Thanks everyone for the warnings. Honestly I had not thought that could be possible so just in case I'll gear up with a mask to avoid inhaling any of it. I will still need to remove it, but from what I read the problem with asbestos is if you sand it and make it into breathable particles, so ripping it out should be ok. I've looked up in youtubr and there seems to be a tool called mastic remover that you can put on your floor sander and it would scratch the surface removing any of that stuff.

You are correct the place does and always will look a bit sparse when you only have blinds. The question with curtains is sometimes dependant on what climate you live in and I am not sure where you are so I am going to say. If you need curtains for heat go for a quality curtain to the floor with a fabric that is not stiff (as I discovered I now own after buying curtains off line for my spare rooms). The expensive curtains I brought for my living room have a softer texture and hang so much nicer. As I need Curtains / Roman blinds for heat I have backing fabric etc on the expensive made to measure ones, where as the cheaper ones are just thermals. If you only want to add a curtain for looks and do not require it for heat I would recommend going with a lovely sheer / half see through fabric that drapes really well, this will add a point of interest and you can colour match or add a loved colour to a bare - white on white - cream on cream - colour scheme.

A very simple layout keeping the floor space within the kitchen, the WIP takes up a lot of space with not much gain, The broom cupboard could be moved to the Laundry/entrance, narrow. If the wall has been bumped out to the eaves on the deck side giving an extra 300 depth to the kitchen you could make the island 2700 x 1200 and all drawers. The wall of narrow pantry will hold all pantry needs and more, no deep cupboards to dig into. cheers

Thanks Geoff, that’s a good point! We will paint the walls a white with slight grey to it, do you think a white splashback would work? We were thinking black to match the cooktop but also show off the benchtop. If anyone needs more info - the rest of the house is quite neutral, leaning towards a slight country theme but still keeping it modern.