and also booked in the builder to have a look and pick his brain.

Great kitchen hashleigh. Your kitchen is a workhorse room, it is all about you, how you use it, what you need, functional and attractive so you enjoy being there, but not "pretty". Keep what you need in the room because you need it to be functional. Your brick is a feature of the room, it is a lovely brick, so if you like it keep it. Painting it can be a lot of upkeep. I don't know what is involved with whitewashing or what the upkeep is but do look into that aspect before making any decision. Looking at the rest of the space, the brick does only look a small part of it, it breaks up the timber on the other walls in a natural way. Looking at the whole of the area too, I do note you have a lot of really beautiful timber with furniture and fittings in the adjoining room and the ceilings. Everything is so cohesive, I'm wondering if even painting the timber is the right thing to do. I would certainly never paint the window frames or the door for example when everything else through the whole house is stained. Looking at the other photos you have posted now, the only thing I would be confident about changing are the splashback tiles - maybe that is a place to put some vibrant colour to change the whole effect of the room. A painted glass spashback in a brighter shade of the bluish tones in the brick could really add some life to the room, and the glass will not add another texture, it will more add some bling. I think you actually need to be in your home to really get a feel for everything and for this reason, I would call some interior designers to give you professional opinions before you do anything with the cupboards. Someone mentioned above about giving them a scrub - I have timber panelling and about every 5 years I use steel wool to rub oil into the grain to protect the timber and give it a whole new lease of life. It really makes a difference.

I like your kitchen:) If it were mine I would change the countertop to light colored quartz with farmhouse sink - just me - I like light countertops and farmhouse sinks. There is nothing wrong with the dark counters. The microwave is too high for short me so I would put it on the counter below and turn microwave shelf into plate rail shelf - did that to my own microwave shelf. If the wood is in need of refinishing you may do so - hard work but worth it. However, the "orange" wood thing is really over done by people - wood is various shades of brown and has different undertones in different light. I never heard about the "orange" wood concern except on HGTV - where the intention is to get you to buy new products - and here. Try changing light bulbs to different kind or understand that the whole "orange" wood thing is a mare's nest and probably part marketing tool to get people to change out their cabinets. I would paint the walls. I would not paint the cabinets. You have a pretty and unique kitchen. I would hate to see it look like everyone else's. (Grey and white - see it over and over.) I like the cabinets, but if your are open to the dusting, a small area of open shelving would make a nice area to display items - give it your personality. You can also do that with the glass. Neither wood or granite is dated in my area of the country - see many new houses with both. Wood is probably also popular in Oregon. Also I was surfing Carmel Ca. on Zillow and most of the kitchens were wood - some Spanish or French country - very pretty and million plus dollar homes. I like the brushed bronze hardware like in this picture: Carmel kitchen:

Hi Sarah, We love where you're going with your design planning! Fresh Concrete is certainly a stunning colour & design, however, as it is a matt-textured finish, maybe consider finding cabnitery that is a semi-gloss or gloss finish and then consider offset cabinetry timber finish. I have attached an image below for your reference. Hope this helps! Best, Caesarstone Australia