Hi, I would paint it with chalk paint, no sanding ( I use Annie Sloan - not available at Bunnings ) have a look at purple lady painting tip page, the best I have read. I use the soft clear wax to seal. I really like the depth of the paint. You could leave the bench wood or replace, I wouldn't use chalk paint on bench top, or any other paint. Chalk paint is expensive but saves priming and sanding so maybe more comparable when you do that sum. Changing the knobs will give a revamp as well. If you do choose an Annie Sloan paint and want white use the antique white, it has much better coverage than the pure white. I buy the paint on line as my nearest stockist is 160 kms from where I live. I use correct brushes as well, very expensive but I do take very good care of them, I was them out in softly and gently scrub down the bristles with a soft scrubbing brush

I honestly can't beat the suggestions that have been given above, but yes, de-clutter the desk area (clock, wastepaper bin), find a large print to go above the desk (this will draw the eye first), replace the desk chair with a nice upholstered chair that fits better in a lounge room something like the upholstered dining chairs that are popular at the moment http://www.westelm.com.au/mid-century-upholstered-dining-chair-velvet-h2338 (if budget is tight, even Kmart have similar?). Finally, I do think the warm earthy tones of the walls/carpet/curtains are jarring slightly with the cool white & aqua tones of your furniture. Possibly repaint the walls, ditch the cream curtains? The carpet you probably will want to leave, but I think these other colour changes would probably make enough of a difference. But that outdoor area is so lovely, I would try to bring that in, with a few indoor plants in the corner, plus mirroring some outside. Then also potentially a mirror on one of the adjacent walls will bring in light and reflect the outdoor view into the room. I wouldn't stress too much, it's a great room and settling in, tweaking and 'nesting' takes time!

Or do a Google image search, sometimes you can get lucky and the website pops up. I was looking for a table design and managed to find the makers and the specialist store this way!

Freedom Furniture, Rugnroll Geelong/Caroline springs, Persian carpet Brooklyn, Carpet Court,Norsu interiors Malvern , Miss Amara have a room visualiser.