Hello Marcelle, I am an interior designer . I can tell you a simple inexpensive way to change the look of your kitchen. Looking at the photo you sent the different cabinet heights , and all the objects on the stove wall are very busy . Your modern house is wanting a cleaner , simple look. I would lower the small cabinets so that the top is at the same height as the others in the room. And put doors on , that will hide the clutter. Next I would do a tile backsplash above the stove , up to the same height. The whole kitchen will be pulled together by the continuous top line. There is a small light wood cabinet with baskets in the foreground . I would paint it white , or the same dark accent color of the cabinets you have. I don't think you would need to change the beams then , they would add interest and drama once everything else was subdued. Lisa

Any pictures of kitchen, design?

curt off by a mm and its the room with the sink and wood burner

Provided there is 1200mm clear between the breakfast bar and the opposite bench then by rights, you should have ample room and if that's the case, I think I would opt for the design with the kitchen on the eastern side. My reason; you get a much greater feeling of open plan by having the dining and lounge on the North/South plane. I like the large WIP in this one - on paper at least. The second plan somehow feels wrong. I personally don't like the idea of having the breakfast bar being located in the lounge. If it were me though, I would ask for a 3D CAD plan of both kitchens [to walk through on the computer] before making up my mind on which one to opt for as it gives you a much clearer vision of what the finished kitchen will be like rather than looking at a flat plan.